Do you agree that Metal phones are overrated?

[msm0511]

I definitely think glass and metal phones feel much more premium than plastic. To me the Galaxy S phones don't feel like they're built very well. I haven't held a Note in a while though, and I've heard they feel really solid these days. I also think the original Moto X felt really cheap. There are exceptions though. I think that Nokia does amazing things with their polycarbonate designs. I think the G3 feels really well built as well. If the G3 were a little more narrow I'd love the feel of it. HTC has made some solidly built phones out of plastic too, but overall I prefer metal phones.

 

[LockOnTech]

I had a phone mostly made of plastic but the battery cover is aluminum, to me it did not matter one way or another; but certainly far from being premium. Unless you have it covered with leather or vinyl with the metal.

 

[z33dev33l]

I don't have any issues with the Samsung build of the plastic S and Note series of devices. Metal or fake metal can be used to appear fancier I suppose, but most folks I know and see user some type of case on their phones and tablets that precludes song what the chassis is actually made of. I do carry Note 2 naked any more, and it does have a couple dinged up edges, but I really don't care. I don't personal buy into the metal frame argument, but I'm sure that some do feel strongly about for their own reasons.

There's nothing quality about Samsung's build quality.

 

[The Real X Dawg]

There's nothing quality about Samsung's build quality.

Yeah I'm running out of duct tape and super glue to keep my Note from falling apart.

 

[kousakasan]

My brother in law is designer for a large medical company. When he first saw the Galaxy s3, then the Note 2, he was amazed at workmanship.
He does mold injection design and designes metal fabricating machinery. The way the back cover is held on tightly, though removable, amazed him. Mostly because he had removed the cover many times for the sdcard and battery but none of the holding tabs ever broke. He also said its not ordinary plastic mold material. Its high tech.

And on a side note, Apple blames all those electrocutions on knockoff chargers... Yeah, the metal case had nothing to do with that, right...?

 

[b_slow1]

I don't think Metal phones offer anything over plastic phones in the durability department. The various "drop tests" that people do seems to point that out. The problem that I have with the "Metal Phone = Quality" argument is that.... it doesn't really matter.

With the way we throw out our old technology to get the latest, greatest stuff, there is no real reason for durability, and build quality. All it does is run up unnecessary costs that are passed on to the consumer. We really shouldn't upgrade our phones every year, but we do, and I only see that pattern accelerating, not slowing down. So what good is a phone that is "built to last" if it's just going to be thrown out in 12 months anyway?

 

[Jay Sacks]

Obviously not familar with polycarbons. Formula one race cars aren't built out of metal either.

 

[Aquila]

The only real problem that I have with metal devices vs plastic devices are with the users who conflate build material choices with build quality, as if they were the same thing or even related. It's really easy to have a plastic phone that is very well put together, a plastic phone that is very poorly put together, a metal phone that is well put together, and everything in between. Engineering quality, durability, heft, feel and material choices are almost all separate knobs that can be adjusted independently of one another. Assuming that turning one up or down will result in all others moving with or away from it just doesn't make sense. Material choice <> build quality.

 

[jdhooghe]

Do you enjoy products outside of phones that aren't made of metal? Do they speak or feel of craftsmanship? I couldn't stand the feel of Samsung's, for the lack of a better word, "cheapness" of their phones. I went for the HTC One before it had it's own share of problems and loved it. It made Android feel premium instead of an aisle of cheap black plastic phones. The Z10 was made of a "plasticky" substance but had a metal feel. It felt premium. Maybe people are different and enjoy things made of plastic but it's not for me so no, I don't feel like it is overrated. If I am going to pay 800 for a phone, and I see two phones of near equal quality but one is made of plastic and feels like it will break in my hands, I'm going for the metal. My opinion.

 

[Closingracer]

I like the Note 3, and Note 4 and even the S5 Plastic and dislike Metal since you can't wireless charge. Though it is nice they did add metal on the sides of the Note 4 versus the Fake chrome on the note 3 and every other one before it

 

[larry0071]

There's nothing quality about Samsung's build quality.

My Note 2 is tightly assembled, all buttons and features function flawlessly and the phone remains tight and proper to this day. It's been dropped and even thrown a few times. I don't know what more they could do to increase build quality?

I think your confusing material preferences for build quality, could that be?
Also, my 19 year soon is still carrying my GS3 that I had prior to the Note 2 and it is also still totally functional, tightly assembled and a great working phone. Maybe you can further explain the lack of build quality that your soaking about?

Some people may prefer the look or feel of a titanium or aluminum phone, but I'm satisfied with the durability of our Samsung devices that are 2 and 3 years old and still very much functioning like new.

 

[dancing-bass]

I think there are 2 terms at play here:

Build QUALITY: how it is put together. Does it have large or inconsistant gaps between the parts? does it creak, flex, or anything like that? How does it hold up over time from day to day use? Polycarbonate (aka plastic) can "feel" cheaper but may (or may not) stand up to repeated drops better then metal. Makes me wonder what a full carbon fiber housing would do (not just the back, the whole phone). Quality is something that can be measured. take X number of phones and put them through various tests. Out of X phones, how many pass or fail that specific test?

