Do you really need a case and screen protector? An honest answer

A cracked screen is the most common phone repair there is, and it is almost always avoidable for the price of a coffee. But the accessories aisle is designed to make you buy three things when you need one. Here is what actually protects your phone and what is just upsell.

The screen protector earns its place

A tempered-glass screen protector is the single best value in phone accessories. It takes the scratches and absorbs the impact your screen otherwise would, and replacing a £9 protector is trivial compared with a screen repair that runs into the tens or hundreds of pounds. On a refurbished phone in particular, keeping the display pristine also protects its resale value later.

If you use your phone in public a lot — on the train, in a café, in an open-plan office — a privacy version is worth considering. It darkens the screen at an angle so only you can read it, which quietly stops the person next to you reading your messages.

The case: which type for which person

A case protects the corners and back, which is where drops do their real structural damage. Which case suits you is mostly about how you live: a clear case shows off the phone and adds slim drop protection; a tough or shock-absorbing case suits anyone who works on their feet or has dropped a phone before; a slim leather-style case is the choice if you want protection that still feels premium in the pocket.

The one rule that matters: a case has to be made for your exact model, because camera and button cut-outs differ between every phone — even between an iPhone 15 and a 15 Pro. That is why we list cases by device rather than as one-size-fits-all.

Do you need both?

For most people, yes — they protect different things. The screen protector saves the glass from scratches and face-down drops; the case saves the corners and back from everything else. Together they cost a fraction of a single repair and dramatically cut the chance you ever need one.

The exception is someone who keeps a phone naked by choice and is careful with it — in which case a screen protector alone is the minimum sensible insurance.

Don't forget the cameras

On phones with big protruding camera lenses — most Pro and Ultra models — a set of lens protectors is a cheap way to stop the one scratch that shows up in every photo afterwards. It is the accessory people forget until it is too late.