Based on materials from www.androidcentral.com
Perhaps one day there will be smartphones made of rainbows or stardust, but so far our choice is modest and limited to three options.
The world of modern smartphones is rather monotonous: throwing away individual parts, we get the same appearance: it is a rectangle with a screen designed to be comfortable to hold in one hand, and to poke at this screen with the other for a variety of purposes. Just think, you can even call it!
The difference lies, as usual, in the details: speakers, bezels, buttons and physical size – that's what will allow you to distinguish a Galaxy Note from a Moto E4. It also affects the price and our decision to buy a particular device.
One of the most important characteristics of any smartphone, which is invariably the subject of controversy, and sometimes a reason for rejection, is the body material. And if we discard the exotic, such as wooden or gold cases, we see three main options for smartphones of all sizes: metal, plastic and glass. Which one is better?
Metal
Many phones have a metal frame or are made of plastic treated to look like metal, but a number of phones actually have a metal case. Usually it is an aluminum alloy, very thin and light, because buyers like everything thin and light. Who wants to carry around a one and a half kilogram phone forged from steel all day?
For many people, metal means premium. The aluminum case, brushed or anodized, almost certainly gives the phone a very pleasant look, and many associate it with excellent quality, even if unconsciously. In fact, aluminum may be cheaper than a number of materials, but this no longer plays a role, our perception is to blame.
A metal smartphone may be cool, or it may not be worth looking at. Let's weigh the pros and cons.
Pros of a metal case
Premium view. As mentioned above, a well-built phone with a metal body will always look great. Metal is beautiful, which means that it automatically makes the phone more or less premium. For many, this is what matters – to have a premium phone.
Metal is 'modern'. This material plays a very important role in industrial design. A metal bar in which there is nothing superfluous is incredibly aesthetically pleasing, and there are a lot of fans of this design in the world.
Features of heat transfer. Many people like the notorious feeling of metal, cold hand, when you first pick up the device. In the case of a phone that we hold in our hands all the time, touch is essential, and metal provides the most pleasant tactile sensation.
All in all, these pros revolve around one main conclusion: a small metal object in your hand will invariably give you a sense of superiority from owning a premium product. Of course, there are those who think otherwise, but it is unlikely that many will call the Pixel or ZTE Axon Pro poorly assembled or not leaving a pleasant tactile impression.
Cons of the metal case
Deformations and dents. Metal is very easy to deform – especially for that light, pliable aluminum, from which phone cases are made. It also tends to retain its new shape after deformation. Of course, we're not talking about all the YouTube guys who make a living by ruining their phones. We're talking about the fact that in everyday life you can sit on the phone, squeeze too hard, drop your device and put it on its premium case, not at all premium dent. Maybe buy a cover? Well, then you have to forget about all the advantages described in the section above.
Radio frequency conduction. This is what has to do with LTE, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth signals. Radio waves in a range that is safe for humans hardly pass through metal. This means that your metal device will need antenna inserts, and it may also not support wireless charging.
And again, heat transfer. The same feature that provides a nice tactile feel when you just pick up a cool phone in your hand will make it appear warmer when you use it for a while. Heat sinks and heat sinks (also metal) are designed to compensate for this effect, but a metal phone will always have a warm area where the chipset is located. And it so happens that the device heats up to the point that it becomes uncomfortable to hold.
To summarize, the same material can make the phone look more premium and, conversely, less premium (due to the impossibility of creating a monolithic body without inserts for antennas or equipping the device with a wireless charging function). And the bent or dented case looks not at all premium.
Plastic
Plastic is any shape, any color and any size. This is the advantage of artificial materials. Plastic can also be processed in any way and feels slippery or soft to the touch. And plastic is also cheap and very technologically advanced; in the case of plastic, it is possible to create bends and details that could not even be thought of with other materials.
Plastic phones can look awesome, or they can be just awful. And having received a negative experience, the user will be sure that all plastic devices are a slippery, nasty, glossy misunderstanding. Plus the tenacious stereotype that all plastic phones are obviously cheap. However, there are many great plastic phones out there.
Pros of a plastic case
Cost. No, it's not about how much the buyer will have to pay for the phone, but about how much it costs to make the device from start to finish. The use of plastic means that it is easier to create cases, which means that designers have complete freedom in working with shape. So the phones do not necessarily resemble a dull bar, but are reasonably priced. People love it when it looks good and they love it when it is reasonably priced. And if you can combine both, that's great.
Elasticity. Plastic is a tough, very durable material, so strong that it is used to make helmets for soldiers and helmets for racers. Of course, a plastic smartphone can be broken, but this will require much more effort than in the case of a metal or glass device. And more often than not, the plastic case will return to its previous shape after you bend or hit it.
