Yes, yes, yes. Nokia used to do this long ago.
Manufacturers are pushing the wow factor at the store, many publications go on about the premium build and feel. And consumers get wowed and don't think beyond the initial feel at the store.

I feel many of the high end phones of today are too thin to grasp and always end up putting a case on them. So glass back, thinness, and edgeless aren't much of a need. Put the money elsewhere!

Blackberry KeyOne (runs Android) With an all-aluminum bumper and grippy rear surface, it is not meant for a case.
This concept started with the BB Passport, but that didn't catch on since it wasn't running Android.

I really miss my Nokia Lumias for that. When I dropped them, my first thought was if it damaged the floor (which is usually did if the floor was wood or tile). What I wouldn't give for an updated Lumia 900...

Solid point and something I wonder about too. Manufacturers go through amazing lengths to shave .5 mm from the thickness of a phone only to have a bulky case be all but required. Even if you risk it and go with the $10/month equipment insurance if you ever use it there is a $200 deductible to be issued a refurbished replacement phone. If 75% of smartphone and 87% of iPhone users use cases you would think consumers/manufacturers would be more interested in vertical integration for more durable flagship phones. In addition to this glass screen protectors are so useful and such a pain to install the first one might as well come pre-installed from the manufacturer when you purchase a new phone.

Yup, a combination of good looks and sturdiness is definitely something I would put money on. When you think about it, it can definitely be cheaper to shell out more money on a phone if it's going to last twice longer.

You want style, or functionality? Can't have both. Personally, I don't go for style, I go for ugly, which typically means brute strength and functional. I've had 4 smartphones since 2010, NONE have been in a case. All naked. No screen protector, no case. I keep my phone in a belt clip case, and use bluetooth to use it as a phone. I'm not like a lot of people I see, YOUNG and OLD, that have to carry it in their hands 24/7 (maybe humans need to evolve to have a kangaroo pouch or 3rd hand for a phone?). I treat my expensive electronics with care, because I don't like the idea of dropping or breaking EXPENSIVE electronic devices.

HAHA Kangaroo pouch! I have a company that makes kangaroo pouch "internal" phone cases out of pigskin (with spincter closures). The design is available for purchase and installation by competent tattoo artists around the globe. The deluxe module comes with RFID blocking materials. Get your crowdsource donation in now to secure your installation.

There is a flagship phone with a huge display, thin bezels, fingerprint resistant metal back, and thin, but military-spec rated rugged construction. It's called the LG V-20. It also has a secondary screen, dual rear cameras, a rare quad DAC headphone amp, and fast internals running the latest version of Android.

I will never buy a flagship phone, way too much money for impractical "wow" features. My current phone is a Nomu S20, impact resistant, waterproof, mid range specs but runs fast as has no bloatware. It also has great reception compared to other phones I've tested here, which is in a no-signal zone, according to my network provider. The S20 does everything you could expect of a phone, and it does it ruggedly. There are also larger battery and bigger versions (S10, S30). Paying $600 or more for a Samsung or Apple phone, when a $150 phone works just as well for all intents and purposes, just makes no sense.