advice on durable smart phone?

[silvarios]

What carrier?

[Mr645]

Galaxy S5 Active is solid, has built in corner bumpers, water proof, double thick Gorilla glass and a massive battery, 2800 mA. Same 2.5 quad core CPU, separate GPU as the regular S5 and the same price also.

[sekker]

Who said the iPhone isn't durable? If the new sapphire screen is as good as rumored, the iPhone could be the most durable phone out there. I've not had any trouble with our set of family iPhones.

Our solution for heavier users is a decent battery case. They are good , protective and some look great.

[silvarios]

sekker,
The iPhone is not marketed for rough and tumble users. Is it even water or dust resistant? There's a whole other class of devices that Apple doesn't really play in like that Sapphire equipped Kyocera or the Samsung Active. If the OP's S3/S4 wasn't up to the demands, neither will any currently shipping iPhone. The amount of iPhone repairs mentioned on this forum alone means accidental damage is pretty common. Didn't you just suggest AppleCare+ in case of accidental damage?

This is kind of silly? The answer to every tech question can't be "pick an Apple product". Apple consciously avoids hitting every niche and generally tries to aim for the good enough, hopefully well balanced device that sits in the higher margin range. By that token, many potential users will in fact not have an Apple product to choose from, unless they are willing to make sacrifices.

There's no mention of a busted screen in the original post, so I'm not sure if a new sapphire display iPhone would solve the durability concerns.

[Robert M]

Silvarios,

A significant amount of the accidental damage of any phone is easily preventable. Brand doesn't matter. Want to prevent your phone from suffering damage from an accident or ensure the damage is minimal? Buy a case that offers an appropriate amount of protection based on usage and general day to day activities. In my situation, that means a heavy-duty, durable case like the TakTik from Lunatik, Otterbox Defender or Griffin Survivor.

I understand that people don't want a case for various reasons. Expense. Bulk. aesthetics. Weight. Inconvenience. Lots of valid reasons. But, choosing to use the phone without a case increases the likelihood the it is going to get damaged accidentally. I guess to them, it's an acceptable risk. Considering the cost of a phone, it's not acceptable to me.

Robert

[M A V I C]

Robert, yes, and some phones take extreme conditions better than others. Personally I'd like one of the waterproof phones with a basic case. Currently I just have a basic case. The waterproof cases just don't interest me and cause way more inconvenience than I care for.

[Robert M]

MAvic,

Agreed. I tried an Otterbox Armor case for the 4S. Love the idea of the case but it muffled the sound quality of the mic. People had trouble hearing me until I opened the flap on the bottom. But, while that solved the problem, it defeated the purpose of the case. That and it was annoying to have to open the flap to talk and close again when the call was done.

Robert

[sekker]

1) No manufacturer covers accidental damage without an extended warranty.

2) The number one problem with a modern smart phone is cracked glass. 99.9% of smart phones use Gorilla Glass, so there really isn't that much of a difference in this aspect of reliability (until tomorrow, I suppose!)

3) There is some discrimination with Sony phones being waterproof, with some Samsung options going for the active community, etc. IMHO, I would STILL use a case to protect the screen from cracking when you drop it.

4) Battery life is also something important. I have gone with a decent battery case as my default. Some Android phones have better built-in battery life and could be considered.

5) The rest is cost. The Moto phones are perhaps the best bang/buck right now. I have a friend who loves their MotoX. But he has it in a case nonetheless!

[silvarios]

sekker,
True, a decent case goes a long way. Pretty sure at least one manufacturer was covering accidental damage without a warranty in recent months. Depending on the market, may not have been the USA. Samsung was covering some models in Africa for a couple years, but there was something I read about more recently.

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-G...rs_id42380

[Marc Anthony]

The Google Nexus 5 is covered for any reason, one time only, even if you drop it and crack the screen.