[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] shuddle13:
Get a case. I love having my phone naked, especially with my S4 because of how slim and lightweight it is - but therein lies the problem. I use an Otterbox Commuter case at work. Previously - while the Otterbox cases are good quality - I have refused to use them due to the bulk they add. However the S4's Commuter Otterbox case is fairly slim for a rugged protection case, so I decided to give it a go. It's really not bulky. The Defender on the other hand it way too much bulk for my taste.

I work in a transportation hub - around extra hard concrete floors, moving belts and machinery, metal grating docks, etc. - basically a rough environment. The first day I got the phone I went without a case, but with how slim and lightweight it is all I kept thinking was "I'm gonna drop it, it's gonna break, I'm gonna drop it, it's gonna break". So after work, I went and grabbed the Otterbox from my local Verizon store. I use it at work, and when I get home to my nice, soft, carpeted environment - I immediately take the case off.

A little over 2 weeks after I got it, I woke up and rolled over to check the time on my phone. It slipped out of my hands, fell about a foot and a half, and as it fell it hit against the metal rail on my bed (the frame that your mattress sits on) and landed on my carpeted floor. Grabbed it thinking it would be perfectly fine - it was a very short fall, it landed on carpet, and just grazed the rail. Took a look at it and the frame around the front of the phone, the faux metal one, had a huge gouge in it. I was very disappointed by this, but figured it was a freak accident. About a week ago, I got the Samsung Wireless charging pad for my phone. Set it up next to my bed, and as I was testing it out, I lifted one end of the charging pad while the phone was still on it, creating a slope. The Samsung Wireless Charging Pad doesn't have much of a grip to it, so it slipped off and made that same 1 1/2 foot fall from my bed to my floor, again grazing the metal rail on the way down. Again, I have another gouge in it. While this is a metal rail, it does not have any "sharp" edges to it. The edge itself is rounded, so it's gentler on objects that it comes in contact with, and it is covered by a bedskirt, again, helping to soften the blow should anything hit it.

Having learning my lesson (kind of) with the same freak accident happening with my phone hitting my bed in just to right way during a foot and a half drop (I have never dropped any of my previous phones...from my bed), I am looking into lightweight Carbon Fiber Skins to hopefully add a small layer of protection and sadly, I am resorting to also wrapping the bed frame in foam because I am stubborn and still refuse to use a case when I am not at work.

The point of this long drawn out story is that in my experience - as beautiful as this phone is, and as much of a shame as it is - I highly recommend a case of some sort. Unless you want to be like me and start padding the environment around you. The phone does not seem to handle falls well, even over short distances.

---------- Post added at 03:30 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:20 AM ----------

As an additional note, you don't need to go all out with a massively bulky case. I recommend something with dual layers though, the internal rubberized layer that helps absorb the shock from a fall and the outer plastic shell that protects against the dents/damage/etc.. While I have the Otterbox, I plan on making the jump to the Spigen Slim Armor Case, it looks much more beautiful than my Otterbox and slimmer too. I currently use their Glas.tR Screen Protector, having found that the glass gives it the naked feel that I love while still provided amazing protection for the screen. Their products really are top notch, high quality, slim, and don't take away from the aesthetic of the phone.