Debate: Best phone material - plastic vs. metal vs. glass?

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pimpin83z
pimpin83z
Arena Legend
• 1y ago

"Let's debate, discuss, weigh the pros and cons (get rid of the stupid phone cases), and find the solution to this difficult equation."


Get rid of the stupid phone cases? That's one of the stupidest things I've heard on here. SMH. Whether the phone is glass, plastic or metal, a dropped phone is going to suffer some kind of damage; be it externally or internally. Not only do cases protect from the display or frame being damaged, but they absorb shock from falls, protecting the antenna or other internal components from suffering damage.

If someone is constantly dropping their phone, it's eventually going to be damaged from the wear & tear of the drops, but cases still offer protection. Without a case, one drop is all it takes.

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Mariyan Slavov
Mariyan Slavov
Phonearena team
Original poster
• 1y ago
↵pimpin83z said:

"Let's debate, discuss, weigh the pros and cons (get rid of the stupid phone cases), and find the solution to this difficult equation."


Get rid of the stupid phone cases? That's one of the stupidest things I've heard on here. SMH. Whether the phone is glass, plastic or metal, a dropped phone is going to suffer some kind of damage; be it externally or internally. Not only do cases protect from the display or frame being damaged, but they absorb shock from falls, protecting the antenna or other internal components from suffering damage.

If someone is constantly dropping their phone, it's eventually going to be damaged from the wear & tear of the drops, but cases still offer protection. Without a case, one drop is all it takes.

If it NEEDS an accessory, it's a failed design. I dropped my Nokia 8 countless times back in the day. Never used a case, phone was fully functional until I sold it.

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Mariyan Slavov
Mariyan Slavov
Phonearena team
Original poster
• 1y ago
↵Tipsy.trex said:

Plastic, under the assumption it's something super high quality like the Nokia N9 or the iPhone 5C and not cheap plastic like old Samsungs. Durable, feels good, zero radio interference, cheap, easier to work with.

Glass is nice and pretty and you can do some cool stuff with it so I consider it acceptable but I hate that it's standard. Glass is heavy, Glass is fragile, glass is expensive.

Metal on a phone is the dumbest thing. It's heavier than glass, generally more expensive and it blocks signal forcing greater engineering costs to design around it.

I can argue that an aluminum back is lighter than a glass back. No glass planes in the sky :P (I know, I know, it's different)

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12sag02
12sag02
Arena Apprentice
• 1y ago

Smudge free plastic back is the best. Shouldn't have to put a case or a screen protector on a $500 plus phone.

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MartyLK
MartyLK
Arena Master
• 1y ago

Ceramic or titanium. An all ceramic body or a titanium frame and ceramic back

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Kelley71
Kelley71
Arena Apprentice
• 1y ago
↵MariyanSlavov said:

If it NEEDS an accessory, it's a failed design. I dropped my Nokia 8 countless times back in the day. Never used a case, phone was fully functional until I sold it.

I guess that's PoV for you. No one claims car wheels are a failed design because they get sheathed in (relatively) inexpensive and replaceable tires.


Frankly, I like having a case on my phone; it allows me to customize its features (the last kickstand I had on a phone itself was an HTC Evo 4G) and its appearance. For the most part, their plastic/TPU is grippier in my hands than glass. Likewise a glass screen protector on the screen--it absorbs years' worth of scratches.


I'd be happier if my phone were designed around having a replaceable, inexpensive glass screen protector & case. It'd be a more affordable device than one where the engineers have tried (and failed) to endure 2+ years of drops, scratches, etc, with premium materials.

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DFranch
DFranch
Arena Apprentice
• 1y ago

Plastic. You're going to put a plastic case on it anyway.

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poptart
poptart
Arena Master
• 1y ago

I love my faux leather back

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Crispin_Gatieza
Crispin_Gatieza
Arena Master
• 1y ago

I can't say what material is best but I can tell you that I never used a case on a phone until the glass sandwich came along. In my case it was the Alcatel Idol 4S for Windows. It's ironic that the most beautiful phone ever released required an ugly-ass TPU case.

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Mariyan Slavov
Mariyan Slavov
Phonearena team
Original poster
• 1y ago
↵Kelley71 said:

I guess that's PoV for you. No one claims car wheels are a failed design because they get sheathed in (relatively) inexpensive and replaceable tires.


Frankly, I like having a case on my phone; it allows me to customize its features (the last kickstand I had on a phone itself was an HTC Evo 4G) and its appearance. For the most part, their plastic/TPU is grippier in my hands than glass. Likewise a glass screen protector on the screen--it absorbs years' worth of scratches.


I'd be happier if my phone were designed around having a replaceable, inexpensive glass screen protector & case. It'd be a more affordable device than one where the engineers have tried (and failed) to endure 2+ years of drops, scratches, etc, with premium materials.

That's a fair analogy, or it would've been if phones of old weren't absolutely fine without cases. I believe that a manufacturer can produce a sturdy phone (these exist), but it's all form over function and vanity... And yeah, failed to mention that it's just my opinion, I just hate phone cases... It's like phones are a nice pair of boobs, and you put on a stupid padded bra in order not to scratch them! Awful! A totally different look and feel!

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