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All hail the plastic Pixel! (poll results)

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By Daniel Petrov

Published: May 20, 2019, 5:03 AM

All hail the plastic Pixel! (poll results)

There are barely any metal or plastic phones left in today's see of glass sandwich designs, so Google's new Pixel 3a midranger is a refreshing change of pace for some, with their durable bodies that you can just dust off when they hit the pavement. This, however, may take away from their look and feel for some, given that plastic is usually associated with cheaper electronics, even the polycarbonate housing of the Pixel 3a/XL. This is why we asked you last week if, a couple of years after plastic phones went into a coma, you are now bothered by the housing of Google's new midrangers.

Does the plastic housing of the Pixel 3a bother you?

Yes

18.81%

81.19%

It turns out that you are really into polycarbonate. Out of 1281 respondents, 81% said that the plastic housing of the Pixel 3a is not a disadvantage. In the comments, many argue that it makes the phones more durable and something you don't have to baby all the time like phones with a glass back. Moreover, the new Pixels are some of the easiest to repair in recent memory, and the polycarb housing has something to do with that. All in all, there is a good market niche for affordable phones with good specs that transfer the premium design savings directly to the end user, it seems.

The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL were Google's first phones to sport wireless charging, a feature sorely missed on their predecessors, but now we are back to square one with the midrange Pixel 3a and 3a XL that are unapologetically plastic and need plugging in to charge.

There were times in smartphone history when metal was becoming the new plastic, but its material kingdom reigned quite briefly, taken over by glass sandwich designs. It's not just premium design that phone companies are after with their glass-y casings, though. Wireless charging would heat metal bodies to ungodly heights, so Apple had to also bite the bullet and move to glass iPhones, just when it introduced wireless charging to the lineup.

Glass looks premium and lets you top up your phone sans cables but it has just as many negatives - it is prone to cracking very easily when dropped, and is a fingerprint magnet. Thus, replacing a shattered rear now costs a pretty penny and is, in the case of iPhones, more expensive to repair than the screen itself.

$349

$799

$450 off (56%)

Mint Mobile now sells the Google Pixel 10 with a massive $450 discount. The promo is available on select color variants with 128GB of storage. You also get a 12-month unlimited data plan for $180 instead of $360.

Buy at Mint Mobile

$524

$999

$475 off (48%)

Grab the pro-grade, compact Pixel 10 Pro at Mint Mobile with a 12-month unlimited plan, and you can save a huge $475. The data plan comes with a discount, too: 50% off, to be exact.

Buy at Mint Mobile

$499

$1199

$700 off (58%)

The high-end Gemini AI-enhanced Pixel 10 Pro XL is now available with a mind-blowing discount. You can now save $700 on the phone, plus 50% off unlimited 12-month plans.

Buy at Mint Mobile

$1399

$1799

$400 off (22%)

The foldable Pixel 10 Pro Fold is another standout holiday offer. Right now, you can get the device for $400 off at Mint Mobile. On top of that, you save $180 on 12-month unlimited data plans.

Buy at Mint Mobile

View Full Bio

Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.