Weekly poll: What materials should flagships use?
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- AnonD-521587
- kcM
- 17 Jul 2017
Kangal, 17 Jul 2017I like to take a Scientific Approach to this question. So ... moreSony xzp is metal and nylon polycarbonate sides. But I think the best is titanium on Andy rubin's phone. Very strong material
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- chdfufc
- bx9
- 17 Jul 2017
nylon with no doult
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- AnonD-685189
- ntJ
- 17 Jul 2017
I think the combination of solid sapphire with metal is the best solution. Something like in this watch: http://www.ablogtowatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Bell-Ross-BR-X2-Tourbillon-watch-9.jpg
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- Anonymous
- vMf
- 17 Jul 2017
Stuff iphone 5C is made from, feels nice, not metal its cold! lol
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- Anonymous
- vV5
- 17 Jul 2017
Kangal, 17 Jul 2017I like to take a Scientific Approach to this question. So ... moreI don't wish to use animal's skin, so leather must be excluded.
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- Kangal
- uCX
- 17 Jul 2017
I like to take a Scientific Approach to this question.
So the best material/builds would be:
A- (30%) impact absorbent
B- (20%) not slippery
C- (15%) feels premium
D- (15%) best at heat dissipation
E- (10%) best at signal retention
F- (5%) fingerprint resistant
G- (5%) looks premium
Total (100%), all categories rated on a 5-star system
Let's start with Cheap Plastic:
A3/5, B2, C1, D1, E4, F3, G1 = 18 + 8 + 3 + 3 + 8 + 3 + 1 = 44/100
Next we'll go with Polycarbonate/High-end Plastics:
A5, B4, C2, D1, E5, F5, G1 = 30 + 16 + 6 + 3 + 10 + 5 + 1 = 71/100
Then we'll look at Leather:
A3, B5, C5, D2, E4, F5, G4 = 18 + 20 + 15 + 6 + 8 + 5 + 4 = 76/100
We should look at Fabrics (Nylon, Carbon Fibre, Kevlar, Wood)
**not enough data, sorry**
Next let's look at Cheap Metals:
A2, B2, C3, D5, E3, F2, G3 = 12 + 8 + 9 + 15 + 6 + 2 + 3 = 55/100
After let's see Aluminium/High-end Alloys:
A3, B4, C4, D5, E4, F4, G5 = 18 + 16 + 12 + 15 + 8 + 4 + 5 = 78/100
Then we'll look at Glass:
A1, B1, C5, D3, E4, F1, G5 = 6 + 4 + 15 + 9 + 8 + 1 + 5 = 48/100
Finally we'll look at Tempered Glass/Ceramics:
A2, B1, C5, D4, E4, F1, G5 = 12 + 4 + 15 + 12 + 9 + 1 + 5 = 58/100
Conclusion:
We can see each material has its strengths and weaknesses. The higher-end models of certain materials combined with higher-end engineering can improve on some of the weaknesses but not the strengths. Since we are talking about the BACK of the phone where feature comes before form, feature being better resistance to elements and form being elegant looks and feels, the rating system seems the most fair as possible.
Fabrics/Weaves were excluded from this list due to little sample size to make comparisons. But based on initial observations there does seem to be a big difference from the cheapest Nylon and Denim weaves to the more expensive Carbon Fibre and Kevlar. Possibly a difference as large as going from Cheap Plastics to Expensive Alloy metals. The biggest wildcard was wood and bamboo which I haven't personally examined built into a phone, but it seems like it is not a great option, and probably worse than Polycarbonate builds.
Without further ado; High-end Alloy metals came first with 78/100 points. These are metals that do look and feel cold and stylish but are much more resistant to the elements, and clever engineering allows improved signal penetration. They're easy to cast moulds, but the material is quite expensive.
A close second is Leather with 76/100 points. These are similar in properties to high-end plastic so it has many rugged feature strengths, but the Leather aspect puts it ahead with a better feel and look. They're difficult to mould, and the material is the most expensive on the list barring the high-end weave materials.
Bronze goes to Polycarbonate and High-end plastics with 71/100 points. Just like leather above, this is a really good material to build a durable device from. The only problem is that they are plastics so they do have the feel and look of plastic which isn't appealing to the majority. They can also block off thermals, making a hot device like QSD 810 even hotter, and will cause devices to hit their thermal throttling limits quicker than other materials. Despite that, its an excellent material, its not too difficult to mould and quite an inexpensive material in itself.
