GS3 durability - is it actually that bad? - Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi there, new Galaxy S3 owner here.
I've done extensive research about the phone and durability was what scared me the most. Nevertheless, the power, screen, and other features over my aging Galaxy S, proved too good to pass up, so I went ahead and bought it in the end.
The galaxy s3 is reasonably well built in my opinion, however, the metallic rim does not protrude out of the bezel (the galaxy S1 and S2 both have a slightly protruding rim), and therefore, provides very little protection in the event of a face down drop as the glass strikes a surface first, and not the rim. The videos on YouTube also confirm my theory as the GS2 suffered no damage in a face down drop, while the GS3 got wrecked. Corner drops also seemed very lethal to the GS3.
With all these fears in mind I have got myself a flip case that covers the corners and the screen, but is that really necessary and will that help during a drop?
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So what are your experiences regarding to the durability of the S3? Will a case save you in that inevitable accident? Did your screen shatter when you dropped your phone?
Thanks in advance.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk 2

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Dropped my phone today pretty hard, I use the white gs3 with no case/protector
I crapped my pants however it was totally undamaged when I picked it up.
Going to get a case now, don't want to push my luck! Where did you get yours from?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

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If u r that scary about breaking ur phone buy an otter box case gs3 isnt that bad ur flip cover is going to provide enough protection for ur phone
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium

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Dropped my "naked" phone twice once on a linoleum floor from about 3 feet, the phone landed on the upper left corner, no damage of any kind and on hardwood floor from about 4-5 feet and again no damage, this time the phone landed flat on its back. My conclusion is that S3 should survive all "indoor" drops just fine, dropping it on the sidewalk or in a driveway will probably damage it that said I'm willing to risk it as I can't stand putting a case on the S3 as in my opinion doing so completely ruins the look of the phone.

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So much for Balls of steel
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

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declan8888 said:
Dropped my phone today pretty hard, I use the white gs3 with no case/protector
I crapped my pants however it was totally undamaged when I picked it up.
Going to get a case now, don't want to push my luck! Where did you get yours from?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've got my case from a large electronics shop in Hong Kong. It cost a rather expensive 35 dollars (US), but luckily I had a 25 dollar coupon for the purchase the brand name is vivacreation of you wanna check it out.
declan8888 said:
So much for Balls of steel
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you've owned a GS1 like I did, (or even GS2), you'll feel how I had balls of steel with that phone as it's literally unbreakable. In a WWII tank analogy the GS1 feels like a German tiger while the GS3 feels like an M4 Sherman
Still its nice to know that one drop wouldn't kill the S3 for all users
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk 2

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I dropped it a couple times outside getting out of my car onto concrete but still no damage
Sent from my SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

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Dropped mine twice and both times my heart nearly exploded in my chest I've got a case and even tho its slim I hate using it ' pulled off my screen protector today had bubbles it Was [email protected]@in me off but yeah no damage to my s3 at all its a pebble blue beast
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

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Dropped mine once, not too high though. Luckly nothing happened and it is still intact!

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Sorry to bring this thread up again, but today the inevitable drop happened! Dropped it out of an unzipped pocket of my jacket at a height slightly above my waist probably from a height of about 1 meter or so.
The phone landed flat on the screen with a noticeable thud, on a concrete pavement with loads of gravel on top of it. It didn't even bounce once so that's a heck lot of pressure. Thankfully, my flip case was closed (as seen in my first post), and the padding for the screen probably saved my GS3's arse big time. I guess that case is a very good investment after all practical while still aesthetically pleasing Any other experiences for drops or other accidents?

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dropped my phone screen face down twice now, at home( height is slightly lesser than 1m i guess, table-height - i tend to sweep the phone off the table for some reason ) so far no noticeable damage