What is desirable about a thin phone?

[Yakk]

My S7 is too thin for me, have to use and Extra thick case. I prefer thicker phones, but the S7 was the only phone that had all I needed. I'm just happy I can keep the case on with wireless fast charging.

 

[sammykhalifa]

I just got an Honor 8 this week! It is obciously better in almost every way than my original Moto G, except in the ergonomics department. I'm getting a case for the Honor for the first time ever partly to not damage the back, but also so it's more comfortable to hold. The Moto G is maybe just a quarter inch thicker, with that glorious curved back, and it makes all the difference. It's not like that extra thickness makes it feel like I'm carrying around a brick around in my pocket--it just looks better on a spec sheet to tout thinness.

 

[nOOky]

I'm okay with thin and light as long as it doesn't bend and withstands everyday use. I also prefer a plastic build over metal, plastic is just better at withstanding drops and being bent and absorbing shock. I always put at least a urethane cover on my phones. I don't intend to ever drop it, but it happens and the case has saved the day for me. I'd prefer as large a capacity battery as practical, I also agree that the body of the phone should at least reduce the camera bump, why not put a larger battery in there?

 

[Zaap]

Couldn't disagree more. Usability and reliability are 1000x more important than "sleek design".

These things are not mutually exclusive. It's already been proven we can have both.

Some aluminum pans look "sleeker" than my old cast iron, but sleek design will not help me to sear a steak, or prevent dents and scratches that inevitably come.

Red Storm already pointed out the flaw in this analogy- it's a terrible one.

These are 2 very different wants, and unfortunately, your side is winning, which is why we are stuck with crappy and expensive phones.

You're way off base- I'm one of the people constantly against needless thinness.

There's definitely two different things being mixed up in this thread.

A phone can be sleek where it matters- no excessive bezels for example- without shaving off the space needed to accomodate needed I/O ports, larger batteries, buttons, logical speaker placement, etc.

But here's where I take issue with the 'make it thicker' argument being put forward here. The idea of making a phone thicker to accomodate needed features IS NOT THE SAME THING as wanting the phone to be thicker so that I can toss it around and kid myself that it's still not going to break!

That's silly to me. It's not the point of added heft where a phone may need it. Adding a few mm's more thickness to the phone as we're discussing here is NOT adding that thickness to make the phone more abuse-ready. Nor scratch-proof, bend-proof, toss it around and drop-it proof.

That sort of proofing is largely up to the user. As it is with most anything, really.

An example:
I had a someone tell me recently he'll never buy one of the newer iPads, because "They are too thin." His reasoning, was "You used to could toss an iPad on the table and not worry about it! Now if you try that, the damn thing will break!"

And I'm just thinking, I don't care what version of the iPad it was, I was never tossing one on a table! There may be a reason to want iPads to be less thin- but that's not a legit one.

 

[zerogear]

Well... you can have both, to a point.

http://pocketnow.com/2016/12/04/galaxy-note-7-tolerances-design-analysis

Galaxy Note 7 tolerances not enough for battery

 

[Zaap]

Well... you can have both, to a point.

http://pocketnow.com/2016/12/04/galaxy-note-7-tolerances-design-analysis

Galaxy Note 7 tolerances not enough for battery

What doesn't quite make sense here is the S7 packs an even larger battery into the pretty much the same space and no such issues.

I do like the calls for a return to a removable battery for the Note 8. Keep the Galaxy S line needlessly thin, but make the N8 the absolute pinacle of smartphone functionality- combined with killer design, and I believe Samsung could snatch a major victory from the jaws of near defeat. Make the N8 an even worse attempt at needless thinness at the expense of function (and apparently now, safety as well) and just stick a fork in it.

 

[MarkizSchnitzel]

So do you consider your OnePlus 3 to be a crappy and expensive phone?

No, I have one and it's pretty good. But I have zero peace of mind regarding accidental falls, as opposed to when I had a plastic Lumia.
OP3 looks great, but tactile feel of metal is awful: gets cald very fast, and it's really, really, really slippery, to the point where it's basically impossible to use it without the case (I have sandstone) on a cold winter day. Does not help that screen does not accept input in thin fabric gloves.
I imagine in summer with sweaty hands it's gonna get even worse.

Cooking food doesn't really translate well as an analogy to using a smartphone.

Usually analogy is a simplified comparison, no?

In items that serve some function, and need to do it well, I reject any design element that does not contribute in some way.
Aluminium in cookware is only ever good because it's cheap, it's not better for actual purpose of the cooking. Similarly, aluminium in phone shells serves no purpose, other than looks, and it's also not better in any way than the alternative. What does metal shell contribute to? Nothing good.
Metal: prone to dents, can't be easily replaced, blocks radio signals, heavy, no wireless charging
Glass: breaks when you look at it
Plastic: easy to repair, lighter, does not block signals or power, has great grip and makes phones eaier to handle.

Of course it's a stretch, just trying to express how strongly I oppose metal and glass shells in phones. They just serve no other purpose other than "look good" (though for me, L920 looked better than any glass or metal phone).

I'll give you another analogy, maybe this one will be better: ceramic knifes.
They can cut well, but you drop it on the ground, and it's done for. Is this a good tradeoff? Of course not. It's a terrible tradeoff. But they look "sleek" and suckers get hooked.

There's definitely two different things being mixed up in this thread.

A phone can be sleek where it matters- no excessive bezels for example- without shaving off the space needed to accomodate needed I/O ports, larger batteries, buttons, logical speaker placement, etc.

That is a functional design, which is obviously good. I'm not a native english speaker, so I might understand "sleek" differently.

So do you consider your OnePlus 3 to be a crappy and expensive phone?

No, I have one and it's pretty good. But I have zero peace of mind regarding accidental falls, as opposed to when I had a plastic Lumia.
OP3 looks great, but tactile feel of metal is awful: gets cald very fast, and it's really, really, really slippery, to the point where it's basically impossible to use it without the case (I have sandstone) on a cold winter day. Does not help that screen does not accept input in thin fabric gloves.
I imagine in summer with sweaty hands it's gonna get even worse.

And I'm just thinking, I don't care what version of the iPad it was, I was never tossing one on a table! There may be a reason to want iPads to be less thin- but that's not a legit one.

That is actually what every tech ever invented ever SHOULD be aiming for.
Obviously it should not reach it by making things thicker, that is silly. But by using new tech and materials.
Unbreakable unscratchable foldable phone/tablet device is the ultimate device. But only for economic reasons, it might not come to be. Things are DELIBERATELY made weaker, so that you can be charged for insurance or repairs.

A friend of mine got into a serious trouble by making too good wheel bearings. Too good materials. They told him: you wanna put ous out of business?

 

[Perryg114]

I see people using these aux batteries which are bigger than the phone. I guess I could duct tape on of those to my phone lol.