Apple wants you to use the iPhone 16 without a case

Smartphone makers have upped their durability claims significantly in recent years, but up to this point none have gone so far as to tell you that it's okay to use their products without a case. Whether that's because they don't trust that the phones would survive random drops, or they don't want to endanger their lucrative business selling first-party cases, we'll probably never know.

Anyway, today Apple has chosen to do the (previously) unthinkable and basically tell people it's okay to use the iPhone 16 without a case. That's the gist of the company's latest ad, which you can see below.

Of course it's all about the Ceramic Shield - Apple wouldn't refrain from advertising one of its beloved registered trademarks. But it's still an interesting turning point in the industry. The ad is very clear, you should relax because your iPhone 16 will survive a drop like the one portrayed in the video with absolutely no issues.

With Chinese Android smartphone makers recently enhancing their devices' dust and water resistance across the board, and with Corning basically saying that its Gorilla Armor 2 that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is using will survive drops onto "concrete-like surfaces" from up to 2.2m or 7.2 feet, it definitely feels like a new dawn of sorts.

This brings up the age-old question - do you use your phone with a case or 'naked'? Let us know in the comments.

Apple iPhone 16

128GB 8GB RAM $ 565.74
256GB 8GB RAM $ 726.00
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Reader comments

  • Pedzio

Any freakin phone can handle that. Even foldables. You can see, from these ads, that, How low apple assume the iq of their customers are.

  • Pedzio

If i was rich, i would probably not use a case and repair the screen and sell the phone once it cracked. But no, I'm not and i should protect my 12x for at least 2 3 more years.

...And add to that, that they also got a fat profit on repairs when stuff breaks...