[Filligree]

I would prefer a phone that was robust enough to not need a cover, because covers add a great deal of size and weight.

In the absence of such phones, I compromise on adding a cover.

[IAmBroom]

Such phones exist, for Android. Several companies* make highly rugged phones. You can drop a Blackview BV7000 down a concrete staircase, watch it drop into the ocean at the bottom, have lunch, come back, and retrieve your phone from 40" of water, likely completely undamaged.

It's an extreme example, and way too bulky for most people, but the point is: "rugged cellphones" absolutely exist.

[Filligree]

I’m aware. Unfortunately I’m an iPhone guy, and the software is more important than the hardware…

Also I don’t need fully ruggedized. Just enough that a cover would be superfluous.