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| photo credit: timedotcom.com |
Smartphones are the most expensive, abused and neglected devices we depend on. We toss them on our car seat, drop them off the night table, sit on them, drop them on the driveway and, yes, drop them in the toilet.
It doesn't take long to show wear and tear on a brand new phone. Despite your initial cradling, nicks on body edges and screen scratches build up quickly, taking the newness out of your constant companion.
A phone’s poor external appearance can easily drop its resale value by $100, so making the effort to keep it new pays off. Here are some tips on protecting your phone.
1. Invest in Screen Protectors
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| photo credit: charliewhite.net |
Screen protectors cost $10 to $30 depending on the material they are made from. All styles protect your screen from every day wear, but the pricier models offer better protection from harder drops and impact. Screens pay themselves off quickly because even with care plans, including Apple Care, you still end up paying an additional fee for getting your screen replaced.
Screen protectors are easy to put on, especially the dry kind that only require a spotless screen. If you miss-align, you can try again. The wet style of screen protectors test your patience and are better left to the pros. If you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself, get a cellphone store or mall kiosk to do it for you.
There are three kind of screen protectors, starting with the cheapest:
- PET: Polyethylene terephthalate protectors, for older phones, to protect against light scratches but not hard, glass-shattering drops.
- TPU: Thermoplastic polyurethane screen protectors perform better the PET, keeping away grease and fingerprints. They are self-healing when scratched. They absorb light drops, but don’t have the hard, glass feeling of original screens.
- TG: Usually the best ones are made from tempered glass screen protectors. They have multiple layers including non-reflective hardened glass, are a fraction of a millimetre thick and will ultimately sacrifice themselves, shattering into pieces in the hardest drops, saving your original phone screen. Here you will find screen hardness ratings at 9H or more.
Gorilla Glass, featured in better phones, protects against impact – often demonstrated with hammers and nails, but it still scratches. If you are a beach bum, get a glass screen protector to keep sand away. Smartphone companies recommend that you use screen protectors in addition to cases. Some cases offer better value when they include a mid-level quality screen protector.
2. Buy A Good Smartphone Case
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| photo credit: gadgetreview.com |
This is very important most especially if you travel a lot or if you are involved in sports or any other physically demanding activities. That said, in choosing the best smartphone accessories, how do you choose from thousands of phone cases? Before we get to that, here is the most important, overlooked detail you should check out in a phone case – its edge-to-edge screen access.
The sides of all cases go a little higher, slightly overlapping the screen, protecting it when the phone is placed upside down or when dropped on its corner. That little overlap varies in shape, thickness and how much of the screen edge it covers. Better cases pay attention to this detail; not getting in the way of your fingers as they touch the screen edges. Finger shapes vary; some won’t be able to properly touch the screen’s edge on thicker or wider case designs. When it comes to portholes, you have to check if it is wide enough for your smartphone charger to fit in. Some cases make the mistake of creating a slightly wider porthole thus giving you a hard time charging your phone using your ac wall charger, your dc car charger, or even your very own usb car charger. This is why its very important that you first try screen access on any case before you buy one.
With all that being said, here are four kinds of cases designed to progressively protect your smartphones against bumps, drops and unsuspected impacts.
- Minimalist Cases: These ultra-slim, skin tight cases come in hard, soft plastic/rubber or leather. They are minimally invasive, but protect the least against drops.
- Most minimalist smartphone cases are equipped with clear polycarbonate hard plastic for its exterior. They are usually used for showing off your new iPhone 6.
- The thicker versions have a hard back shell and soft drop absorbing edges features non-slip strips across the back – great for counters and cars.
- For leather cases there are features that include a microfibre interior and a thinly bonded shock-absorbing screen edge. The attention to protected buttons with even thinner leather oozes quality. Plus the feel and smell of pure leather just screams quality.
- OtterBox Cases: Used to be a brand. But today it has become a household name that all iPhone users use for identifying smartphone case-types. These type of cases are very well-known for putting protection in front of style. These type of smartphone case features a one-piece hard shell bonded to an interior soft shock absorbing interior.
- Symmetry-type OtterBox cases offers a two-piece is soft inside and hard outside and offers better protection and slightly more screen on the edges. It also comes with a screen protector.
- The Defender-type OtterBox cases features a three-piece shell offering the best protection against the elements and impact.It has a built-in screen protector with a thin, water-tight membrane for the iPhone 6 touch fingerprint reader. The outer shell is a belt case.
- Folio Cases: These cases are usually used for large screen phones and they mostly feature a smaller window on the front flap showing quick views of time, weather and (depending on the smartphone model) the ability to make phone calls without opening the front cover. This type of smartphone case has an exterior made from decent faux leather and and interior made from high-quality suede fabric. These cases also feature a reflective window that acts as a mirror when the phone is turned off.
- Grip Cases: This type of smartphone casing are the types of smartphone cases for the dashing and daring of smartphone users. These are usually chosen by users that knows a thing or two when it comes to smartphone caution and care. Grip cases doesn't have all those fuzzy details like an otterbox or a folio case but it offers a slightly better protective feature compared to minimalist cases like:
- The power battery grip cases. These types of grip cases features a built-in 2,000 mAh chargeable battery, which doubles your usable time. It is graspable not only effectively graspable but it also protects your phone against wear. It offers a full button protection and charges the inserted iPhone or smartphone with an external, cheaper micro-USB cable.
- The exoskeleton grip cases has a feather-lite, one-piece aluminum-machined body with an easily accessible bottom slot and inside cushion pads. The creation of these exoskeleton grip case was inspired the honeycomb shapes seen inside beehives. Not to mention, the exoskeleton grip case is currently the toughest case (material-wise) for the iPhone and when inserted, only adds less than a penny in dimension thickness.
3. Choose High Quality Smartphone Charging Accessories
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| photo credit:makingsmilesonline.com |
Not only is it important for you to take care of your smartphone's exterior facade but it is as equally important to take care of your smartphone's internal battery as well. A good quality charging device doesn't only allow you to save efficient time in charging speed but it would also allow you to enjoy your smartphone for longer periods of time. Other than authentic accessories you can buy for your smartphones, you can find a lot of dependable and high-quality ac wall chargers, dc car chargers, and usb chargers from independent companies that work as well as the ones found inside the iStore or tech shops in general. Not only that, you'd also be spending way less and still get the same satisfaction with your smartphone's battery life. What's important is that you choose quality accessories so you do not compromise on your expenses and your phone's safety.
Do you agree with these smartphone protection tips? Let your thoughts be heard in the comment section below. Also don't forget to share this helpful article with your family and friends on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. Thanks!
-XoXo
post credit: globalnews.ca
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