Is Samsung concerned about build quality?

[Adawg1203]

Of course they are. Their excuse is that they can't build them fast enough if they use metal, but the iPhone would prove them wrong.

I just don't think Samsung has been willing to spend the time engineering devices that allow them to be built out of metal quickly and efficiently.

And how many different shapes and sizes does the iphone come in? Oh one. Maybe it's not an excuse being used by Samsung...
There's no mystery behind making an all aluminum device. However the challenge is on the supplier and manufacturing side.

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[Adawg1203]

Bingo! They'd rather be spending the money on advertising.

Samsung made the right decisions when it came to, spending their money....

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[JHBThree]

And how many different shapes and sizes does the iphone come in? Oh one. Maybe it's not an excuse being used by Samsung...
There's no mystery behind making an all aluminum device. However the challenge is on the supplier and manufacturing side.

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Last time I checked the s3 and s4 only came in one shape and one size as well. Its an excuse, and it doesn't hold up under even the slightest scrutiny.

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[Adawg1203]

Yep, one of the first being the Motorola Razr

why mfr's seem to think they can't do it now puzzles me....

The original Moto droid had metal backing as well as the Moto droid x...however those devices were not solid sheets of aluminum either. My uneducated guess is, no removable backing on an all aluminum encasing.

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[bigdaddytee]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2012/11/08/samsung-apple.html

Wrong. S3 18 million, 4s 16.2 million, 3rd quarter 2012. Apple regained the sales lead in the fourth quarter with the iPhone 5 release.

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[JHBThree]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2012/11/08/samsung-apple.html

Wrong. S3 18 million, 4s 16.2 million, 3rd quarter 2012. Apple regained the sales lead in the fourth quarter with the iPhone 5 release.

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Yeah no. Those numbers were debunked. Samsung was using its numbers from handsets shipped, not handsets sold like apple. (shipped handsets include those sitting in carrier stores or warehouses waiting for sales)

That's also not to mention the fact that the very article you post says that apple outsold samsung when sales of the new iPhone 5 were included. (which they would have to be, since the new 5 would affect sales of the 4s)

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[SpiralBorg]

And it's really hurting their sales, isn't it? Samsung doesn't make metal cases because they are unnecessary. They only increase cost for next to no functional return. The s3, and it's supposed cheap plastic and shoddy materials, was the first to knock the iPhone off it's perch. The consumer seems the agree that fancy case materials aren't a big deal.. they just want an awesome phone.



Sent from my SCH-I200

I agree. I possibly couldn't care less for premium materials, then showing it off to everyone.
Polycarbonate plastic is good enough for me.

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[LeoRex]

The S3 never knocked the iPhone off its perch. It came close, but didn't seal the deal.

 

[Adawg1203]

Last time I checked the s3 and s4 only came in one shape and one size as well. Its an excuse, and it doesn't hold up under even the slightest scrutiny.

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Did you happen to check if Samsung made different sized and shaped smartphone devices other than, an S3? Note 2 etc etc.. For Samsung to use aluminum in multiple devices and change those designs yearly is a huge challenge from a manufacturing perspective. Also, it would put significant pressure on release dates. Impossible. No. A challenge. Absolutely.

Again, Apple makes ONE Iphone device size and shape...

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[JHBThree]

Did you happen to check if Samsung made different sized and shaped smartphone devices other than, an S3? Note 2 etc etc.. For Samsung to use aluminum in multiple devices and change those designs yearly is a huge challenge from a manufacturing perspective. Also, it would put significant pressure on release dates. Impossible. No. A challenge. Absolutely.

Again, Apple makes ONE Iphone device size and shape...

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Who is suggesting they make all of their smartphones from metal? Where on earth did you pull that from? The only phones that it's been suggested samsung pay a bit more attention to material choice have been the galaxy S and Galaxy Note.

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[Wilbur]

Article from AnandTech says it takes 200 minutes to mill each HTC Aluminum case:

The HTC One Review
AnandTech | The HTC One Review

HTC begins construction of the One from a solid piece of aluminum. Two hundred minutes of CNC cuts later, a finished One chassis emerges. Plastic gets injected into the chassis between cuts during machining for the antenna bands and side of the case, which also gets machined. The result is HTC?s ?zero-gap? construction which ? as the name implies ? really has no gaps between aluminum and polymer at all for those unibody parts. There?s no matching parts together from different cuts to achieve an optimal fit, everything in the main chassis is cut as one solid unit. It?s the kind of manufacturing story that previously only the likes of Apple could lay claim to, and the HTC One is really the first Android device which reaches the level of construction quality previously owned almost entirely by the iPhone.​

Imagine the number of CNC milling machines required if Samsung chose to go this route. I doubt HTC will come close to the number of S4's sold worldwide.

IFixit.com says repairing the HTC One is essentially not possible without great difficulty and possible damage to the back of the aluminum case.

HTC One Teardown
HTC One Teardown - iFixit

Very, very difficult (possibly impossible?) to open the device without damaging the rear case. This makes every component extremely difficult to replace.

The battery is buried beneath the motherboard and adhered to the midframe, hindering its replacement.

The display assembly cannot be replaced without removing the rear case?this will make the most common repair, a damaged screen, nearly impossible.

Copper shielding on many components is difficult to remove and replace.​

I have several family members who brag about their iPhone metal cases. Then I look and they have them buried beneath an Otterbox ....ha!! Plastic has worked for me! Getting very anxious for Verizon to begin selling the plastic S4 !!

