I started using cases after having a Pixel 2 XL shatter in a 1 foot drop onto a granite countertop, but started going case-less again with my most recent iPhone 15 Pro (ironically, after the horrible quality Apple case I mistakenly bought with it disintegrated).

It's been a year so far of completely non-cautious use and my general take is:

* The screen still scratches; I leave my phone in my pocket or a bicycle saddle bag and it definitely has some damage. However, it is only visible with the screen off, and it turns out not to bother me a single bit.

* The frame of the phone seems almost invulnerable; even with a case many of my older phones got dinged corners, and this one is perfect.

* Overall, the only functional issue I have had with going caseless has been the propensity for the protruding cameras to pick up dust and fingerprints. I find myself having to wipe them even more frequently than I did when I had a case.

I suspect that a case still would have been a net-positive fiscal investment, I'll probably have to sell this phone in "good" or "fair" condition rather than "factory new" like a phone with a case and glass screen protector for its whole life, so I'll lose $50-$100. But I like using the phone on its own. The side and action buttons finally function as they should and the size benefit is appreciated.

Anyway, I'm now a caseless fan and this makes me very interested in the new Air. I think the need for cases is perhaps overblown and especially in a premium market like high-end iPhones where the consumer probably isn't as sensitive to aftermarket value, no-case isn't as rare or foolish as it would seem. For that reason, I doubt a bit that Apple are assuming the average person has a case on their phone. I'm sure they do focus groups, testing, and have some degree of telemetry to understand the case-vs-no-case debate in detail and I strongly doubt that the conclusion is "we assume there will be a case so we will do X".

The scratches are a feature not a bug. Older iPhones used to scratch way less, but shatter when sneezed at.

Now the glass has “a bit more give” which allows it to bounce back and not break like the super hard ones from before.

I’ve abused my 14 pro for quite a while and it has a lot of scratches, but only when the screen is off, otherwise I don’t really see them. Ironically the always on display helps here …

The titanium frame really is strong. The 17 pro’s aluminum will dent way more easily