Is it soft or hard?How to choose the right smartphone case

No matter how strong your smartphone is, you need to protect it with a case. So what type of case is better?

Is it a soft case? Is it a hard case?

Or is it a combination case that combines hard and soft parts?

Can a thick case protect your smartphone better?

I will explain the difference between the hard case and the soft case of the smartphone and the case that protects the smartphone best.

Hard case

The hard case of a smartphone is usually made of ABS / PC plastic, which is a combination of hard plastic and resin.

Used when making eyeglass lenses and shatterproof windows, it is more flexible than regular PC plastic. Tempered glass and metal parts may be used for the hard case.

Many hard cases are slim in appearance, and many people like the glossy appearance that is unique to hard cases.

Another appealing point is that it is easy to attach smartphone accessories such as phone wallets and popsockets to the back of the smooth hard case.

On the other hand, the smooth surface is easily scratched, slippery in places with low friction such as pockets and sofa arms, and easy to fall in unstable places.

When choosing a hard case, it's a good idea to choose one with a slightly grainy back.

When the smartphone is dropped, the hard plastic does not transmit the impact directly to the smartphone, but it cannot absorb the impact.

However, because it is designed to disperse the impact throughout the case, it is possible to avoid the impact of the smartphone.

Therefore, the damage to the smartphone is reduced, but it is not as good as the case with high cushioning.

In terms of heat insulation, the hard case has an excellent ability to protect the smartphone from the heat and cold from the outside such as the weather and the hand holding the smartphone, but this property is a sword with a fragile blade, and the heat generated from the battery of the smartphone is removed. It is hard to escape to the outside.

Strong Points

Disadvantages

Soft case

The soft case is made of TPU (soft plastic), leather or silicone.

Environmentally friendly TPU plastic and silicone are completely recyclable, and genuine leather is a very durable material.

Soft cases are usually quite thin.

The leather case is the thinnest, but it can also be a flip case that folds around your smartphone, which adds thickness and enhances screen protection.

Many have pockets for credit cards and ID cards.

However, the soft case has the drawback of being easily discolored.

The silicone case picks up dust and various substances, which can cause dead skin cells and sweat on the user's hands to become brown.

Also, if it gets dirty with smoke in the air or comes in contact with a rough place, it may increase the number of small scratches.

The silicon case inevitably deteriorates over time, such as being naturally stretched, distorted, and difficult to grip while being touched, squeezed, or dropped.

Genuine leather cases, on the other hand, soften and fit in your hand as you use them, and vegan leather deteriorates like ordinary plastic.

The soft case is susceptible to friction in pockets, hands, or unstable flat surfaces, but the soft material absorbs the impact, so even if you drop the back of the smartphone so that it hits the ground, it will impact the smartphone. It protects you from damage caused by.

Make sure the edge of the case sticks out of the screen of your smartphone. Otherwise, your smartphone will not be protected when you drop it so that the screen of your smartphone hits the ground.

However, there are also problems due to this flexibility.

That is, if you drop your smartphone, the soft case may come off the smartphone and fly away.

This is because when the smartphone hits the ground, the case wiggles as it absorbs the impact.

If this movement creates a gap between the smartphone and the case, it will push the smartphone out of the case with that momentum.

This can be prevented by choosing a soft case with a high density of case corners.

Strong Points

Disadvantages

Combination case

The combination case, which is a combination of a hard case and a soft case, uses hard plastic on the sides and back, and soft material around the screen and at the corners of the case.

This combination is thought to improve the impact absorption capacity, which is the most important for a smartphone case, while keeping the outside hard and resistant to wear.

If you like thick smartphones, you may be happy that the case is a little heavier due to the increased layers.

This type of case is usually a hard case that is soft on the inside and fits around the phone on the outside.

The extra layers of the case add to the thickness, and there may even be an additional insulation layer that protects your phone from the heat and cold of the outside world.

In that case, there is a risk that the smartphone will overheat because the heat generated by the battery will prevent it from escaping to the outside.

However, a soft cushioning layer will help the hard outside disperse the impact of dropping the phone.

When the combination case falls so that the soft corners hit the ground, the soft material absorbs the impact without bending the entire case.

When the hard surface hits the ground, the impact is absorbed by the soft layer.

It makes up for the fact that the soft case easily comes off the smartphone when it absorbs the impact, and the hard case has a low impact dispersion force.

Combination cases usually expose a soft layer along the sides of the case.

This improves the grip of the smartphone and the edge of the smartphone absorbs the impact.

The soft material on the inside seals the smartphone and enhances waterproofness and dustproofness.

A rubber gasket along the seams on the hard outside further enhances this waterproof and dustproof property.

Many combination cases take advantage of this strength by attaching an included cover with headphones and a charging jack.

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Original Article: Hard vs. Soft Phone Cases: Which Protects Your Phone Better? By MakeUseOf