 

[coggster]

I haven't used or held either the HTC One or the S4 but I personally quite like the Samsung build. The plastic doesn't seem too bad and if I can get a removable battery then I am really happy, the SD slot is just an added bonus (unlimited data and cloud storage is plenty fine for what I need). I currently have the iP5 (S4 is on pre-order) and although I agree it feels lovely material wise I don't really like how it feels to hold. I would love to have a play with the HTC One though as I am not a fanboy of any OS (OK maybe Android a bit but I did try iOS, albeit stupidly) or manufacturer - I just want a nice phone that I like and does what I need it to, plus that little bit more is always nice. I am pretty sure though that both the One and the S4 would be excellent choices.

 

[LeoRex]

Who is suggesting they make all of their smartphones from metal? Where on earth did you pull that from? The only phones that it's been suggested samsung pay a bit more attention to material choice have been the galaxy S and Galaxy Note.

And I'll ask again.. .why bother? Both the SIII and the Note 2 are success stories for Samsung. They'v sold a ton and everyone loves them. I know some people who work at AT&T and VZW stores and they all say, without hesitation, that relative to the other phones they sell (including the iPhone), the SIII doesn't come back... either because people want something else or it breaks. They sell a ton and those who buy them, keep them.

So in the SIII, Samsung has a wildly popular sales leader. Yet there is a small minority of people that poo-poo it because the plastic feels cheap. I am sure there are some Samsung execs that looked at what HTC has to go through to produce a single case and think "Yeah, good luck with that".

 

[bigstomachking]

Plastic means light weight and removable battery. So why not?

 

[JHBThree]

And I'll ask again.. .why bother? Both the SIII and the Note 2 are success stories for Samsung. They'v sold a ton and everyone loves them. I know some people who work at AT&T and VZW stores and they all say, without hesitation, that relative to the other phones they sell (including the iPhone), the SIII doesn't come back... either because people want something else or it breaks. They sell a ton and those who buy them, keep them.

So in the SIII, Samsung has a wildly popular sales leader. Yet there is a small minority of people that poo-poo it because the plastic feels cheap. I am sure there are some Samsung execs that looked at what HTC has to go through to produce a single case and think "Yeah, good luck with that".

The return rates for the S3 are on par with its competitors. No better, no worse.

You also don't understand why people want metal. Its because they have this great phone, with great internals, that is let down by the same exterior materials that Samsung uses on the throw away handsets for emerging markets. They should bother because that extra investment is worth it. They should bother to show they actually care about producing devices whose materials match their features and hardware.

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[LeoRex]

You also don't understand why people want metal.

Actually, I do.. So they can look over at the next person with their nose up and say "Oh.. Your phone is plastic? How quaint."

It's a marketing exercise.

I don't have an s3, but I've held my fair share, along with iPhones and others... The last thing that comes to mind with the 3 is cheap.

 

[JHBThree]

Actually, I do.. So they can look over at the next person with their nose up and say "Oh.. Your phone is plastic? How quaint."

It's a marketing exercise.

I don't have an s3, but I've held my fair share, along with iPhones and others... The last thing that comes to mind with the 3 is cheap.

No, it isn't. Metal phones feel better, higher quality, and generally more premium.

I've owned an s3 (and I'm typing this on one right now) and the materials used in no way evoke a premium device.

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[Suda]

Actually, I do.. So they can look over at the next person with their nose up and say "Oh.. Your phone is plastic? How quaint."

Pretty much, you can look at his response and see how well it falls in line with that kind of thinking. It's kind of a high snobiety sort of thing, except you don't have to be rich to participate. Apple fans have been on this tip for years, it's only some Android people (mostly Samsung detractors) that are starting to catch wind. Would I have been happy with an all aluminium Samsung phone? I mean, I guess. I guess I don't meet the higher standards of other people who can't bare the thought of sullying their hands by touching plastic, even though they put whatever phone they buy in a piece of plastic otherwise known as a "case". Would a phone that's made out of plastic stop me from buying it? No. I care more about functionality than build materials. I didn't get all the hype with last years aluminium phone, the iPhone 5, with it's aluminium unibody and it's chamfer edges that were apparently crafted with the help of diamonds (lol yeah right), and I don't get it with the HTC One. I'd say it looks better than the S4 of course, but I believe most people while looking at their phone spend more time looking at its screen than admiring its build materials.

Anyway, I for one can't wait for Apple to start making plastic iPhones. I believe it'd officially put an end to this high nosed debauchery.

 

[JHBThree]

Pretty much, you can look at his response and see how well it falls in line with that kind of thinking. It's kind of a high snobiety sort of thing, except you don't have to be rich to participate. Apple fans have been on this tip for years, it's only some Android people (mostly Samsung detractors) that are starting to catch wind. Would I have been happy with an all aluminium Samsung phone? I mean, I guess. I guess I don't meet the higher standards of other people who can't bare the thought of sullying their hands by touching plastic, even though they put whatever phone they buy in a piece of plastic otherwise known as a "case". Would a phone that's made out of plastic stop me from buying it? No. I care more about functionality than build materials. I didn't get all the hype with last years aluminium phone, the iPhone 5, with it's aluminium unibody and it's chamfer edges that were apparently crafted with the help of diamonds (lol yeah right), and I don't get it with the HTC One. I'd say it looks better than the S4 of course, but I believe most people while looking at their phone spend more time looking at its screen than admiring its build materials.

Anyway, I for one can't wait for Apple to start making plastic iPhones. I believe it'd officially put an end to this high nosed debauchery.

Now you just make yourself look silly. The iPhone's chamfered edges are cut with diamonds. A common practice when a super clean edge is required on metal.

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[Suda]

I see I was pretty spot on with everything else. I'll take it.