Why Samsung Didn't Go with a Metal Case

[lou61166]

You're obviously too invested in this whole smartphone thing to reasonably hold a discussion with, but let me just say I'm actually considering picking up the One. But I guess because I'm on the Samsung portion of the forum saying something bad about the One that makes one a Samsung fanboy by default. Just as I imagine a Samsung fan getting upset if I went on the One forum and said something about the S4. Makes sense. But I have better things to do with my time and money than pledge loyalty to a brand, neither Samsung or HTC is paying a bill of mine.

And I say it because both the 4S and 5 have call quality issues, and surprisingly enough both phones are made with aluminium/metal. Unless you think HTC has accomplished something the almighty fruit hasn't.

So that automatically makes the one have call quality issues,you say holding a discussion,but you are throwing out things about the one when you never had it in hand,call quality has a lot more to do with just build materials,not every Iphone user has call quality issues.but hey the radios/coverage have nothing to do with it right.

 

[Suda]

So that automatically makes the one have call quality issues,you say holding a discussion,but you are throwing out things about the one when you never had it in hand,call quality has a lot more to do with just build materials,not every Iphone user has call quality issues.but hey the radios/coverage have nothing to do with it right.

I never said all of the iPhones have quality issues, just like I never said all the Ones have issues. But obviously some do, there's a thread on it on this very website. I can see we're getting nowhere though just from the tone of your posts. And while I haven't had a One, I have had an iPhone that has had call issues. And yes, radios would play some part with reception but the material of the phone can make a difference as well. So again, unless you think HTC has found a way to make signals react more friendlier with aluminium and Apple for whatever reason can't, then I don't know how you can take aluminium as the reason out of the discussion.

You need to actually read up on materials and how they affect a phone before replying in a blind rage because someone said something bad about a phone your favorite company is releasing. Even if I were fanboying a particular brand it wouldn't be your place to call it out as you're doing the same.

 

[xtn]

I was including those. It's a simple stamp & brush operation.

Really? Pop a plastc back off and take a closer look. To duplicate the back cover of my S2 in aluminum is going to require several machine cut and die punch operations too.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

 

[lou61166]

I never said all of the iPhones have quality issues, just like I never said all the Ones have issues. But obviously some do, there's a thread on it on this very website. I can see we're getting nowhere though just from the tone of your posts. And while I haven't had a One, I have had an iPhone that has had call issues. And yes, radios would play some part with reception but the material of the phone can make a difference as well. So again, unless you think HTC has found a way to make signals react more friendlier with aluminium and Apple for whatever reason can't, then I don't know how you can take aluminium as the reason out of the discussion.

You need to actually read up on materials and how they affect a phone before replying in a blind rage because someone said something bad about a phone your favorite company is releasing. Even if I were fanboying a particular brand it wouldn't be your place to call it out as you're doing the same.

And how about Samsung phones that have call quality issues,and dropped signals and yes i have seen complaints about that also,what's blind rage,you are stating things with nothing to back it up,if anybody is posting blind it is you.did i come here stating anything negative about the S4,no,and if i did it would be do you own one and what sources are you getting your info from.

 

[Suda]

And how about Samsung phones that have call quality issues,and dropped signals and yes i have seen complaints about that also,what's blind rage,you are stating things with nothing to back it up,if anybody is posting blind it is you.did i come here stating anything negative about the S4,no,and if i did it would be do you own one and what sources are you getting your info from.

There's no way to blindly rage post and have proper pronunciation, at least I've never seen it. From your first post in this thread you've made me out to be a Samsung fanboy even though I've said I'm considering buying the One. And why is that? Because I said something bad about what's sure to be without question your future phone and you don't like it, even though what I've said is the truth and has been proven as fact in many cases. That's posting blindly.

And no phone is going to have crystal clear quality and no dropped calls. The S4, One, iPhone 5S, and any other phone coming out this year or in the near future are not exempt. You hear about aluminium affecting quality more than you do plastic, that's all I've said in this thread. If you've gotten anything more than that it's because your bias has allowed you to.

 

[So Cold]

Let me just offer my .02 on the topic.

