my totally disgusting phone case

This looks nasty, but it's what happens when a phone case gets used because these things obviously don't last forever.

While the case would suggest otherwise, my phone is actually in very good condition. The screen only has a few minor scratches on it, the back and sides have no scratches, and I can still clean and polish up my phone to a mirror shine.

The case, however, is just one step away from giving up the ghost. Recently, the plastic finally started coming apart:

This is the only part of my phone that looks slightly bad, mainly because fabric fluff gets into the ports (which I did blow out after I took the above photo) from being in my pocket.

At the charge/data port is where the plastic broke, and on the side next to the bumper is a big ol' crack. On the case, not the phone.

With the case on, it makes the phone look dinged, pitted, rusted and all sorts of horrible. This is a kind of a neat illusion, because again, the phone is actually in very good shape.

Yes, I am one of those people that prefers transparent clear phone cases, and for the very specific reason that I can see what's going on better when the case gets old.

Yes, shockproof cases exist, and they do last longer. But I like the thinner clear cases.

In the way clear/transparent cases age, they start yellowing, then develop staining (just on the case), then fall apart.

This may sound bad, but to me it's not, because I can see the aging happening sooner when the case is clear.

Yes, I have ordered another clear case. Just a basic one. I could have spent more and bought one that's non-yellowing, but I just went with a basic clear since I'm not rough on my phone.

Published 2025 Aug 27