I'm sorry, but aluminum is a terrible material for handheld devices

[sweenish]

Glass is also essentially invisible to wireless data signals. Even plastic or ceramic can't claim that.

Make it shatterproof stuff on the Droid Turbo 2, and you have the best of both worlds.

 

[Anubis]

Make it shatterproof stuff on the Droid Turbo 2, and you have the best of both worlds.

the droid turbo 2 is an acrylic hard coated PLASTIC

its not glass, actually im pretty sure there isn't any glass anywhere in the display stack, its all plastic

sure it doesn't "shatter" like glass does but it scratches and gouges like fucking crazy

 

[ChronoReverse]

Glass is also essentially invisible to wireless data signals. Even plastic or ceramic can't claim that.

I do not believe glass has an advantage over plastic in this regard. Optical frequency transparency basically doesn't have direction relation to radio wave transparency.

 

[Commodus]

Agreed.
What amazes me more is that glass is accepted as a logical handheld device material.

I wonder sometimes at some point did some think tank of marketing gurus get together to solve the conundrum of "How do we build planned-obsolescence into these devices, but not have people balk at the *OBVIOUSLY* stupidly fragile materials we're using to achieve it?"

Some genius perhaps hit upon the notion of just marketing the materials as 'premium' rather than the previous 'substandard' and it's been off to the races ever since.

Companies choose glass because it typically feels nicer than plastic, but still lets wireless signals through. As much as we users like to fantasize that it's planned obsolescence, there are genuine technical concerns here.

The problem, of course, is that companies didn't seriously consider the long-term effects of these decisions... namely, legions of people who have either cracked phone backs or a thick case to prevent those cracks. It baffles me that Samsung went with glass on the GS6/Note 5 lines despite knowing what Apple had been through (the iPhone 5 and beyond use aluminum for a reason), even if it should be tougher than previous designs.

 

[Mopetar]

Apple could just have well changed from using the glass back because to some degree they do sell based on design and you can't keep reselling the same design again and again if you're trying to position yourself as the luxury brand.

 

[Commodus]

Apple could just have well changed from using the glass back because to some degree they do sell based on design and you can't keep reselling the same design again and again if you're trying to position yourself as the luxury brand.

I'd say it's a combination of both. Apple wanted to shake up its design, but it also didn't want to deal with the increased repair costs (especially as AppleCare+ covered accidental damage).

 

[desura]

Its for aesthetic. It certainly looks more premium than cheap plastic. Besides, its so much lighter than metal. more conformable to carry and hold in your hands and less impact force when it falls.

Plastic is a great material for handheld devices. It is tough, sturdy, lets in wireless signals, cheap, light, can be sculpted to fix your hand, is good to hold on a cold day becahse it doesn't conduct heat, when it is scratched there is a deeper layer of color underneath, on and on.

 

[Crono]

OP, I think I found the perfect phone to meet your specifications. 100% plastic body that's:

1. Hard, not soft at all
2. Very resilient to dents or nicks
3. Is not cold to the touch
4. Is easy to hold - does not slip and slide
5. Smooth and ergonomic
6. Does not block signals at all

Who needs choices or innovation trying to make other materials viable when everything else is inferior to plastic? Manufacturers are stupid, people are stupid, we should just mandate the best material, best design, and best color. Bakelite for everyone!



* This post sponsored by Old People For Old Technology and the Donald Trump Center of Technology

 

[lxskllr]

Bakelite cracks pretty easily, but if someone released an art deco bakelite phone, I'd be all over it :^D

 

[nOOky]

The screen gets very, very light scratches from daily use, and the top layer is replaceable, but what are you doing to the screen other than using your finger on it? Gouges come from abuse or accidental drops, which will still make the phone operable rather than spider-webbing the glass. The wife is pretty hard on hers and you really have to look to see any of the light scratches (kind of like automobile paint swirls form buffing).

the droid turbo 2 is an acrylic hard coated PLASTIC

its not glass, actually im pretty sure there isn't any glass anywhere in the display stack, its all plastic

sure it doesn't "shatter" like glass does but it scratches and gouges like fucking crazy