so i finally pulled the trigger on the oneplus open after months of back and forth and honestly im kinda losing my mind trying to find stuff for it. the phone itself is incredible but man it feels so fragile especially since im constantly out and about in rainy seattle and i feel like one drop on the pavement and my two months of savings are just gone. i spent like 1600 bucks on this thing and now i have basically no budget left for accessories maybe like fifty or sixty bucks tops. i spent hours looking at cases and i keep seeing the official oneplus aramid fiber case being recommended but then i read a bunch of reddit threads saying it doesnt actually protect the hinge at all? like what is the point of a case if the most expensive part of the phone is just exposed to the elements. then i looked at some of those bulky hinge protection cases from brands i never heard of on amazon but people say they make the phone feel like a literal brick and sometimes the dust gets trapped under the hinge cover and actually scratches the metal which is like the opposite of what i want. and dont even get me started on screen protectors. i saw some people say you should never touch the inner screen protector but the outer one is fine and then other people say you need a specific tempered glass one for the front but it might mess with the touch sensitivity or the fit of the case. it is so confusing because every reviewer says something different and im just sitting here with this naked phone terrified to take it out of the house. i really need a setup that is slim enough to fit in my jeans but actually protects the corners and maybe the hinge too if thats even a thing that works well? im mostly using this for work stuff like spreadsheets and then some netflix on the bus so it needs to be practical. what are the absolute must have accessories that actually fit and wont break the bank or the phone itself? do i really need a hinge cover or am i just being paranoid? or should i just stick with the one that came in the box and pray...
Just saw this. Honestly, dont overthink the hinge protection. I have used several foldables and the grit that gets trapped in those sliding covers can actually do more damage to the finish over time.
To add to the point above: that grit issue is 100% real and so annoying! I used to be super paranoid about the hinge too but honestly these phones are built like tanks nowadays. If you're worried about reliability in that Seattle weather just keep it simple and dont overthink it.
^ This. Also, that point about the grit is spot on. I used to have a hinge cover on my old foldable and it basically acted like a trap for every tiny speck of dust... scratched the metal anyway. Since you're in Seattle, that rain and moisture just makes the dust turn into gunk. Being paranoid is totally normal, I was the same way when I first got mine. Honestly, I'd suggest looking at Poetic for something solid but affordable, or maybe just grab something from dbrand if you want grip without the bulk. Be careful with those cheap generic cases tho... sometimes the adhesive they use is way too strong and its a nightmare to get off. Staying far away from anything with a built-in inner screen protector is probably a good idea. They feel terrible and might mess with the factory film. Just stick to a decent outer case and maybe some skin for the back if you want to be safe.