Why doesn't Samsung use metal?

[sfbloodbrother]

I would like to have some premium devices here and there.

 

[pmm75]

Being an engineer with partial materials science background and career in metals industry I have to give my vote to... plastic!

Plastic is perfect material for short life cycle products like mobile phones. It absorbs shock protecting the glass display and the components inside. It is cheap to manufacture and certain plastics even can take hits like metal. Sure, plastic may break but the cost of replacing a plastic part like back cover for example is nothing compared to replacing anything else. I used to also think not so high of plastic construction of pricey items until I bought my first lens in Canon's top range L-series with plastic casing. Not only is it lighter than metal but it gives better shock absorption to protect the glass components. On top of that it expands and contracts less when warmed up or cooled down (supposedly the reason for larger lenses being white) and feels much nicer in hands, especially in sub zero temperatures.

Metal has basically only one thing going for it and that's the "premium feeling", all feeling no doubt. The cost difference of stamping metal covers instead of casting plastic ones is too insignificant to make me feel any premium feelings or cheap feelings. In fact it's too small for me to believe that there are actual intended monetary savings behind choosing plastic instead of weight savings.

Personally I never use any covers on or around my phones so dropping a plastic phone leaves probably a dent or crack while a metal body would relay the shock to the glass or the components inside. When I get a new phone every few years, I sell the previous one for cheap enough price so nobody compains about few scratches. I also feel better using the phone as is without any screens or cases.

 

[chong67]

From what I read, the S5 will be plastic as well.

You might want to look at the Galaxy F series, the new premium phone from Samsung with metal all around.

I love my HTC One which is aluminum.

Plastic attract fingerprint and it can get easily greased.

 

[jamice4u]

I prefer plastic because it has less mass. I don't care how my phone case looks, I just care about how my phone screen looks after I drop a dozen times.

 

[hdbaumeister]

There is a metal border around the S4 Active...

 

[dan330]

real metal???

my Note 3.. has a metal border on the sides.
but it is plastic.. with chrome paint.

 

[Dngrsone]

As someone mentioned, I would be concerned with signal degradation/loss due to metal features absorbing or redirecting the cell signals.

I work in an industrial environment, so I need some protection for my phone-- I use Otterboxes, and have to replace 'em about every five months or so (which is still cheaper than replacing a phone every six months).

Unlike most of my coworkers, I am not trying to peer through a cracked screen all the time, so plastic is not a problem for me, nor heft, since the Otterbox Defender almost doubles the thickness of my phone.

 

[hdbaumeister]

Well, if you believe the marketing materials, then it is real metal: aluminum, which should also not be an issue with antenna blocking, etc. The iPhone 4, 4s and 5c are all made completely out of aluminum (with the exception of the front glass), so that apparently isn't an issue.