Do you agree that Metal phones are overrated?

[sure why not]

I don't think they are overrated.
Some people like metal, and I am glad there are choices out there for them.

Personally, I use TechTiles, Wallet/PayPass and Qi charging.
I could never get along with a metal backed phone

 

[ecjd]

My preference is metal, but it depends on the phone. I really don't like the feel of my M8. I didn't like how it felt until I put a clear coat body protector on it and it had some grip. It was waaaay too slippery before that.

 

[sure why not]

So you liked the aesthetic of metal, but then had to cover it in plastic to be able to hold on to it?

Aren't you saying metal is overrated as a functional phone material???

Would it be better with a sandblasted or otherwise textured surface?

 

[Nathan Bael]

Depends on the phone. To me the iphone 4 and 4s felt more premium than the 5 and 5s. Honestly, I liked the feel of the 5c more than the 5s. As for android phones it depends. Plastic doesn't mean it has to be cheaply designed. Some phones come across as cheap and are metal, while often (to me at least) Motorola phones feel premium, no matter the materials.

 

[Johnly]

Build materials are part of the equation, how it is designed and manufactured is another part of the equation, but for me, the interaction with the UI, Button placement, ect, are just as important. A metal/plastic phone, no matter how well designed, isn't much without a fluid OS. This is where third party manufactures are killing Google a little with their "idea" of a good UI. Thank goodness for leather.

 

[Smply_Rcklss]

I think it feels more premium as well, but it doesn't make a a difference to me. I have the M8 now, & planning on getting the Note 4.

Tapatalk'n On The M8

 

[Charles Hinkle]

I generally prefer the feel of metal phones don't find them overrated. Good build quality can be achieved with either. Glad there are choices out there. I have both.

 

[MC_A_DOT]

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.

Posted via Android Central App

Different strokes for different folks, Pun intended.

#DatFeel

 

[BOSSY TEXAS CHICK]

I personally felt you could have a plastic phone and it would still feel premium.

overrated?

not just yes but "omg YES!"...every single time i hear someone whining about "no metal, its just plastic, blah, blah blah" i want to smush the air out of their lungs....

(and don't even get me started on what i want to do to them if they whine about only 32 GB storage when there is an SD slot) lol

BTC

 

[LeoRex]

My main issue with metal cases is that they serve no real functional role other than to look good.... But they cost a hell of a lot more to make. Useless increase in cost.

 

[TroyBoy30]

no..........

 

[Citizen Coyote]

Nope. Some people like metal, some don't. Perhaps there's been too much emphasis on metal as a "requirement" for quality in the tech press over the past few years (I blame Apple for that), but overall I don't feel it's overrated. What I don't like, however, is when a manufacturer tries to make their plastic look like metal. It comes off as cheap to me, like they either didn't want to spend the money on adding metal or didn't allocate enough R&D budget to overcome the intrinsic challenges of using the material. Either use metal, or embrace the plastic.

 

[HankSpank]

I think that high quality plastics have more potential but honestly I don't mind plastic or metal. I think the best would be some crazy all sapphire crystal.

 

[LeoRex]

I think that high quality plastics have more potential but honestly I don't mind plastic or metal. I think the best would be some crazy all sapphire crystal.

Sapphire might very well be a dead-end material... I just read an article in TIME that seems to indicate that sapphire's tendency to shatter (not to mention its weight and optical properties) might make it problematic in terms of using it for main screens. Gorilla Glass is an engineered product, so Corning can manipulate its properties via additives and production techniques. Sapphire is a lab-grown, naturally occurring crystal that's pretty much static (its the same sapphire that's been in the ground for billions of years). Being so hard, it is also brittle and once even microscopic cracks start to form, its a matter of if, not when, it shatters.

Interesting article.

 

[cgardnervt]

Either way! I like how Moto did the X this year. Looks nice but not over done where the phone will cost me my kidney. Can't wait for it to be in!

 

[Sizzers]

A number of years ago metal phones undoubtedly gave a far more "premium" feel as opposed to their plastic counterparts which were invariably made of hard, brittle plastics which easily broke and flexed/creaked like hell.

However, with the advance of modern polycarbonates and other materials as well as the advances in production methods this really has - or should - have become less of an issue.

On a personal note I now always exclusively use a TPU case for general protection so the material used for the construction of the chassis is pretty irrelevant to me.

 

[LeoRex]

However, with the advance of modern polycarbonates and other materials as well as the advances in production methods this really has - or should - have become less of an issue.

Yep... Holding my G3, it certainly doesn't feel cheap or flimsy. Though, I did slap a Spigen ultra slim case on it... it was a little too slippery. Though, not as slick as the M8, that thing was like a greased pig. My Nexus 5, with its 'cheap' soft touch plastic clothing, was and still is the only phone that I didn't feel as though it'll jump out of my hand. And after 6 months of heavy-handed use, the body didn't show so much as a scratch, even after a few drops hard enough to separate the back cover a couple of times. I'll take that over a 'premium' material that'll scratch.

So plastic isn't 'cheap'. Cheap plastics are.... Some OEMS spend WAY too much R&D and manufacturing costs on functionally useless aluminum cases that push costs considerably higher. I've never been a form over function kind of guy, so I shake my head when reviewers gush over such things then turn around and criticize a component that appears to have been sacrificed in the name of keeping costs down (which is why I think I think M8 owners got stuck with that camera).

But Motorola has it nailed.... frame in aluminum (which keeps both material, design costs and design compromises at a minimum) and allow people to slap on a leather back that won't even look good until you got some scuffs and scratches on it.

 

[meyerweb#CB]

But Motorola has it nailed.... frame in aluminum (which keeps both material, design costs and design compromises at a minimum) and allow people to slap on a leather back that won't even look good until you got some scuffs and scratches on it.

I'd like that Motorola approach a lot more if there were a removable battery and micro SD slot under that removable back.

 

[WaveLightGames]

I personally don't worry about the look of the phone too much. I'll have to get a case for it anyway so the appearance really makes no difference. That's why I find it amusing the tech press makes such a big deal of the iphone's appearance when most people will just cover it all with a rubber case anyway.

 

[LeoRex]

I'd like that Motorola approach a lot more if there were a removable battery and micro SD slot under that removable back.

I missed that part... It's not removable? Ug... Ok... That's a pity.

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