Does Using Plastic for the Phone Encasing Have Any Advantages?

[androidluvr2]

My GNex is so slippery you can't safely hold it in your hand without having a case on it. And that is a negative in my book. But when I bought it, compared to the Razr and the Rezound, the other flagship phones, the GNex was lighter and that was a plus in my book.

So I assume that is the benefit of the plastic encasing - the weight reduction.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

In some cases durability...

 

[androidluvr2]

In some cases durability...

By durability do you mean that 100 years from now it will not be decomposed in a landfill, lol? Or do you mean if I drop it, it will be less likely to crack/dent?

 

[thebizz]

Depending on the device and the make of it. In some cases it could make the device more durable( I dropped my s2 in excess of 15 times getting in and out if my car without breaking the screen). Radio performance is another biggie cell radios don't like metal. Its also lighter. But I also had a gnex and blame the slippery ness on the way it was designed not the plastic( thick on the bottom thin on the top). Its all about what you can deal with if you want metal look elsewhere

 

[androidluvr2]

Depending on the device and the make of it. In some cases it could make the device more durable( I dropped my s2 in excess of 15 times getting in and out if my car without breaking the screen). Radio performance is another biggie cell radios don't like metal. Its also lighter. But I also had a gnex and blame the slippery ness on the way it was designed not the plastic( thick on the bottom thin on the top). Its all about what you can deal with if you want metal look elsewhere

I don't know if I want metal or not, I just know my GNex is a slippery little devil. I think my GNex is so slippery because the sides are smooth and not textured plastic like the back.

I drop my GNex all the time and have never cracked the screen. So does the plastic flex a bit more and help absorb shock or something like that?

Ah, yes, radio performance, I read something about the HTC having to have multiple antennas because of the all metal encasing.

 

[meyerweb#CB]

Polycarbonate is light, strong, doesn't interfere with antennas like metal bodies sometimes can, and flexes and recovers when dropped, unlike metal bodies which often dent. It's also much less expensive to mold into whatever shape is desired than a full metal shell.

I'm much happier carrying the plastic S3 in my pocket than even my smaller, but heavier, HTC Evo 4G. I have no desire to carry a phone as heavy as an all metal version of the GS3 would be.

I think the love for metal phones come mostly from people who need to find some reason to dislike Samsung phones that are, in almost every respect, better than their favored brand. It's the same sort of snob appeal that leads people to brag about their BMW or Mercedes when, for their driving style, a Honda Accord would be more reliable, more comfortable and more economical. The Honda (Samsung) just doesn't look as expensive sitting the driveway (your hand), so you can't impress the neighbors as easily.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

By durability do you mean that 100 years from now it will not be decomposed in a landfill, lol? Or do you mean if I drop it, it will be less likely to crack/dent?

Yes.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

The flipside is that the back of the leaked device was cracked....could be due to preproduction, and hopefully isn't indicative of possible issues.

 

[estebancam]

iPhone 5 is aluminium and glass, like the HTC One, yet it is lighter than the S3. Manufacturers use plastic because of exactly what you said: it is cheaper. A metal device is a premium product. Feels premium, it lasts longer, and just looks nicer also.

The HTC series from last year were polycarbonate. Unibody polycarbonate. I doubt HTC sat down and said "let's make a phone that is all metal just to do it even though our current polycarbonate is less expensive, easier to build, lasts longer, we mold it into more shapes and sizes, and is better for signal."

Doubtful. They chose metal as an upgrade, not a downgrade. Just like with a laptop. Go to your local best buy, use a plastic laptop then use a metal one. Pick them up. Feel the difference. There is a reason premium laptops are made from metal while the cheap ones are plastic. Same with phones.

 

[guinnkevinr]

I think the largest advantage is that everyone who owns it will have a pretty good idea of what their fingerprints look like.

 

[xlDeMoNiClx]

Lighter, cheaper, but I don't care. I always put a case on my phone anyway so I'd get the S4 no matter what it was made of.

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