Am I the only one that misses polycarbonate?

[EricMartinSoCal]

It seems we are awash in a world of glass and metal. Everyone who makes a "premium" phone uses one of them. The reviewers support the stereotype and basically require that phones are heavy... and easily broken when dropped. For years I used Nokia phones and loved them. I especially loved the polycarbonate build. The Nokia 1020 had the perfect feel. It wouldn't break easily and was always cool to the touch. Have we lost the utility of the phone in favor of something we can charge $1,000 for? I miss polycarbonate.

 

[dov1978]

I'd take polycarbonate over anything that's out just now. All my Lumia's were tanks compared to the all glass shatter magnets we have now. They always felt premium and robust and could still allow wireless charging etc and you didn't need a case

 

[Tim1954]

Give me a chunky plastic phone with a huge battery and I'm happy..

 

[tadpoles]

When phones were plastic many many many-many people complained that they wanted more premium build materials. Now here we are.

 

[Gray Area]

I wouldn't say I miss polycarbonate phones but I didn't mind it at all. The whole "premium" push was an overblown cry to compete with Apple's metal builds. The funny thing is most people will cover their metal and glass phones with a polycarbonate case and never take it out until they sell it lol.

Now the big bezel less push is robbing phones of their cosmetic charector (soon you'll only be able to tell phones apart by the back cameras placement, idk maybe that's a good thing?) The all screen front may be pretty but definitely making them even more shatter prone.

 

[Mooncatt]

I'm ok with a metal build (I don't wireless charge), but plastic was just fine as well. I also like a heavier feel, but would rather that be due to a larger battery than the build materials.

I'll also in the pro-bezel crowd. They help me grip the phone better, and no need to worry about notches, punch outs, or under screen technology.

 

[jchapman01]

It seems we are awash in a world of glass and metal. Everyone who makes a "premium" phone uses one of them. The reviewers support the stereotype and basically require that phones are heavy... and easily broken when dropped. For years I used Nokia phones and loved them. I especially loved the polycarbonate build. The Nokia 1020 had the perfect feel. It wouldn't break easily and was always cool to the touch. Have we lost the utility of the phone in favor of something we can charge $1,000 for? I miss polycarbonate.

I hear you and loved the poly-carbonate phones. I had an original Moto X, 2 Nokia 920s, and a Nokia 1520 (still miss that one) and they were all tough as nails... until i dropped them flat on the screen. Funny thing, poly-carbonate phones are the only phones that I've ever destroyed. I chalk that up to the screens not being as tough back then as they are today.

 

[EricMartinSoCal]

I hear you and loved the poly-carbonate phones. I had an original Moto X, 2 Nokia 920s, and a Nokia 1520 (still miss that one) and they were all tough as nails... until i dropped them flat on the screen. Funny thing, poly-carbonate phones are the only phones that I've ever destroyed. I chalk that up to the screens not being as tough back then as they are today.

Yea, screen technology has come a long way. Still have a hulk green Nokia 1520 in the box. It was too big but I held on to it anyway.

 

[Laura Knotek]

I remember those old Nokias.

 

[B. Diddy]

I'm not a big fan of sleek metal nor glass (which are often so slippery that it WHOOPS oh that phone ain't so pretty no more:-\). But realistically, since I always put a case on my phones, it doesn't really matter to me what they make it out of.

Although I still like the soft-feel pseudo-rubberized plastic of the Nexus 5, it's worth remembering that over time, that kind of plastic can start to break down and get really sticky/tacky feeling.

 

[Laura Knotek]

I'm not a big fan of sleek metal nor glass (which are often so slippery that it WHOOPS oh that phone ain't so pretty no more:-\). But realistically, since I always put a case on my phones, it doesn't really matter to me what they make it out of.

Although I still like the soft-feel pseudo-rubberized plastic of the Nexus 5, it's worth remembering that over time, that kind of plastic can start to break down and get really sticky/tacky feeling.

I currently use a phone with a metal back, but I use a clear TPU case, so it isn't too slippery.

I did love the rubbery back on the OG Moto X and didn't use a case on it, just a screen protector.

 

[jchapman01]

Yea, screen technology has come a long way. Still have a hulk green Nokia 1520 in the box. It was too big but I held on to it anyway.

Awesome! I loved the green and red versions of the 1520. I had the black version. If Windows 10 was still a viable mobile OS, I'd buy that from you and start using it today.