Why do people hate on plastic phones?

[dfsgsfa]

becoz if a phone wont break, i cannot replace it

[KenTees]

8 minutes ago, Lord Vile said:

I don’t blame them they have to differentiate their devices somehow as they’re all running the same OS on the same hardware with the same basic design but it’s people effectively writing a drive off because of features that they won’t use or don’t understand properly (like phones shipping with 4K displays WHY?!)

Bragging rights, I suppose.

[PCGuy_5960]

9 minutes ago, TheTechWizardThatNeedsHelp said:

If you are using PLASTIC, it probably isn't a high end phone. 

The Note20 isn't a high end phone? Plus, metal body is only really viable in high-ish end phones because it is pretty expensive, especially compared to plastic.

[Helpful Tech Witch]

4 minutes ago, PCGuy_5960 said:

The Note20 isn't a high end phone? Plus, metal body is only really viable in high-ish end phones because it is pretty expensive, especially compared to plastic.

I meant that most  high end phones are metal frames with glass, at all metal.

[Lord Vile]

9 minutes ago, KenTees said:

Bragging rights, I suppose.

Just bigger number = better right? It’s like the MP wars going on now, I remember back in the K800i days where I think Nokia had 20MP phones and it wasn’t as good as the ones at 3 and 5 MP but bigger = better right? Like the 108MP phones that don’t need that many pixels and the Samsung 8K video which is worse than a normal 480p video there’s so much noise. 

[Zodiark1593]

1 hour ago, PCGuy_5960 said:

Yeah, personally I couldn't care less but wireless charging has basically become a must-have in every high end phone for some reason.

Tbh, just having a second means of charging the phone is the more important aspect to me than the fact that it happens to be wireless. 
 

 

A combination of plastic and a cast steel interior frame would probably be extremely impact and bend resistant while allowing for wireless charging. 

[dfsgsfa]

wording issue

use fibre carbon /polyxxxxx instead of plastic

[DarkEnergy]

I put a case on it no matter the phone materials. Plastic doesn't feel as good as metal or glass, so I'd image people are relating lower cost plastic to less social status. I miss those days when I'd drop my phone and the plastic back flies in one direction and the battery goes another. 

 

Meanwhile I'm using a phone with a ceramic back, what ever happened to that as an option?

[NineEyeRon]

I hate that Apple puts so much into how the phone looks, make the damn thing more durable and waterproof!

 

im just going to put it in a case anyway so you just see the screen. I don’t care what it looks like, I care how it performs.

 

If it can be plastic all the better! Just make them not break and more waterproof.

[sub68]

I used to own a iphone 6s and it still bent

and I don't care about plastic since I had a magpul case on it

[Intergalacticbits]

I do like the feel in my hands of anything metal over plastic.

It may not make sense but it just gives me the feeling of "This has value".

What is also weird about it is the heavier it is the more it feels value to me.

 

I'd like to see Apple make a heavy thick metal iPhone with a pop out bottom or side drawer to hold my cash and drivers license.

Then I could throw away my wallet for good and only have one thing to carry all day.

  

[akio123008]

6 hours ago, KenTees said:

I have a simple answer for you.

Money.

I agree, but what I wanted to say was not necessarily that I'm surprised manufacturers keep making them this way, but rather that people just keep accepting it as normal. 

[akio123008]

5 hours ago, dfsgsfa said:

polyxxxxx instead of plastic

everything with poly- in it is a name for a type of plastic (polymer).

 

Personally I really like the combination of a metal frame with a plastic back panel. I use a Sony XA2 wich is built this way, and it's quite rigid thanks to the metal frame yet the back is made of plastic meaning I can use it pretty well without a case.

[pythonmegapixel]

Very happy with my Moto G6. The Moto G has always been the upper end of "budget" phones and as such has always had a plastic body. It used to feel really cheap but recently they've put loads of work into the design and it fits nicely in the hand. It doesn't feel like a cheap piece of s**t, far from it.

 

I just wish they made them smaller! Slightly over 5" is about the sweet spot for me.

[pythonmegapixel]

7 hours ago, Lord Vile said:

Plastic is structurally weaker and as you have said scratches to fuck. Doesn’t last as long and wears faster.

