You can protect your smartphone without a case: an argument for cell phone lanyards

I am one of those rare individuals who dislike phone cases, yet I have kept hundreds of phones that I have used safe. My experience in 20 years is that you can protect your smartphone without a case – by using a cell phone lanyard.

But why do I dislike using phone cases? A case adds bulk to the already big devices that we carry around. The more protective the case is, the greater bulk it adds. It adds weight too. And worst of all, it hides the delicious goodness of that spanking new phone. That is a horrible thing in my books.

I like my phones naked. I want to see the sleek lines, the intricate artistry put into its design. Why should I spend $500 and above on a fine-ass smartphone and then have to hide all that beauty with a case?

On the flip side, the obvious consequence of not using a phone case is that accidents happen and sooner or later, your beautiful device might end up having an appointment with the floor or some other hard surface. A cracked or shattered screen is no joy. Ugly scuff marks on your delightful smartphone leave a bad taste in the mouth. And so, most people succumb to the allure of putting their darling phones in a protective case. Fair enough.

In my own defence, I have owned hundreds of smartphones since 2001, and only three or four of them have ever ended up with a broken screen (or back, now that we have glass on the back of premium phones). That’s a 1-1.2% damage rate. Not bad at all, if you ask me. But I believe that rate can be further reduced if smartphone makers go back to putting lanyard holes in their phones.

You can protect your smartphone without a case by using a cell phone lanyard

Yes; lanyard holes or hooks. Many years ago, before the advent of the iPhone and today’s slabs, many phone makers used to include lanyard holes in a bottom corner of their devices. Sometimes, you had to open the back panel to fix it (like in the image below). In other instances, you could fix the lanyard without having to open the phone up.

This used to be so common back then but has become a rare feature on phones. Yet, there is no time that it has been needed more than now. I am extremely careful in handling gadgets, but putting a lanyard on my smartphones was a key hack for keeping them from falls. You don’t have to worry about your phone hitting the floor if you have a lanyard making sure it doesn’t fall in the first place. With a lanyard in use, you can keep your smartphone secure around your neck, or in your hand with the lanyard wrapped around your wrist.

I don’t fancy hanging my phone around my neck, but having a lanyard attached and wrapped around my wrist was standard procedure for me. And I didn’t drop any phone as long as this was in place. It is a proven way to protect your smartphone without a case.

Some people still use a lanyard today, but as attachments to a phone case (image above). Aaargh! That doesn’t solve the problem for those of us who want to use our smartphones naked. We need for phone manufacturers to return to including lanyard holes and hooks in their products again.

Whether you choose to hang your phone from around your neck, or hold it in your hand with the lanyard wrapped around your wrist, you will experience a far less fall rate than you probably ever imagined. If you are one of the ten people in the world who are like me, a cellphone lanyard is a great way to protect your smartphone without a case.

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Mister Mobility

Way back from the days of EPOC, Symbian, Palm, PocketPC/Windows Mobile, BlackBerry/BB10, webOS, Windows Phone, Firefox, Ubuntu Touch, to Android, iOS, and KaiOS operating systems, founder of MobilityArena, Mister Mobility, has owned a few hundred smartphones and tablets, and counting.