Why are some Android phones made of plastic?

[CafeKampuchia]

To our amazement, one of the mockups was aluminum. Wait: LG actually considered a metal phone? Like Samsung, LG has historically opted to use polycarbonate plastic for most smartphones. Alas, aluminum was vetoed at some point in the process, in favor of a metallic hairbrush finish that looks and feels like the real deal, but doesn't attract fingerprints or scratches. It's warmer, lighter and offers an anti-scratch coating. It's also much less slippery, a pain point that frustrated us with the HTC One M8. There's less risk of attenuation issues (as we saw with the iPhone 4 a few years ago), and wireless inductive charging is much more effective on a plastic surface, since it tends to heat up metal surfaces too easily. As it turns out, there are plenty of reasons why so many manufacturers avoid the material.

Users' aversion to glossy plastic was just one of the lessons LG took to heart from the G2. As good as the phone was, it had its share of flaws, and user feedback was critical. The G3 is designed to be more comfortable, simpler (tagline: "Technology, simplified") and easier to hold. To bolster the support of power users, the rear cover and battery are now removable and a microSD slot sits underneath for expandable storage. And as Dr. Ram-Chan Woo, head of mobile product planning, is quick to point out, "The [G2] back cover is more plasticky and a fingerprint magnet." Indeed, if you liked the G2, the G3 should look incredibly tempting right now.

Inside LG's G3: How vacuums, focus groups and competitive pressure shaped a smartphone

 

[Stuntman]

I can certainly understand people really preferring certain build materials and quality in their devices. I have just recently upgraded my work phone to the iPhone 5S. The physical design of it is rather attractive. Although I would not put as much weight on physical design as others, I can see why some people feel it is important and really like a phone that looks nice and feels good in the hand.

 

[Stuntman]

I couldn't get the S4 or G2 because the body was a slime/fingerprint/oil/dust magnet and there were gaps. They're also glossy phones which personally limits my color choices (white is the only one that looks remotely decent because a black phone will show everything the minute light hits it).

My iPhone 5S is quite a dirt magnet. The silvery back is visibly dirty after only a month. I carry my phones in a leather belt pouch. The dirt is likely from the pouch. I think the dirt is quite visible due to the silver colour of the back of the iPhone.

My Galaxy S3 (pebble blue) still looks pretty good after almost 2 years save for a small crack on the edge plastic. Not sure how that happened. Just noticed it several months ago. The glossy back panel still looks pretty good. You have to look closely to see some scuff marks on the corners of the glossy back panel. I didn't notice fingerprint marks much at all. The fingerprint marks are generally much more visible on the front screen than the back panel.

I've recently bought an extended battery for my Galaxy S3. It comes with a different back panel because of the size of the extended battery. This back panel is non-glossy. It is still plastic. I do see some oily marks on the back if I hold at the right angle to reflect some light source. The back panel (as well as the original) fits tightly on the phone and there is no play when I squeeze it.

 

[AnonGuy]

Clean the iPhone with a towel or microfiber. It's not hard.

The galaxy 3/4 backs are slimy feeling and attract oils and fingerprints. There really isn't much comparison between the two and which looks and feels better.

I had a blue S3 before I got the Note 3 had a white skyrocket and black vibrant before that. Better half has a white S4. They're all disgustingly plastic. The Note 3 is 150% better.

The iPhone is in another league compared to those phones.

They were all great phones to me (except the laggy vibrant) so that's not a knock on the devices performance or viability. Just the materials used externally. Just not premium quality.

There was some creaking on the S3 and Skyrocket, and places where the backplate jiggled a bit. The Note 3 seems much better "put together" than those phones were.

In the end. I'm still using a plastic phone but if they were available in metal for $50 more I'd have paid the extra cash for the better construction.

Also, I tend to go in and outdoors and between wildly contrasting temperatures. When you go from a building that is below 40 degrees farenheit outdoors to ~80 degrees the plastic phones get extremely messy compared to a metal phone that can be more easily wiped off and the kinds of things that stick to plastic phones in those conditions simply do not stick to metal that way.

 

[dibblebill]

My few cents on phones I've owned:

HTC
Wildfire S (CDMA): Metallic plastic, very easily wiped down, premium feel, never cracked (not counting screen shatter).
Wildfire S (GSM): Nonmetallic plastic but very firm, easily wiped down, non-sticky
G1: Cheap shell-plastic, microfractures, feels cheap, and my extended battery case is even worse
Nexus One: Very premium feel, without looking it up, I'm sure it's metal and plastic combined. Scratched to hell and back on the metallic parts, so maybe its metallic plastic.
One: Aluminum finish. Old one was scarred by a fall in a parking lot. Always clean and fresh looking, even in the dirtiest conditions.