Samsung is criticized for using polycarbonate which, in actuality, is an extremely high quality material. Many of you refer to it as being plastic but, it's not. Well, it is but like I said very high quality. An argument can be made as to whether it should be in the plastic category.

Remember, polycarbonate is 300 times stronger than what people are calling plastic. They aren't the same. Plastic in and of itself is cheap. Polycarbonate is not. The manufacturing aspect of producing polycarbonate designs or making changes is where the savings is. Aluminum factories cannot make design changes nearly as easily. Samsung produces many differently designed devices, it would be a HUGE challenge for them to produce the quantities, shapes, and yearly redesign changes by using aluminum. It's nearly impossible from a manufacturing perspective. So, they did what makes sense in using g a material that can meet the needs of high production, redesign, and quality.

I think if people actually understood better, the properties of polycarbonate then, there wouldn't be a need to discuss its use on devices. Many probably don't know polycarbonate is tougher than kevlar..... And on a side note the galaxy 2 does not use polycarbonate backing it's plastic . Samsung started using poly with the S3...

Hopefully, some of you have a better insight on polycarbonate and understand it's not a cheap material and has very high quality properties . Again, the manufacturing costs are where the savings comes in. For example there is no paint shop needed, polycarbonate is a solid color when produced. So black is black all the way thru. Same as white etc etc...

I hope this helps to clear up some misunderstandings about plastic and polycarbonate.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Android Central Forums

Haha, you should invest in a material science textbook because you obviously have a healthy interest. I believe the word you have been searching for is polymer. And I've made that larger point on here a few times. As someone who knows this stuff people like to throw around the terms metal and plastic all willy nilly

Sent from my Note 2

 

[nancybout]

Yes, I had the iphone and even battery started to go faster I couldn't just easy snap the back off. I switched and I'm happy.. I feel what's inside that sells phones and the galaxy are pretty phones anyways.
Many phones are.

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[smooth3006]

i don't really care if the body of the phone is plastic. i put a case on it anyways. it's whats inside that counts.

 

[Raptor007]

I posted a comment over at iMore about the "Plastic" and Polycarbonate phones and how they trash Samsung for using plastic and how they are junk, etc. Now lets look back at Apple and the first several iPhones 1, 2 and 3 they were all made of PLASTIC, funny how iPhone users forget that nugget of history and rewrite it based on the iPhone 4/4S that were so early broken due to a glass back and poor antenna reception (Sorry . . . we were told we were holding it wrong, thanks Steve we appreciated that one).

I often wonder if the phone's reception issues are more due to what the carrier tweaks and has the OEM adjust under the hood than the original phone was designed to be. I was listening to a This Week In Tech 397 or 396 and they were talking about how the Galaxy Nexus camera on the Verizon model sucked and the Google (or GSM) version didn't. They were asking what did the carrier do to it. So I wonder aloud what do the carriers in the US dictate to the OEM's that we end up with problem devices down the road.

 

[xlDeMoNiClx]

I posted a comment over at iMore about the "Plastic" and Polycarbonate phones and how they trash Samsung for using plastic and how they are junk, etc. Now lets look back at Apple and the first several iPhones 1, 2 and 3 they were all made of PLASTIC, funny how iPhone users forget that nugget of history and rewrite it based on the iPhone 4/4S that were so early broken due to a glass back and poor antenna reception (Sorry . . . we were told we were holding it wrong, thanks Steve we appreciated that one).

Yeah, they usually like to ignore the flaws of their "perfect" device.

On-topic: Probably cause the phone is better off with the materials they use now. There's nothing wrong with the type of plastic they use despite people's petty complaints, and it even has some advantages over aluminum.

 

[JHBThree]

I posted a comment over at iMore about the "Plastic" and Polycarbonate phones and how they trash Samsung for using plastic and how they are junk, etc. Now lets look back at Apple and the first several iPhones 1, 2 and 3 they were all made of PLASTIC, funny how iPhone users forget that nugget of history and rewrite it based on the iPhone 4/4S that were so early broken due to a glass back and poor antenna reception (Sorry . . . we were told we were holding it wrong, thanks Steve we appreciated that one).

