Everyone has a case opinion. Mine is boring, and it keeps screens from cracking.
Most of the phones I see in Vista, San Marcos and Oceanside got hurt the same way: a short drop onto concrete from pocket height. Nothing dramatic. No cliff, no waterfall. The phone just landed on a corner, and corners are where a case earns its keep.
What I look for
A raised lip around the screen, so the glass isn't the first thing to touch the ground when the phone lands face down. Snug corners, because that's where the impact goes. A camera ring that sticks out a little past the lenses, so the back doesn't scrape them either.
That's the whole list. You don't need armor that turns your phone into a sandwich. If you can't comfortably slide it into a pocket, you'll leave the case off by Friday, and a case in a drawer protects nothing.
Where cases quietly go wrong
Two things. First, a case that's loose or stretched out stops holding the phone firmly, so it shifts and the corners are bare again. If yours flaps when you squeeze it, it's retired.
Second, grit. Beach sand and pocket lint sneak between the case and the phone, and then every little squeeze sands the back of your phone like a tiny block of sandpaper. Take the phone out once in a while and wipe both sides. Thirty seconds, and the back stays smooth.
Clear, silicone, or tough?
Honestly, whichever one you'll keep on. Clear cases show off the color but can yellow with sun and age. Silicone is grippy, which helps if your hands are sweaty from a hot Vista afternoon. Tougher two-layer cases take more punishment and add bulk. Pick the trade-off you can live with every day.
Already cracked it? A case can't fix that, but I can. I come to you in Vista, San Marcos, Carlsbad, Oceanside or Escondido. Tell me the model and what happened, and I'll sort it out.