Most of you place your phone screen-down in some capacity

I’m not one to put my smartphone screen-down on a flat surface, but it turns out that a couple of colleagues indeed do this when I asked this question in the work Slack group.

So I thought it would be a good idea to turn this question over to Android Authority readers to get a better idea of how many people do this. Here’s what you told us in our recent poll.

Do you ever place your smartphone screen-down on a surface?

Results

This was a mega-popular poll, attracting over 24,400 votes after we posted it on Wednesday. It turns out that the most popular option is “yes, sometimes,” with 40.07% of respondents choosing this option. Reader comments supporting this stance point to face-down occasionally being used for the flip-to-silence feature, or in certain situations (e.g. work).

Meanwhile, 32.66% of polled readers say they always leave their phones face-down. At least one reader noted in the comments that they always placed their phone screen-down so the cameras don’t get scratched. Some readers also rightfully pointed out that many phone cases include a lip around the screen, so your phone display doesn’t touch the surface if it’s face-down.

Related: Our guide to picking the best case for your new phone

Finally, 27.27% of respondents say they never leave their phones face-down. Some readers pointed to concerns around scratching or dirtying the screen, or simply wanting to use the always-on display functionality.

Nevertheless, the poll clearly shows that over 70% of respondents leave their phones screen-down at least sometimes. Maybe Xiaomi was on the right track with the secondary rear display on the Mi 11 Ultra.

Comments

• Piotr Dąbrowski: I sometimes do because I use “flip to shhhhhhh”.
• Marcus: I would put it face down if it had the lights to indicate important things
• Bonedatt: Since I don’t usually use screen protectors or cases, I try not to make it a habit of putting my screen, face down. On the occasion that I do (to silence a phone call), I flip it back almost immediately after the DND (do not disturb) feature has been activated.
• Ozzie Khoo: 90% of people still use cases – most of those cases have lips over the front display so scratches due to placing the screen face down is not really an issue
• Rrrockhound: Face down during a meeting at work, face up everywhere else.
• busyman96: Sometimes when I use the flip to silence feature.
• Good Bot, Bad Bot: I can’t really think of why would ever want to lay my phone face down. Guess I do it sometimes when out with dinner with the wife.
• Francisco: I always put my phone screen down so that way my cameras do not get scratched up. I have a screen protector on my screen and I have a case on any way so its not like my screens getting scratched up.
• Will: I have a nice case with a big top and bottom lip so I can put it down if I want without the screen touching the surface and potentially getting micro-scratches. But I don’t do it that often besides when I go to sleep because I like wireless charging and amoled AOD for notifications.
• ProfPretzel: If my phone is laying flat on a surface it is always screen down. I have pets and I am much more worried about them damaging the screen than I am about the table.
• Violet: I chose “yes, all the time”, but I also have a glass screen protector in addition to a Crave case to protect this stupid curved screen.
• Albert: I always place my phone face down due to the fact that I dropped something out of my hand one time right over my phone and it chipped the screen, so my concern is cracking the screen by dropping something on it like keys or some or heavy or sharp object.
• Anthorama: Face up, so Ambient display can kick-in