> phones that aren't resilient to drops out of the box

What year is it, 2012?

There used to be an "Active" line of Galaxy phones that had built in umpers before they discontinued them.

I have my iPhone 13 in a $10 cover for years now. I don’t like the bump, but I don’t think it’s a scheme to buy covers.

Also my favorite smartphone was a motorola with a cloth back (ballistic something) and a metal frame. No cover was needed for this one.

>resilient to drops

I would be content if they'd stop making phones slippier than a wet bar of soap. My Pixel 8a is ridiculous, I don't know how they do it. If you have dry hands, it's nearly impossible to hold on to.