Build FEEL: how does it feel in the hand? this is far more subjective. Metal has it's pros and cons, as does polycarbonate/plastic. So does wood, carbon fiber, kevlar, aluminum, stainless steel, iron, or whatever else you could possibly want to make a phone's body from. It's about finding the balance between cost, technical advantages/disadvantages, and what each manufacturer thinks their consumers want.

Personally (using my S4 as an example) I have it in a thin TPU case, for a few reasons. 1) without a case it's kinda slippery. the TPU offers more grip. 2) it offers slight impact protection, but more important to me keeps the screen and camera lens off the table, desk, or whatever I set it down on. Ideally I think a leather back would improve the grip factor a lot, but thin cheap leather (like you'd find on a phone back) won't wear that well plus I still need to keep the screen and camera lens off the desk. I also find the phone feels slightly light with this odd resonance (it feels hollow) when you pick it up without a case. Maybe a metal frame would improve this - but most likely the whole would need to be reworked.

I've held a S5 for a few moments. It still felt light, but I liked the back better. I don't recall it having that hollow/resonance issue but I could be wrong. The G3 also feels nice (good weight, but also somewhat slippery. Not as bad as the S4 though)

Personally I find I like the weight of metal, but it tends to be cold and slippery to me. I'd rather take a bit of a lighter phone if it means it's not as cold and slightly grippier.

 

[Closingracer]

I think there are 2 terms at play here:

Build QUALITY: how it is put together. Does it have large or inconsistant gaps between the parts? does it creak, flex, or anything like that? How does it hold up over time from day to day use? Polycarbonate (aka plastic) can "feel" cheaper but may (or may not) stand up to repeated drops better then metal. Makes me wonder what a full carbon fiber housing would do (not just the back, the whole phone). Quality is something that can be measured. take X number of phones and put them through various tests. Out of X phones, how many pass or fail that specific test?

Build FEEL: how does it feel in the hand? this is far more subjective. Metal has it's pros and cons, as does polycarbonate/plastic. So does wood, carbon fiber, kevlar, aluminum, stainless steel, iron, or whatever else you could possibly want to make a phone's body from. It's about finding the balance between cost, technical advantages/disadvantages, and what each manufacturer thinks their consumers want.

Personally (using my S4 as an example) I have it in a thin TPU case, for a few reasons. 1) without a case it's kinda slippery. the TPU offers more grip. 2) it offers slight impact protection, but more important to me keeps the screen and camera lens off the table, desk, or whatever I set it down on. Ideally I think a leather back would improve the grip factor a lot, but thin cheap leather (like you'd find on a phone back) won't wear that well plus I still need to keep the screen and camera lens off the desk. I also find the phone feels slightly light with this odd resonance (it feels hollow) when you pick it up without a case. Maybe a metal frame would improve this - but most likely the whole would need to be reworked.

I've held a S5 for a few moments. It still felt light, but I liked the back better. I don't recall it having that hollow/resonance issue but I could be wrong. The G3 also feels nice (good weight, but also somewhat slippery. Not as bad as the S4 though)

Personally I find I like the weight of metal, but it tends to be cold and slippery to me. I'd rather take a bit of a lighter phone if it means it's not as cold and slightly grippier.

If only apple made cases for android phones lol. I've seen the iPhone 5 leather cases and one friend has one who let me hold it because I was curious about the feel and it's pretty amazing. I like the feel of it and if your willing to spend $50 it's a good case. I also had an iPad and bought the leather smart case for it and loved it

 

[monsieurms]

I've felt the HTC One, One M8, iPhone 4s, 5, and 5s and none of them felt "premium" to me. They actually felt quite bad in the hand.

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Never understood all the fuss over the material. I'm going to put a case over it anyway. It just needs to be lightweight, whatever it is.

 

[meyerweb#CB]

I've recently been shopping for a new phone. I've compared the S5, the Note 3, the One M8, the G3, and the Moto X (2013). And I've played with an iPhone previously. My conclusion is that...... they all feel like phones. None of them feel like a really high quality swiss watch or a Mercedes Benz, and none of them feel like they came out of a cracker jack box or from the dollar store.

I suppose that if you grab the phone and twist it, you'll feel flex in the plastic phones that you don't feel in the One, but DON'T DO THAT! In normal use they feel fine. The S5 and G3 are no more slippery than the M8. Probably less so. The main difference in feel in normal use is that the One feels colder, because it's metal.

In spite of all the blather about build quality you read on these forums, no modern phone is poor quality. You may not like plastic, but that doesn't equate to build quality. I suspect that if you warmed all the phones to body temperature, and gave them to a blindfolded user to USE, rather than examine, most people couldn't tell you if they were made of metal, plastic, glass or anything else.

 

[Aquila]

You may not like plastic, but that doesn't equate to build quality.

Someone should repeat this.

 

[meyerweb#CB]

Someone should repeat this.

I have. Many times. But some people just won't listen.

 

[Dreamliner330]

Build quality matters more than materials. I do think the iPhone 5/5S had excellent materials and build quality. This is one area that Apple really excels in.

I put my phone in a case right away, so as long as it doesn't creak (looking at you, battery covers), I'm good.

 

[brad419]

Think I would like a metal phone. Never had one, but have handled some and I like the feel. Maybe I will get one of the new iPhones and check it our.

 

[ffejjj]

That's one of the things I loved about my past htc phones. The metal body had a more solid feel. I never used cases

My plastic G3 currently has a case

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