Samsung
Galaxy Victory: Cheap, sticky-feeling plastic. Looks good still, but tends to feel grimy very quickly.
Nexus 10: HORRIBLE rubberized plastic. It gets all sticky, dirty, dusty, all kinds of garbage. Almost enough to ruin the tab for me. Especially because lately, it seems to be decaying in the way that some watch bands and cables do- oozing this thick syrup. I hope it doesn't continue.

LG
Optimus V: Decent-feeling back, not cheap, but not "premium" either.

Ouya
Ouya: N/A

Apple
iPhone 3G: Decent, but same as the Victory.
iPhone 3GS: Same as above.

PCD
Chaser: Cheap plastic, like the G1

Kyocera
Rise: Same as Victory

Got kind of tired of reviewing casings, but honestly, the plastics on a couple of them weren't bad. But I just don't like sticky, "grippy" plastics. I won't deny, I've NEVER dropped my Nexus 10, whereas I've dropped a few of my HTC devices (the CDMA Wildfire S and the One) and the Victory, but its the worst of the devices for feel. On the other hand, the Nexus 10 has the best grip and some rather sturdy-feeling construction, giving me quite the conundrum.

The Victory was insanely tough, though. Fell down a flight of stairs 2-3 times, fell flat-faced onto concrete, etc., and never even broke. It's got dented corners and that's it.

EDIT: I look like an HTC fanboy :'(

 

[nickdalzell]

the Nexus 10 is my pick for most horrible build quality. it is rubbery which makes the back an uber fingerprint magnet, plus it is disgustingly sticky which, aside from feeling icky and dirty, makes it near impossible to wipe said fingerprints off! it now rests in the drawer where i keep all my few dozen 'defective' Android devices.

there was an old Amstrad PDA tablet from the 1990s that was made of similar materials, which literally rotted to a disgusting goo which can now be seen on the Ashens YouTube channel.

 

[bjacks12]

You know what best contributes to the long life of a phone.

DONT DROP IT! Be careful. avoid stupid situations. Don't set it in your ass pocket, don't leave it on the edge of a table, next to a drink, in a shirt pocket, text while walking, etc. If you can get through life without dropping a baby, that means it is physically possible to not drop your phone ever as well.

I'm just sayin.

BTW, almost every broken phone I've seen, plastic or metal, it was not the casing that was broken, but the screen.

And the blanket statement that the 5S beats out the Note 3 in every way because of the metal is so patently stupid it made my head hurt.

 

[dibblebill]

the Nexus 10 is my pick for most horrible build quality. it is rubbery which makes the back an uber fingerprint magnet, plus it is disgustingly sticky which, aside from feeling icky and dirty, makes it near impossible to wipe said fingerprints off! it now rests in the drawer where i keep all my few dozen 'defective' Android devices.

there was an old Amstrad PDA tablet from the 1990s that was made of similar materials, which literally rotted to a disgusting goo which can now be seen on the Ashens YouTube channel.

Which is a shame considering the rest of the package is not that bad. I can't stand that back, either

 

[substring]

In my humble opinion, functionality, battery life and ecosystem are far more important than the material of a phone's exterior. Yes, HTC tries to sell you the metal case makes their phones superior, but I don't buy that sale pitch.

As other posters have already pointed out, in this day and age, the plastic exteriors are high quality. Besides that, almost everyone I know will get a 3rd party phone case (e.g. OtterBox) as soon as they have a new phone. So the material of the actual phone case is really irrelevant.

 

[nickdalzell]

the only case i have is a Samsung S-View case. because it both adds functionality and keeps my sweaty pockets from self-activating it and pocket launching apps. found out shortly after getting my Note 3 that it has a super-sensitive touch screen that gets tripped by sweat. the flip cover makes the 'faux' leather look feel nicer (dont want dead animals in my phone so credit to Samsung for adhering to their nature theme) while fixing one issue while adding features. otherwise i would not have cased the thing in the first place.

 

[gbsa]

I actually like the plastic cover, dropped my phone the cover was scratched but not dented. Would've been very dented with a metal cover.

