Actually, I'm very rough with my phones and considered buying a ruggedized phone, but went with a Pixel 5. It has a rubberized back and has held up very well over the last 10 months of use with only a screen protector (no case). In fact, it held up better than my previous phone, a Moto Z2 Force I bought because Toms Hardware Guide named it the most durable: https://www.tomshardware.com/news/toughest-smartphone-drop-t...

Also, it turns out that the camera sometimes matters more than you might expect. Other people in my family care somewhat that the pictures and videos I took of my kids using the Moto were pretty meh--and some pictures didn't get taken because the camera system was so slow. (Oh, and the audio on those videos was poor.) The Pixel has a much, much nicer camera and microphone.

(Obligatory disclaimer: I became a Google employee a few months after purchasing my Pixel.)