Not if you use a decent case.

[Zodiark1593]

8 minutes ago, pythonmegapixel said:

Not if you use a decent case.

My old LG G2 came out of my Otterbox Defender case scratched to hell after a few years of use. Dirt and grit can work its way into a case over time. Sand aside, tempered glass better resists the scratching. 

[KenTees]

1 hour ago, akio123008 said:

I agree, but what I wanted to say was not necessarily that I'm surprised manufacturers keep making them this way, but rather that people just keep accepting it as normal. 

I'm afraid people have no choice. If they want an iPhone 11 Pro Max, they're going to have to deal with the glass back, and the solution to that problem is a case.

[KenTees]

7 hours ago, Lord Vile said:

Just bigger number = better right? It’s like the MP wars going on now, I remember back in the K800i days where I think Nokia had 20MP phones and it wasn’t as good as the ones at 3 and 5 MP but bigger = better right? Like the 108MP phones that don’t need that many pixels and the Samsung 8K video which is worse than a normal 480p video there’s so much noise. 

Kind of like that, but more so being an early adopter of bleeding edge technology.

[Jayraven]

People may have a bad impression of plastic phones. Personally, as long as the plastic is decently durable and feels nice, it is good enough of me.

[pythonmegapixel]

45 minutes ago, Zodiark1593 said:

My old LG G2 came out of my Otterbox Defender case scratched to hell after a few years of use. Dirt and grit can work its way into a case over time. Sand aside, tempered glass better resists the scratching. 

Fine, but after a few years you don't expect your phone to be looking pristine. Problem with glass is that you're screwed if you drop it too hard and it adds weight.

 

In any case my Moto G6 has been in the case for about a year with zero scratches excluding the screen protector (which is designed to be replaced anyway). Different plastics and coatings are more scratch resistance than others anyway so newer phones are probably better in that respect

[EL02]

Well glass feels a little better imo. I've held a samsung a50 before and it was great, but the texture was somewhat, i dunno how to explain it, less slippery but like more "smudgy" and cheap feeling.

Android companies use glass in their budget-midrange devices because of competition, they have to do something in order to be different. If plastic is used to cut down the cost of manufacturing, thus meaning lower retail prices then those devices would be more appealing.

[Lord Vile]

12 hours ago, KenTees said:

Kind of like that, but more so being an early adopter of bleeding edge technology.

It’s more the sensor can’t handle it, remember how tiny a phone sensor is vs even a micro 4/3 never mind a full frame and professional camera body’s are normally in the 20’s in terms of MP, the Sony A7iii which is around 2K for the body has a 24MP sensor.  There is no need for a 108MP on a smartphone and there’s no need for 8K video either. 

[GER_T4IGA]

23 hours ago, PCGuy_5960 said:

Wireless charging is impossible if the phone has a metal body.

Iphone has a steel frame with glass back. I am pretty sure every other 'premium' device with wireless charging has a metal frame too.

[GER_T4IGA]

On 8/15/2020 at 2:48 PM, KenTees said:

TL;DR the modern smartphone is a status symbol. Manufacturers want to use glass on their flagship devices because of wireless charging and they can also charge whatever they want to repair that glass back. People want flagship devices, manufacturers are happy to oblige, as long as they get to put a glass back on it.

This is probably at the core of it. I haven't though of it. People just tend to care more about the symbol and the upfront cost than maintenance.

 

Given for example the Galaxy S5 and the Nexus 5 had wireless charging I'd like to disagree with your point that wireless charging is incompatible with plastic devices.

[GER_T4IGA]

23 hours ago, TheTechWizardThatNeedsHelp said:

Ok. Go watch jerryrigeverything. Find a video of a plastic body phone, and watch the bend.

Yes, there are terrible devices like the Nextbit Robin or the nexus 6P which clearly had design flaws but the stress he puts the device under is also highly unrealistic.

Given that the Pocophone F1 survived the torture and the Oneplus Nord only broke the screen upon a second bend I'd say you can still built reasonable resistant plastic designs.

I am also not in any way opposing a metal frame, in fact I'd personally say metal frame with plastic back is the way to go.