I often wonder if the phone's reception issues are more due to what the carrier tweaks and has the OEM adjust under the hood than the original phone was designed to be. I was listening to a This Week In Tech 397 or 396 and they were talking about how the Galaxy Nexus camera on the Verizon model sucked and the Google (or GSM) version didn't. They were asking what did the carrier do to it. So I wonder aloud what do the carriers in the US dictate to the OEM's that we end up with problem devices down the road.

The 3G and 3GS were cheap. I still remember that plastic cracking around the volume rocker and sim slot. Got scratched to **** and felt cheap and nasty in the hand. The saving grace of that design was the steel band around the edge.

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk 2

 

[smooth3006]

I dunno i think the s4 plastic build quality looks ok. I mean i do agree they should of went the one x route but too late now. Most people use cases anyways.

 

[msavic6]

I posted a comment over at iMore about the "Plastic" and Polycarbonate phones and how they trash Samsung for using plastic and how they are junk, etc. Now lets look back at Apple and the first several iPhones 1, 2 and 3 they were all made of PLASTIC, funny how iPhone users forget that nugget of history and rewrite it based on the iPhone 4/4S that were so early broken due to a glass back and poor antenna reception (Sorry . . . we were told we were holding it wrong, thanks Steve we appreciated that one).

I often wonder if the phone's reception issues are more due to what the carrier tweaks and has the OEM adjust under the hood than the original phone was designed to be. I was listening to a This Week In Tech 397 or 396 and they were talking about how the Galaxy Nexus camera on the Verizon model sucked and the Google (or GSM) version didn't. They were asking what did the carrier do to it. So I wonder aloud what do the carriers in the US dictate to the OEM's that we end up with problem devices down the road.

The galaxy nexus' camera sucked no matter what version you got. I'm pretty sure Carriers don't alter devices reception in a negative way. The majority of consumers will blame the network at first until they find out its their phones fault. If they purposefully screw up reception their just asking for complaints about their network quality.


Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Android Central Forums

 

[Danny Yang]

Ehhh like everyone else will mostly agree with, its all bout preference.
Some people will automatically think, oh the HTC One is made out of all metal? Metal>Plastic and they will go with the One (opinion, not fact)
Others will just go with the hype of the S4 and buy it. Heck, I'll bet you half of them won't even know half the specs, just gimmiks.
These things are impossible to predict...
Me? I just like the HTC One
I love the S4, but I would probably break it so... My clumsiness pulled me over lol

 

[Podunks]

I'm just to voice my thoughts by using comments from this article right here: Why the Galaxy S4 won't be shedding its plastic roots

It's a bit silly to care so much about the exterior feel and/or the material of a handset when the large majority of us install some sort of plastic or rubber protective case anyway.

As long as it doesn't shatter or dent if/when I drop it, I couldn't care less what it's made of.

Plastic has the right properties to protect a phone (flexibility and impact absorption and distribution) at a reasonable price point. Aluminum lacks these properties and that is why polymers are used across the vast majority of industries (most probably all) for impact protection. Not going that far, the most luxurious cars in the market do not use any form of metal in their bumpers.*

It is incredibly stupid to suggest that using Aluminum, or any other metal for that matter, makes sense in a practical way let alone that it is a sign of innovation.

There is no reason to replace plastic, unless composites get significantly cheaper (not happening anytime soon). Perhaps Samsung should use a higher quality finish to shut up the mindless hive ignorance.

I am seriously tired of hearing plastic is bad. My mom has an SIII, I have an SII and a friend of mine owns a SI and I know plenty of others who own these devices. Not one of them has had a problem with a broken screen or casing. There may be a few blemishes here and there but they are still fully operational.*

I know many people that have iPhones and the general story is unless they have a good case for it, the 'premium' device ends up looking plain awful or nonfunctional in a few months if not weeks. These accidents don't have to be all that extreme either. A drop onto carpet from a low desk or a fall from the hands on carpet or a a foot or two on hardwood flooring is all it takes.

I have dropped my S2 dozens of times on concrete, tile, etc before I got my Otter Box and I could still sell it as brand new. My mom has owned her S3 for 4 months now and still doesn't own a case. She doesn't have a scratch even when she has dropped it on multiple occasions. Her iPhone 3GS's screen shattered in her lap. My old iPhone 3G met a similar fate in my pocket when I tripped and fell on carpet.

