[gng11]

Ooh this gotta sting:

Why all the plastic?
"We don't start out by deciding whether to use metal or plastic first," Chang said. "The material most suited to the message and design theme we try to deliver is what we select ... For the Galaxy S5, we wanted to express fashion, style, and trend. The materials we selected reflected that."
Of course, what constitutes fashion and style is subjective, but it's clear that Samsung's definition hasn't resonated with critics and consumers.
Samsung's design philosophy as described by Chang is almost the complete opposite of Apple's. In a really neat video that Apple showed at last year's Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple explained its design philosophy: "There are a thousand no's for every yes," the video said.

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/ou...141633050.html

[hamsterwheel]

Ohhh interesting! Thanks for posting.

[Troy Tiscareno]

For all the talk of Samsung's "plastic phones", I think many here have never seen or held one. The S3 and the S4 are built on a big slab of magnesium (that's metal, folks), with, yes, a plastic removable backplate and a plastic interior cover over the internal components.

How much metal is used in the Z30? In the Q5? In the Z3? Does it really matter?

Apple gets a lot of press for it's "premium materials", yet I'm able to run a business repairing computers, tablets, and smartphones, and my most common repair is replacing the glass on iPhones, especially the 4 and 4s models, which have glass on both sides. A shattered iPhone doesn't seem very "premium" to me, but what do I know?

[raw_dog]

I think the comments on how they determine whether to use a material is interesting. Particularly the comments about their choices not being popular.

Posted with a drop of Awesome Sauce!!!

[ubizmo]

Plastic has a degree of elasticity that metal and glass lack. A relatively minor impact will dent metal and shatter glass, but leave no trace on a decent polycarbonate plastic. The "premium material" phones therefore are more in need of cases that make those materials invisible anyway.

Personally, If I'm going to carry a $500 electronic device around with me all day, every day, I'm going to put it in a case that can at least cushion it against minor impacts. On my S4 (which will be sold by tomorrow night), I used an extremely rugged "Tech21" Impactology shell that was actually pretty good looking. It really didn't matter to me whether the phone felt "plasticky" under that shell.

As much as I like the "premium feel" of my Q10, I still keep it in a clear TPU shell for basic protection. It still looks good.

[LuvULongTime]

For all the talk of Samsung's "plastic phones", I think many here have never seen or held one. The S3 and the S4 are built on a big slab of magnesium (that's metal, folks), with, yes, a plastic removable backplate and a plastic interior cover over the internal components.

How much metal is used in the Z30? In the Q5? In the Z3? Does it really matter?

Apple gets a lot of press for it's "premium materials", yet I'm able to run a business repairing computers, tablets, and smartphones, and my most common repair is replacing the glass on iPhones, especially the 4 and 4s models, which have glass on both sides. A shattered iPhone doesn't seem very "premium" to me, but what do I know?

How the product feels in the hand has a lot to do with how it is perceived. Iphones are very pleasing to hold. The galaxy series of phones not so much.

Posted via CB10

[cgk]

I've never seen any evidence the general public care about this in the same way the tech press do - most people put their expensive new phone straight in a case anyway...

[anon(832122)]

How the product feels in the hand has a lot to do with how it is perceived. Iphones are very pleasing to hold. The galaxy series of phones not so much.

Posted via CB10

I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and I have to say I love the faux leather back cover. It feels premium and is light and resists most dings and scratches.
To be honest I liked the back cover of the S5 (not fond of the gold one).

Am I the only one that likes Galaxy devices??

[FSeverino]

For all the talk of Samsung's "plastic phones", I think many here have never seen or held one. The S3 and the S4 are built on a big slab of magnesium (that's metal, folks), with, yes, a plastic removable backplate and a plastic interior cover over the internal components.

How much metal is used in the Z30? In the Q5? In the Z3? Does it really matter?

Apple gets a lot of press for it's "premium materials", yet I'm able to run a business repairing computers, tablets, and smartphones, and my most common repair is replacing the glass on iPhones, especially the 4 and 4s models, which have glass on both sides. A shattered iPhone doesn't seem very "premium" to me, but what do I know?

Agreed. On that note I see almost 50% of iPhones with cracked screens, I've only ever seen 2 bbos devices with cracked screens and never a single bb10 device (but I will concede that I only know about 12 ppl with bb10 devices personally, I've seen them in the wild a few hundred times).

What I'm getting at, I guess, is that it doesn't matter what the phone is made out of... it's how you treat it. a lot of the cracked iPhone screens in see are teenagers or younger. I'd rather pay less for a phone and buy a case then pay a premium for 'design' and have to buy a case anyways.

