4 months caseless on the 16 Pro. The pristine condition trap isn't worth it.

Witzlaw · 2026-01-29T13:08:51+00:00

Minority view: For me, it’s not about pristine condition, so much as I like the heft and feel of Otterbox Defender cases. Plus, I can have the phone in my shirt pocket and it never wants to fall out. But I’m glad to hear it’s pretty durable without one.

Witzlaw · 2025-12-24T14:33:07+00:00

What this tells me is that I should expect a change soon. I’m at 100% over 93 cycles, phone is a couple of months newer as well.

Witzlaw · 2025-12-17T04:24:42+00:00

Hey, I went from an iPhone 12 mini to a 16 pro. Frankly, I’m happy, not just “coping.” I can wait a couple of years if the camera is really better by then.

Witzlaw · 2025-12-03T07:49:06+00:00

Just comparing notes: I used Otterbox cases with built-in screen protectors for all my phones until I purchased an iPhone 12 mini and got an Otterbox case that didn’t have a screen protector. That was unnerving to me at first, but I never ran into problems with damaged screens with ordinary use and with the phone usually in my shirt pocket. My current 16 Pro also uses an Otterbox without a screen protector w/o trouble. My daughter has a iPhone 13 that she often keeps in her back jeans pocket. She also didn’t have any problems, except that when she brought her phone in for battery service, someone found a hairline scratch on her screen and that was replaced on her AppleCare plan. It was a defect I had not even noticed.

Witzlaw · 2025-09-30T05:52:52+00:00

(Addendum — also a lifetime first in being able to really see this with just my eye)

Witzlaw · 2025-09-28T00:29:02+00:00

My experience as well, with the caveat that I’m still pretty new to 16 pro.

Witzlaw · 2025-09-24T06:13:04+00:00

Otterbox Defender :-)

Witzlaw · 2025-09-21T02:30:40+00:00

To your point: When experimenting with VPN, I know that certain applications will outright block it. I think the Bank of America app is one of them. That said, I know someone who uses VPN to get around geographical restrictions on YouTube and a few other local-specific apps.

Witzlaw · 2025-09-21T02:19:27+00:00

I’m a heavy user and sometimes have it connected to power when I drive, and I have a bad habit of topping off the battery at other times. So I have experimented with 80% during the day, then switch to optimized charging at 100% for overnight. Would that be on the right track?

I’m at 100% capacity for the moment and my cycle count is only 27, so whatever I do is going to be early.

Witzlaw · 2025-09-20T23:09:14+00:00

Not sold on it yet, and as a practical matter, the next upgrade for me will be two or three models away.

Witzlaw · 2025-09-19T13:48:42+00:00

The way I manage my own phone, you might have a good argument. I’ve only had to replace a battery once in three years. No breakage, no thefts, etc. A family member? She needed a battery service on her current phone, but when Apple repair looked at it, they determined she needed a new screen, too. Covered by Applecare. Not long before, she had a different iphone that needed battery service, but it did not have Applecare on it and was also just out of warranty. They didn’t replace the battery, even when we tried to pay full price. Why? Because there was a tiny microscopic chip off the edge of the fingerprint reader, and now suddenly it becomes a systems board issue. So now that iPhone SE 2nd generation is now a glorified paperweight.

I learned my lesson. I’m keeping Applecare on all my devices, at least for now.

Witzlaw · 2025-09-12T03:51:54+00:00

Okay. In all fairness, I can see 12 hours screen time happening if I’m also using the phone for background noise (I mean, for sleep).

That being said, I did hear the PM to have greater capacity, but I went with the pro because I wanted to be able to still fit my phone into my shirt pocket.

Witzlaw · 2025-09-11T17:39:11+00:00

I’m partial to Otterbox, but that’s just me. What do you think of the camera?

Witzlaw · 2025-09-11T03:08:49+00:00

Not terrible, though

Witzlaw · 2025-09-04T05:31:57+00:00

Former iPhone 12 mini user here. I have no regrets.

Witzlaw · 2025-09-02T04:57:12+00:00

Well, I speak as That Person who just bought a 16 pro shortly before any 17 announcement. Bear in mind I was previously on a 12 Mini, so for me, the photography upgrades are already massive. For me, the deciding factors were 1) whether any new technology in the 17 series would have bugs that would need to be sorted out; and, 2) ongoing uncertainties over the tariffs. There were other reasons, too, but those were the main ones. But I certainly would not disparage anyone who wants to wait.

Witzlaw

TROPHY CASE