Plastic may look bad when it scuffs and scratches but that happens way less than on the 'premium' feeling devices. And when that happens you don't have spider cracks on the back of your device, you have a mark or two.*

It may not feel premium, but plastic (and Gorilla Glass) holds up a **** of a lot better than any other 'premium' material. I would rather have a cheap feeling device for the its entire life than a device that feels premium for a month. That premium device was well known for its problems with durability. Not one Galaxy line phone has had a reputation of that.

And for that removable back: I can replace my battery. After a year it holds maybe 60% of its original charge. I plan on spending 15$ to replace it. When your's starts to fail you either pay 100$+ for the battery and service or you go with a bad battery. I also have an SD card slot that doesn't poke out. That means not only does the device look better than those with SD card slots regulated to the outside I have 80GB of storage for 270$ (I spent $.01 on my new SII when it was a new device so I really only spend 70$). To just get 64GB of storage on an iPhone that's 400$+taxes.

Couldn't have said it better myself.
~TTB

Words out of my mouth. Stated perfectly.

Others will just go with the hype of the S4 and buy it. Heck, I'll bet you half of them won't even know half the specs, just gimmiks.

I love the S4, but I would probably break it so... My clumsiness pulled me over lol

Plastic takes impacts better, and shows less wear afterwards. Drop that One and the speaker grill will pop off and it isnt going back on, not to mention dents that you cant buff out.

As long as those features Samsung is adding works as advertised, they are in no way shape or form gimmicks. They are programs that had millions of dollars in R&D put into them because people somewhere wanted them, and Samsung took notice.

 

[LegalAmerican]

lol, i was rereading my post and lemme rephrase... I think Samsung is just being cheap... regarding the plastic cover.

i'm not saying the phone as a whole is cheap and i dont necessarily think there is anything wrong with plastic phones. it looks like it'll be a good phone... specs i feel is pretty much they are all close to what others are offering... but the S4 is their flagship phone, premium phone (until they release their tizen phone which in my opinion they will ultimately make their premium and 'try' to move their fans off android) and plastic just gives off the idea of 'cheap' design when you compare to the other flagship phones... the design doesnt separate it from other plastic phones or even from the S3.

They spent so much on marketing but silly as it sounds, if they had spent a few more cents on a stamped aluminum back cover, you'd probably get a ton more people excited on the S4 and sway them away from a One. just my opinion.

I get what you're saying, but I think it's pathetic and sad that a afterthought stamped aluminum back cover would make all the difference. Are we all that dense? I've never picked up an aluminum popcan and thought to myself: "Holy shiz, now THIS is what durability is all about!" Yet some seriously think Aluminum is the end all material for durability and stability. I just don't see it that way. I have an aluminum iPod and the thing looks like trash. I have had it in a case most of it's life and the aluminum gets scratched to H when the slightest sand particle gets under the silicon case. It is dented in a few places and I don't even remember dropping it once! Then I have a Droid Bionic, a Razr Maxx, and my S3 that all look brand spanking new. And I KNOW i've dropped the Bionic and Maxx more than once. For the people who care more about the casing than the phone's capabilities, there's the iPhone. If you ONLY care about the capabilities and you use a case for your phone, the S4 will probably (we haven't actually used one yet) be freaking awesome. If you want a great build with what appears to be a decent device (we haven't used one yet), there's the One. I just look forward to the day that we stop assuming plastic is trash.

 

[So Cold]

I just look forward to the day that we stop assuming plastic is trash.

Right there with you!

Sent from my Note 2

 

[Gathomblipoob]

Personally, I have the HTC One on preorder, but last year I tested the S3 and had no problems with its build quality. The plastic back was fine with me. The phone felt solid in the hand.

 

[The Hustleman]

Metal isn't good for signal either.

But even with an aluminum phone, you're an ***** if you don't put a case on a 600$ phone!



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[lafester]

dropped my nexus today and as it was bouncing out the back of the truck on to the pavement I was thinking its a good thing I don't have the ONE.
I can live with the scratches on the side but a dent would be absolutely suck.