Why Samsung Didn't Go with a Metal Case

[deesugar]

Since I already posted a negative report about Samsung going with the cheaper plastic case I think it's fair I post this and truthfully it made me think a bit differently about this issue.

"Of course, Samsung could go for aluminium as frame but don?t forget Samsung shipped over hundreds million devices in 2012. Samsung couldn?t do this if the production isn?t easy to do. Samsung creates many devices with different shapes whereas a company as Apple has a couple of devices to do. Croyle, HTC?s design guru, said it takes roughly 200 minutes to cut and process the front and rear parts of each phone. This is the reason HTC One is facing delays even though the demand isn?t that high. This is purely the reason why Samsung doesn?t use Aluminium as it takes a lot of time to manufacture and with the high-demand that Samsung devices have, it can be a trouble to fulfil the orders. Our insider confirmed that Samsung did try all-aluminium design for the Galaxy S 4 but the production was a big issue."​

There is no reason for Samsung to change the Galaxy S design | SamMobile​

Another thing we have to think about is that there currently (to my knowledge) is NO premium smartphone with a metal case that has a removable battery or SD card slot. In other words nobody has successfully made a removable back metal case design. At this point if you want a metal body, you have to give up having a removable battery and an SD card slot. The moment I put on a protective case I think that's a bad trade off.

 

[donm527#IM]

i think they could if they wanted to... even with this design.

they can just make back covers in stamped aluminum. one sheet stamped with a ton of back covers and polish and viola. i think samsung is just cheap.

Since I already posted a negative report about Samsung going with the cheaper plastic case I think it's fair I post this and truthfully it made me think a bit differently about this issue.

"Of course, Samsung could go for aluminium as frame but don?t forget Samsung shipped over hundreds million devices in 2012. Samsung couldn?t do this if the production isn?t easy to do. Samsung creates many devices with different shapes whereas a company as Apple has a couple of devices to do. Croyle, HTC?s design guru, said it takes roughly 200 minutes to cut and process the front and rear parts of each phone. This is the reason HTC One is facing delays even though the demand isn?t that high. This is purely the reason why Samsung doesn?t use Aluminium as it takes a lot of time to manufacture and with the high-demand that Samsung devices have, it can be a trouble to fulfil the orders. Our insider confirmed that Samsung did try all-aluminium design for the Galaxy S 4 but the production was a big issue."​

There is no reason for Samsung to change the Galaxy S design | SamMobile​

Another thing we have to think about is that there currently (to my knowledge) is NO premium smartphone with a metal case that has a removable battery or SD card slot. In other words nobody has successfully made a removable back metal case design. At this point if you want a metal body, you have to give up having a removable battery and an SD card slot. The moment I put on a protective case I think that's a bad trade off.

 

[Eion]

I honestly don't get the hate towards Samsungs use of polycarbonate. Most if not all users throw the phone in a case anyways.

 

[bdog421]

I honestly don't get the hate towards Samsungs use of polycarbonate. Most if not all users throw the phone in a case anyways.

Oh so true, I don't get it either, but to each their own. Just don't take away my choice till we have endless onboard storage and endless battery life.

 

[Johnly]

The only phone with a removable battery in metal that won was the OG droid. I remember when real fans were exicted about all of the OG droid, and all that the iphone wasn't. Now days, you can't even tell, they all want what the original iphone was.....no sd no removable battery. They have become what they used to hate.

 

[LegalAmerican]

i think they could if they wanted to... even with this design.

they can just make back covers in stamped aluminum. one sheet stamped with a ton of back covers and polish and viola. i think samsung is just cheap.

Then you'd complain that it still wasn't high quality because it's not one piece. Samsung can't please everyone, especially those who want to look for faults. So they will do what makes it possible to outsell the competition. Which they do easily.

 

[wolverine2003]

i think they could if they wanted to... even with this design.

they can just make back covers in stamped aluminum. one sheet stamped with a ton of back covers and polish and viola. i think samsung is just cheap.

I do not think NFC will work through aluminium. If this is the case, then the whole marketing campaign for sharing everything through S Beam will be for nothing. Personally I would take features over feel, especially since I'm going to stick the phone in an Otterbox, which then, every phone feels the same.

 

[Aquila]

I do not think NFC will work through aluminium. If this is the case, then the whole marketing campaign for sharing everything through S Beam will be for nothing. Personally I would take features over feel, especially since I'm going to stick the phone in an Otterbox, which then, every phone feels the same.

They way I understand it, NFC will work, but wireless charging can have some headaches...

 

[ThisTechBoi]

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 hell 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

 

[donm527#IM]

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.

Then you'd complain that it still wasn't high quality because it's not one piece. Samsung can't please everyone, especially those who want to look for faults. So they will do what makes it possible to outsell the competition. Which they do easily.

 

[donm527#IM]

google aluminum battery cover...

 

[Jaimeg123prmt]

I honestly don't get the hate towards Samsungs use of polycarbonate. Most if not all users throw the phone in a case anyways.

thus rendering the whole argument about metal vs plastic cases useless.

 

[ab304945]

Nfc don't work through metal

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Android Central Forums

 

[donm527#IM]

The htc one has NFC. Htc one is metal. So you're wrong.

Nfc don't work through metal

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Android Central Forums

 

[ThisTechBoi]

Casually bumping this thread because of Cygnett's new Galaxy S4 cover...

Silver UrbanShield

Silver Brushed Aluminium case for Samsung Galaxy S4 | Cygnett

 

[Aquila]

The htc one has NFC. Htc one is metal. So you're wrong.

You're right, NFC does work beautifully through metal; it's wireless charging that gets wonky.

 

[Raptor007]

I don't care if its polycarbonate or aluminum, I put a case on it so in the end its plastic in my hands anyways. Time, materials, build issues with metal and its constraints aside I don't see the problem and if people don't like Samsung's choice of materials they can always buy another phone that isn't polycarbonate.

 

[So Cold]

The htc one has NFC. Htc one is metal. So you're wrong.

The antennas are on the outside of the phone, so you're wrong.

Sent from my Note 2

 

[So Cold]

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.

If you read threads on why people want to get the one you'll see a reoccurring theme... It's not samsung and it's not the phone everyone else has.

And the logic of adding a metal back (just the back?) for just a few cents (really?) to get "a ton more people" is crazy. I'm sure the samsung engineers are reading this know and slapping their foreheads for not thinking of this sooner.

Sent from my Note 2

 

[TheOtherBill]

adding a metal back (just the back?) for just a few cents (really?)

That got me thinking ... they'll be buying these several million at a time, and whatever they cost you can subtract the cost of the poly backs from since they won't be buying those.
A few cents actually sounds reasonable.