The people that say 'don't use a case' are idiots. My cousin broke his iPhone 4s screen and it cost $200 to replace. My case for my iPhone4 was $40.

Posted via CB10

[MmmHmm]

Agreed. On that note I see almost 50% of iPhones with cracked screens, I've only ever seen 2 bbos devices with cracked screens and never a single bb10 device (but I will concede that I only know about 12 ppl with bb10 devices personally, I've seen them in the wild a few hundred times).

What I'm getting at, I guess, is that it doesn't matter what the phone is made out of... it's how you treat it. a lot of the cracked iPhone screens in see are teenagers or younger. I'd rather pay less for a phone and buy a case then pay a premium for 'design' and have to buy a case anyways.

The people that say 'don't use a case' are idiots. My cousin broke his iPhone 4s screen and it cost $200 to replace. My case for my iPhone4 was $40.

Posted via CB10

Don't use a case.


Sent from my iPhone using CB Forums mobile app

[spikesolie]

For all the talk of Samsung's "plastic phones", I think many here have never seen or held one. The S3 and the S4 are built on a big slab of magnesium (that's metal, folks), with, yes, a plastic removable backplate and a plastic interior cover over the internal components.

How much metal is used in the Z30? In the Q5? In the Z3? Does it really matter?

Apple gets a lot of press for it's "premium materials", yet I'm able to run a business repairing computers, tablets, and smartphones, and my most common repair is replacing the glass on iPhones, especially the 4 and 4s models, which have glass on both sides. A shattered iPhone doesn't seem very "premium" to me, but what do I know?

**** I always say this. They look premium but are apple products actually as premium as we'd been made to believe? My roommate is an apple user (not because he knows much about it but it's what he's been using since ipods to iPhone) and well every apple products until his iPhone in an otter box has had shattered screens. I dropped my z10 waiting for a case when I just bought it and only the edge of the phone dented slightly.

Zee coolest flicking smartphone ever

[spikesolie]

Also as others have said, the people who do really value their phones put it in a case right away. Noway I'd have a phone and not put at least a $5 case on it.

Zee coolest flicking smartphone ever

[BCITMike]

Don't use a case.


Sent from my iPhone using CB Forums mobile app

You forgot to sign your post off as "-Idiots".(without s, its bleeped)

[BCITMike]

I will always have a hate-on for Apple. Back when the iPod nano came out, I signed up for a 3 year plan with Telus DSL, with a value of $360 on the ipod.

The first day I was using it, I was lying on the couch with the ipod on my chest and was listening to music. After a while, I shifted a bit and the ipod fell off my belly and onto the tile floor, which is no more than 36" drop. The screen was NFG.

This was also during a period when Apple had a KNOWN issue with bad screens, but my serial number wasn't in there known bad serial number list, and they wouldn't repair it.

So I drop $100 on a new screen, only to permanently damage it when trying to reattach the ribbon cable (for which only a 10 year old's hand could fit) because the ribbon cable latch broke (cheap piece of plastic with no metal arms or retention). So I'm out all this money, for literally less than 30 minutes of use. Being stuck with telus contract paying above better pricing I should have had for 3 years, really burned me on any Apple stuff.

My Z10 currently doesn't have any case. I've dropped that onto carpeted floor from 5' at least 10 times, and on hard floor (cement with linoleum) from about 5' at least 3 times. There has been at least 2 times where I absolutely cannot believe it survived without getting damaged based on how hard it fell or the material it hit.

My brother's family is Apple. They have at least 2 broken screen Apple's out of like 5 iphones, and my bro successfully repaired one of his Samsung's. I don't recall the circumstances, but he was surprised his screen broke at the time and didn't think it should have so easily.

[pantlesspenguin]

When I had the SGS3 I was amazed at how thin and light it felt. I liked the feeling, but that didn't stop me from slapping an Incipio Feather case on it. I loved that case because it held the thin profile and added more ruggedness. I never thought the device itself felt cheap, though. The plastic battery cover felt sturdy when I took it off and reapplied it.

In 8 years of carrying smartphones I've only smashed one screen. It was my HTC Sensation. I was stupid and felt the phone was sturdy enough that I didn't need a case. I was out walking, tripped on an uneven bit of concrete, and the phone fell screen first. Since then, I've always had my phones in cases.

The fact that phones are getting so big concerns me, too. My G2 is comfortable to hold with a thin TPU case, but anything much bigger would be stretching it (and by "it" I mean my hands and pockets!)

