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

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iphoneman37
iphoneman37
Arena Apprentice
• 1y ago

To be honest on iPhones I like the glass look better like the 10xs max loved that phone over this 13

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simonrockman
simonrockman
Arena Apprentice
• 1y ago

I worked at Motorola in the early 2000s. Back then we were on a quest to make phones smaller. We’d got battery life of a fortnight and, off the back of the V3, form factor was everything. One of the things we learnt was that density was more important than weight. A small dense phone had a higher perceived quality. It’s why a Zippo lighter feels better than a Cricket.  So what I want is a small flip phone like the Samsung Z or Moto Razr and as much as possible of it to be made of osmium, or perhaps for the Moto, Iridium.

More workable would be copper, which is still pretty dense. There was also a time when handset manufacturers looked at natural materials. I think afromosia or walnut would work well. Sandalwood would be great for holding next to your face. I note that you can get alcantara phone cases. My phone has a carbon fibre case.

Perhaps the Glass Vs Metal Vs Plastic question is too restrictive. Let’s see some some innovation.

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12sag02
12sag02
Arena Apprentice
• 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 someone is constantly dropping their phone they need mental help more than a phone case.

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pimpin83z
pimpin83z
Arena Legend
• 1y ago
↵12sag02 said:

If someone is constantly dropping their phone they need mental help more than a phone case.

You do realize constantly can happen over an extended period of time, don't you?

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Blarblebabs
Blarblebabs
Arena Apprentice
• 1y ago

Don't we all cover our phones with a case anyhow? I'll go for whatever is strong & lightweight.

I did have a Motorola with a leather back about 8 years ago, and that was the nicest phone feel I've ever seen. They had a "custom design your back & accents" option that was really cool. I wish Samsung or Pixel would offer that option.

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

Don't we all cover our phones with a case anyhow? I'll go for whatever is strong & lightweight.

I did have a Motorola with a leather back about 8 years ago, and that was the nicest phone feel I've ever seen. They had a "custom design your back & accents" option that was really cool. I wish Samsung or Pixel would offer that option.

To me, the LG G4 Leather Edition was the most comfortable and premium-feeling phone in the past decade.

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TBomb
TBomb
Arena Master
• 1y ago

A case is plastic and protects everything inside so I'm saying plastic! lol


Jokes aside, plastic seems to be a good material. If there were only plastic phone available, no one would care. It's because people have egos that need protecting and that's the only thing a plastic casing can't protect.

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

Induction charging CAN work with some metals, and there's also something called resonant charging, which will be absolutely fine with some metal-back phones. Thing is, there's no reason for this particular technology to be developed, there's no real demand for metal phones, and people are buying the glass sandwich no questions asked.

True but a disappointingly sad fact.

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Conan
Conan
Arena Apprentice
• 1y ago

Metal!!!

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Joshing4fun
Joshing4fun
Arena Master
• 1y ago

Doesn't matter to me until they can make a screen that can survive drops and no need for a case. Otherwise, they're all destined to be stuck in thick TPU plastic cases hidden from sight and touch.

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