 

[mikedt]

the only case i have is a Samsung S-View case. because it both adds functionality and keeps my sweaty pockets from self-activating it and pocket launching apps. found out shortly after getting my Note 3 that it has a super-sensitive touch screen that gets tripped by sweat. the flip cover makes the 'faux' leather look feel nicer (dont want dead animals in my phone so credit to Samsung for adhering to their nature theme) while fixing one issue while adding features. otherwise i would not have cased the thing in the first place.

Does the Samsung wallet case have a magnet in it, so the screen comes on ready for use when you open it up? I know Oppos do it, saves having to press any buttons or do any tapping.

BTW I think the Oppo case might be leather. It smells like it.

 

[chanchan05]

Does the Samsung wallet case have a magnet in it, so the screen comes on ready for use when you open it up? I know Oppos do it, saves having to press any buttons or do any tapping.

BTW I think the Oppo case might be leather. It smells like it.

Not sure if it unlocks on opening the case, but AFAIK it has a magnet to activate the S-View function for the window on the case (music controls and answering the phone and sms preview without needing to open the flip.

 

[nickdalzell]

it is the official Samsung S-View case. both options feature a soft touch but one is indeed real leather and costs $20 more. i got the cheaper one for a reason.

it does not unlock the screen by default when you flip it open (i prefer voice or s-pen unlock) but under settings-->accessories it does provide the option to have it unlock when the flip cover is opened.

with it closed, tapping the power key wakes it up but shows Galaxy Gear-like minimal UI with a background color (can be changed) that is a clock, steps count, notification bar, and weather. it has an unlock slider (Note 3 only) that provides shortcuts to the stock music widget, camera, and Action Memo (replaces S-Memo on Notes)

 

[Shocky]

the Nexus 10 is my pick for most horrible build quality.

I quite liked the rubber finish on the back, it seemed practical and gave me something to grip.

Overall I thought the build quality was solid from my time with the Nexus 10, but if the rubber does degrade over time a case or cover on the back I suppose would be a must.

 

[dibblebill]

I quite liked the rubber finish on the back, it seemed practical and gave me something to grip.

Overall I thought the build quality was solid from my time with the Nexus 10, but if the rubber does degrade over time a case or cover on the back I suppose would be a must.

I can't disagree on the grip it provides, but mine has started feeling oily and smelling strange

 

[CafeKampuchia]

LG Mobile Communications Design Lab's Vice President, Chul Bae Lee, on the implications of a metal chassis for bezels:

Lee also uses this discussion of bezels to weigh-in on LG’s choice to give the G3 a plastic body, rather than a metal construction like HTC uses in its One M8. Were LG to take that route, he explains, the G3′s bezels would end up double the size we get with this plastic phone.

I'd happily give up metal for a lighter device that's more impact resistant and has a smaller chassis given the size of the screen. So the two phones are similar in physical dimension while the G3 has 0.5" more screen area.

Spoiler

 

[nickdalzell]

i still side with 'i don't want a metal Android phone' because the last thing i want to hear from Google when i email them about signal issues is 'you're holding it wrong'

being a former iPhone 4 user i know that issue all too well.

 

[dibblebill]

I don't know what the hell Apple did there. I've never had that issue with the One. That being said, not a fan of the slick metal in the One. Loving the G3 finish

 

[nickdalzell]

whether or not it's a problem i would rather not take chances. that and HTC just does not interest me one bit. no expandable storage, a sealed battery, and no physical buttons.

 

[Rxpert83]

The m8 does have an SD card slot. It wasn't marketed very heavily, but its there.

 

[dibblebill]

The m8 does have an SD card slot. It wasn't marketed very heavily, but its there.

It also has a chin the size of Rhode Island

 

[Rxpert83]

It also has a chin the size of Rhode Island

The boomsound speakers and the HTC logo bezel obviously make it longer - I'm not disagreeing

I was just commenting on the post above mine that said no SD card support

 

[Hadron]

i still side with 'i don't want a metal Android phone' because the last thing i want to hear from Google when i email them about signal issues is 'you're holding it wrong'

being a former iPhone 4 user i know that issue all too well.

Antenna diversity: you have got to hold the One in a very strange way to affect the signal (wrapping your hands tight around both top and bottom will knock a couple of ASU off, but that's about it). I've been using one for a year, and experimented with this, and have no complaints about what HTC have done there.

The flip side is that if your phone has a single cellular antenna inside the plastic case and you hold it at that end your hand is doing some screening whether it touches the antenna or not. So there's no "plastic good, metal bad" rule here, just good and bad RF design (as Apple themselves demonstrated, since the 4s is better than the 4 in that respect).