[ShaneVich1]

My Note 3 feels pretty good. It's heavy for a phone but the shell seems pretty durable. It has a "premium" feel but the screen size alone is reason enough to put a case on it. The case unfortunately hides the Rose Gold trim which is another reason for a bulkier case--the trim is the only thing about the device that feels cheap. You'd think they'd make the part most likely to hit something a little less flimsy so you could display it's sexiness without having to hold it in a death grip. My iPhone 4s felt damn good, too, but even with a two-part case the back shattered when I dropped it on the street. I had so much glass in my fingers when I took the cases off. That phone was practically designed to slip and fall. The only BB10 phone I'd have to put a case on would probably be the Z30 just for its screen's sake. My Q10 has fallen out of my clumsy hands so many times and could still be considered 9/10 cosmetic condition. I wouldn't trust a Galaxy S device without a case. They feel so fragile! I'd be a ball of anxiety with one.

Posted via CB10

[saud1111]

I actually dont like to put a case on my phone I think the case take its look and feel more comfortable when its naked,and I only broke 1 phone screen it was an iphone 4, galaxy S line actually have good phones I had s3 and s4 I dropped them a lot nothing happened to the screen,I also never broke a BlackBerry screen I used lots of BlackBerrys 9000,8520,9700,9790,9360,z10 and q5 non of them broke.

Posted via CB10

[Fistmaster]

I don't respect those crappy plastic phones. It looks and feels pathetic. I can't take people serious high pumping up if their cheap plastic toys.

BlackBerry fo fo do fo life. Premium and trustworthy. You get what you pay..

Posted via CB10

[reeneebob]

In my tech life I've owned a Pearl 8130, Curve 8330, Storm 1, Palm Pre, Galaxy S Vibrant, GS3 times 2(red and blue versions), iPhone 4, Bold 9900, Z10, HTC Desire Z, Palm Pixi Plus, Lumia 710, iPhone 5, iPhone 5S, HTC One m7, HTC One M8, iPod Touch 1st Gen, iPod Touch 5th Gen, iPod Nano 3rd Gen, Creative Zen Vision M, iPod Classic, iPad Air, HP Touchpad and iPod Shuffle.

I've dropped all of them. In cases. Out of cases. My iPhone 4 went onto a concrete floor caseless from my pocket four ladder rungs high. My GS3 went sailing 4 feet across the mall and landed screen down.

Nothing, not one, has broken a screen or anything else. The only phones I had quality control issues on were my z10, Galaxy Vibrant and my red GS3 (which had the bezel paint start peeling after 32 days in. Samsung manufactured case, looked like crap, and Samsung claimed it was normal, which no. It's not).

I also manage a location of a national electronics retailer. The phones I have sent out most often for shattered screens are the GS3 and the Z10.

The way some people talk the iPhone shatters if you sneeze in its general direction, which is funny because in my family alone there are 7 iPhones and the only broken screen anyone has ever had is my brothers Nexus 5.

And no, I don't think Samsung is great for using plastic. I don't think I could go back to plastic after my 5/5S and One M7/8.

Of course, I dislike Sammy for a myriad of other reasons ( 4 month repair backlog of my 62 day old vibrant for a motherboard recall and the previously mentioned peeling paint issue).

[lnichols]

Phones use radio frequencies to communicate. Most metals effect RF propagation. The Apple "your holding it wrong" SNAFU was basically a metal-human-metal attenuation issue, and the cases prevented this from happening. Plastics don't interfere anywhere near as much as metal, are easier to form, and cheaper to use. So it makes sense to use them.

Plus I've seen iPhone 5 devices where the metal casing is warped, so plastics can be more rigid than thinner malleable metals. I don't view plastic devices as cheap, I view them as necessary building materials.

Posted via CB10

[tchocky77]

Agreed. On that note I see almost 50% of iPhones with cracked screens, I've only ever seen 2 bbos devices with cracked screens and never a single bb10 device (but I will concede that I only know about 12 ppl with bb10 devices personally, I've seen them in the wild a few hundred times).

What I'm getting at, I guess, is that it doesn't matter what the phone is made out of... it's how you treat it. a lot of the cracked iPhone screens in see are teenagers or younger. I'd rather pay less for a phone and buy a case then pay a premium for 'design' and have to buy a case anyways.

The people that say 'don't use a case' are idiots. My cousin broke his iPhone 4s screen and it cost $200 to replace. My case for my iPhone4 was $40.

Posted via CB10

Some might say that people that can't hold onto their phone are idiots?

Funny story here....I don't remember if this happened at a WWDC or one of the last MacWorlds before Jobs died. But anyway, there was a question and answer session with senior Apple leadership for the developers present. (When I say "senior leadership" I mean the very top. Steve Jobs, Tim Cook, Scott Forstall, and Jony Ive were on stage.) Jon Gruber, an Apple Blogger and iOS developer was passed the microphone, and he asked..."Do any of you use cases?" Steve Jobs said nothing. He simply took his iPhone 4 out of his pocket and held it aloft. It was naked, of course. A second later,...the other executives on stage did the same. No cases. The room erupted into laughter. The unspoken joke being "Steve says cases aren't allowed." It was a pretty great moment. This also happens to have been Job's last public appearance as CEO.