Radio frequency conduction. Despite its strength, plastic is transparent to radio waves, and only a small part of the signal is lost. This is important both when designing a phone and when using it.
Color variety. You can make plastic in any color you can think of. Companies like Nokia (old Nokia, rest in peace) and Sony took full advantage of this. Phones of orange, pink, heart-rending green, bright yellow and even brown have found their fans. And for those who prefer practicality, black always remains.
So, plastic allows the manufacturer to create durable and beautiful devices. And in our memory there are top-end smartphones from almost every company that have a plastic case. And no one complained that they had a plastic case.
Disadvantages of a plastic case
He looks bad. Well, at least he might look bad. One of our favorites was the LG G2. It was also the phone we used to complain about when it came to materials. He actually embodied the stereotype of lousy slippery plastic in phones. And we won't even talk about Galaxy S III.
And the plastic gets dirty. He gets dirty from everything – from a colored cover, from lying in the wrong places, sometimes even from contact with clothes.
Plastic phones look cheap. Of course, not all of them – for example, HTC or That Oldest Nokia had amazing plastic devices. LG The Optimus 3D might not be your favorite phone, but it was plastic, and the build and material were amazing. Sadly, for every cool plastic smartphone, there are five bad smartphones in nasty plastic cases. And people associate plastic with cheapness.
So, all plastic phones that are strong enough, well assembled, look great and offer a variety of color solutions, have to endure comparison with the mass of absolutely sloppy devices in which plastic does not have the above advantages. This comparison would of course be flawed. But the rare phone that seems ugly and slippery to you isn't made of plastic. There is no escape from stereotypes.
Glass
Glass phones started with iPhone 4 and Nexus 4. Of course, they're not all glass, but there are plenty of phones that combine an all glass front and back. They can look really cool and attract attention with their designs. They can also be very fragile: their screens often break, and so do glass backs.
Also the use of glass adds to the cost of the phone. Cheap soda glass slabs found in the store are not suitable for phones. Instead, they use special low-expansion ultra-clear glass and composite materials such as Gorilla Glass, further increasing the phone's bottom line. Unusual materials, such as artificial sapphire, can be especially transparent, transparent to human-readable light waves, and highly scratch-resistant. And they cost even more, sometimes at a barrage level.
Pros of the glass body
Radio frequency conduction. The glass is strong enough, but allows radio waves to pass through it quite easily. This means that the LTE, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth signals will be stronger, and no antenna inserts are required.
Glass phones look great. The glass back provides a sense of depth when there is something under the glass. The glass sparkles like a wet surface and the combination of effects can create a stunning impression. Samsung is particularly good at this, their latest Galaxy with glass back is very beautiful.
Feelings in the hand from such a device are also very pleasant. The glass can be polished to an absolute smoothness, and when you hold a phone with a glass back, you are imbued with the feeling of luxury, and everyone loves luxury, even if it is to some extent an illusion.
Disadvantages of a glass case
The glass breaks. And no company has yet come up with what can be done to prevent thin glass from breaking. This means that when you drop your phone – and you will inevitably drop it – you risk breaking it from any side.
Also, the glass is scratched. Yes, everything is scratched, just glass does it most successfully. Companies may inject Mohs' marketing molasses or hardened polymers into your ears, but the glass will still scratch. And when there is a scratch on the back of the handsome Galaxy S8 with its illusion of depth and wet surface, it will look doubly awful.
Glass slides in hands. Holding a glass phone with wet hands is like squeezing an ice cube – before you have time to look around, it jumped out and fell to the floor. And then … see above, the glass breaks and scratches. Here's a recipe for a little home tragedy.
So, on the side of glass phones, their chic appearance, and if we pay dearly for our choice, we expect that the appearance of the device will be flawless. But, unfortunately, glass is for risky users. It just has to be thin (glass is a heavy material!), And if we are dealing with a tempered material like Gorilla Glass, the risk of breaking it increases because tempered glass is more fragile. But many users will gladly take risks for the appearance of a glass phone.
And which is better?
Depends on who is tormented by the choice. But in general, taking into account all of the above, there will be no clear winner. But there will be a loser, and this is … metal. It looks great and feels good, but it's a terrible material for a phone case. It is easy to bend, wrinkle, and it is not very friendly with radio waves. However, there are many who would like to argue. And this is good. The world Android of smartphones is incredibly diverse, and ultimately everyone chooses what they like. What camp are you in? Which do you prefer, metal, plastic or glass? What properties play a decisive role for you? And how important is the material to you when you are thinking about buying a new smartphone? Share in the comments!