Forth place goes to High-end glass and ceramics. What can be said, they are probably the best looking and feeling material... but they're extremely fragile, slippery, and a fingerprint magnet. Its a case of form over function, where too many compromises have been made. Its a shame that some of the best devices actually downgraded to this material, it looks better in the ads and in-store, but doesn't really hold up well in the gritty real-world.
Fifth goes to Cheap Metals. These are better than the High-end ceramics in terms of durability, but worse than Expensive Alloys and Polycarbonates. They look good from ads and afar, but in person they do look cheaper and feel cheaper. It makes sense why Chinese phone makers are resorting to this material; they provide a little improvement over cheap plastics and they can deceive customers by making their devices more attractive on online ads.
Sixth goes to Cheap Glass. Again you find this on Chinese phone makers, and older phones. This material is used to save on cost, and try to deceive buyers through online advertising. This is probably one of the worst materials to employ as its very fragile, which means the beauty of the phone will be covered up with a plastic case... defeating the purpose.
Bringing up the rear are the Cheapest Plastics. Cheapest of the cheap. These look and feel bad, but have some impact resistance... so don't require covering with a case. The cheapest plastics actually hinder signal penetration, heat dissipation, and even attract scathes and fingerprints.
Areas of Improvement to this experiment:
-Increase sample size if possible.
-Research devices with alternate build materials (weaves).
-Include new parameters such as cuts/scathes, bending, and weight.
-Adjust the scoring system for accuracy and new parameters.
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- Anonymous
- IV8
- 17 Jul 2017
Why is polycarbonate not on the list? Do the poll again! On exotic material I do miss kevlar on the moto razr series
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- Anonymous
- yAL
- 17 Jul 2017
Material is not that important, as long it's sturdy. The most important is reliability and longevity of the product.
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- AnonD-402029
- Hka
- 17 Jul 2017
99% of ppl will use a case for their flagship..does the material matter? lol
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- AnonD-301615
- svY
- 17 Jul 2017
Mate glass is best material for flagship smartphone
For example: Xperia Z5
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- 89 Degrees
- JaF
- 17 Jul 2017
Why wouldnt you want the best materials available to be used in your flagship phone?
Even more so when some of them are $1000 plus.
Lightest, Strongest materials.
Sapphire glass and more researched for more better durable batteries.
Materials from the aviation and formula one there always pushing the boundaries.
Plastics and rubber is that really what you want to see your hard earned money going on?
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- Bebe Rexha
- Kg{
- 16 Jul 2017
AnonD-633729, 16 Jul 2017Most old phones have plastic sides and they don't bend. No ... moreMany plastic devices do bend.
Nexbit Robin and Lumia 950 are good examples.
And those who don't bend are either too thick or too small, which makes them harder to bend.
Nokia won't be making the Nokia 6 out of metal if they know themselves that plastic would be just as durable.
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- richieS
- Pxs
- 16 Jul 2017
Zero seconds, 16 Jul 2017The design of the phone must be balance to adsorb drop impa... morewell said zero...
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- AnonD-411799
- D01
- 16 Jul 2017
in the end everybody will use the materials used by apple on iphone8. oh look one plus 6.
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- AnonD-255623
- 6Qe
- 16 Jul 2017
Anonymous, 16 Jul 2017My HTC One M8 was completely unusable during winter for me,... moreThere is a concept in electricity called earthing.
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- Anonymous
- pWQ
- 16 Jul 2017
CM3, 15 Jul 2017As far as I know there isn't any relation between metals an... moreMy HTC One M8 was completely unusable during winter for me, I couldn't touch the phone without getting a shock about 90 % of the time. My phones after that (Nexus 6 for example) haven't been like that, even though I now have all-aluminum phone too. Or well, we'll see for real when winter comes back.
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- Zenodroid
- LgH
- 16 Jul 2017
AnonD-558092, 16 Jul 2017Apple always tried to fond excuses to sue people.It's the only way they survive. But ok, Samsung is going the same way. I see them as the same now. All look and expensive, but no quality or freedom.
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- mir
- sxs
- 16 Jul 2017
AnonD-404798, 16 Jul 2017so many noobs vote for metal obviously not knowing limitati... moreDid you just say that glass can't scratch? If you just get a tiny bit of sand in your pocket with your phone, then its ruined.
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- AnonD-558092
- Y9m
- 16 Jul 2017
Zenodroid, 16 Jul 2017I think Apple is on it, but they need to blame Samsung so t... moreApple always tried to fond excuses to sue people.
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- AnonD-542833
- gM$
- 16 Jul 2017
My vote is for either Carbon Fiber or Admantium.