Having said all that. I bought my 64g 5S with cash. Off contract, and unlocked from the Apple Store. I can appreciate that it's a beautifully designed piece of kit, but yer outta yer head if you think I carry it outside the house without a case!

[MmmHmm]

I love the feel of a naked... phone. Seriously though, I prefer to go without a case. To each his own.


Sent from my iPhone using CB Forums mobile app

[Nharzhool]

Look...I don't really care what the device is made from. It does however, matter what it feels like to hold.

When I got the GS4, it looked pretty...but fragile. I don't know why it looked and felt fragile but it did. I know that there is a metal ring surrounding it and that the interior is magnesium and that the screen is Gorilla glass...but it STILL felt cheap and fragile. I can't explain why. Four out of the six of my colleagues that have Galaxy S3 or S4 devices have cracked screens...it's weird (I watched the one S3 crack - off the table onto the office carpet - looked painful!).

When I got my Z10, I didn't feel that way. I thought: This thing is solid! I think it is maybe because of the thickness and heft of the device. Also, every exposed part is coated magnesium apart from the back cover and the screen...maybe that makes it feel sturdier.

Now when it comes to the iPhones...well...I have a fair few friends that have the 5 and 5S - the 5 snapped when in their back pocket and sat on a trampoline. The 5S has had its screen replaced four times because it was cracked (These are alcoholic, rich kids living in Camps Bay, Cape Town - the phones are often dropped).

My first Z10 took every kind of tumble it could...no case and only a screen protector:

1. Went flying off of a quad-bike onto a rough-brick driveway - some nice dings in the metal and the back cover.
2. Climbed out of a car on three separate occasions with it on my lap - dropped painfully onto the tar twice and the sidewalk the other times - more dings in the metal/back cover
3. Threw it to my friend across the room, hit the bed and bounced onto the wall and then landed in the top-left corner on the tiles - nice, flat bit there now.

Lots of dings in the metal, but still no cracks on the screen - though the phone was stolen some time later.

My second Z10 has yet to be abused.

Basically, what I'm saying is: get the type of phone that suits your lifestyle - I'm obviously quite rough with my phone so I want something that seems durable - like the Z10. I would break the iPhone or the GS4 too easily. If you aren't concerned with snapping your phone - get the S4 or the iPhone 5.

I physically struggled to bend a Z10 in half when it had no battery/back cover - I'm pretty strong (rich kid wanting to mess around while drunk). The magnesium alloy unibody is impressively tough.

[DenverRalphy]

Look...I don't really care what the device is made from. It does however, matter what it feels like to hold.

When I got the GS4, it looked pretty...but fragile. I don't know why it looked and felt fragile but it did. I know that there is a metal ring surrounding it and that the interior is magnesium and that the screen is Gorilla glass...but it STILL felt cheap and fragile

That's just preconceived perception. There are others who find a heavy metal design less attractive.

I can't explain why. Four out of the six of my colleagues that have Galaxy S3 or S4 devices have cracked screens...it's weird (I watched the one S3 crack - off the table onto the office carpet - looked painful!).

I can explain it. They dropped their devices and were unlucky. Regardless the material the housing is built from... If it lands or impacts just right (and it's a better than average likelihood) the screen will crack. You could have just as easily noticed that those same people flipped heads on a coin toss while the others flipped tails.

Hell, I've cracked my GS4 screen, but I attributed it to my device landing face down on a rock on a fishing trip when I was excitedly setting and reeling in a surprise catch. Yet despite a few incidental device drops before then, it came away scratch free. (incidentally, my repair was only $20 and an hour of my time to replace the glass)


Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[spikesolie]

That's just preconceived perception. There are others who find a heavy metal design less attractive.


I can explain it. They dropped their devices and were unlucky. Regardless the material the housing is built from... If it lands or impacts just right (and it's a better than average likelihood) the screen will crack. You could have just as easily noticed that those same people flipped heads on a coin toss while the others flipped tails.

Hell, I've cracked my GS4 screen, but I attributed it to my device landing face down on a rock on a fishing trip when I was excitedly setting and reeling in a surprise catch. Yet despite a few incidental device drops before then, it came away scratch free. (incidentally, my repair was only $20 and an hour of my time to replace the glass)


Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Meh let's not disregard material too as if that's got nothing to do with it

Zee coolest flicking smartphone ever