Weekly poll: aluminum, stainless steel or titanium?
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- PhilXNOR
- M@j
- 12 Feb 2024
Anonymous, 12 Feb 2024What baffles me the most is that soda cans made from alumin... moreIt's not about the raw material costs.... even for titanium. In iPhone 14 Pro Max or S24 Ultra there is only a couple of dollars worth of raw titanium. Aluminimum is relatively difficult to work with compared to plastic, and steel even harder than that, and titanium even more difficult, and that difficultly brings in manufacturing and assembly costs.
Also all 'cheap' phones (and some premium ones) with wireless charging will have plastic back because metal blocks the charging. There's other engineering challenges with metal too that glass/plastic don't have, it interferes with RF signals so you have more problems figuring out where to put the antenna. Phones end up putting antenna lines through the metal in the frame and that kind of undermines the whole point of have metal frame in the first place.
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- Anonymous
- I@H
- 12 Feb 2024
ceramics > plastic > glass > everything else...
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- Anonymous
- dMn
- 12 Feb 2024
Cardboardium
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- PhilXNOR
- M@j
- 12 Feb 2024
alcatraz, 12 Feb 2024Aluminum and plastic for me please. Leave the precious meta... moreTitanium is not technically a 'precious metal' - it is the 9th most abundant element in the crust. We aren't going to run out of titanium ever.
But I agree, aluminimum frame and plastic back for me please.
The Pixel 5 I use has a nice plastic bio-resin finish on it that's quite nice to the touch - not that I care all that much - who doesn't use a (usually plastic!) case anyway?
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- alcatraz
- mvC
- 12 Feb 2024
Aluminum and plastic for me please. Leave the precious metals to the luxury market. We don't confuse flagship with luxury.
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- Anonymous
- 3SI
- 12 Feb 2024
Vegetaholic, 12 Feb 2024It clearly points out the problem in the article with stain... moreAgreed, what annoyed me though is how some comments here act as if the LG V10 was the first mass produced smartphone to use stainless steel and many others agreeing with that as seen by the emoji reactions. Clearly the anti-Apple-bias of GSMArena comment sections is showing again.
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- Anonymous
- 3SI
- 12 Feb 2024
Carol, 12 Feb 2024You probably never seen bended phones because of a drop. It... morehttps://youtu.be/EU6Tv-OfXk0?feature=shared
>The problem with the Nexus 6P was that there was plastic integrated into metal with a very weak dovetail joints. The problem with the Nextbit Robin is that there is no metal at all inside the phone. The entire thing is pure plastic. Even the motherboard is screwed into the plastic. I imagine this cut down on manufacturing costs by an astronomical amount. But it does leave the phone very weak. Plastic is nothing compared to metal.
Just because you have an opinion doesn’t mean it is right. I prefer facts over opinions personally.
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- Anonymous
- Ui4
- 12 Feb 2024
AM Bunny, 12 Feb 2024I have a Note 20 Uktra 5G... the frame is stainless steel..... moreno it doesn’t, the Note 20 ultra has an aluminium frame.
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- Anonymous
- LaG
- 12 Feb 2024
Aluminium all the way. It is the lightest and sufficiently strong to build airplanes. Titanium is simply a marketing gimmick.
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- du
- Sqx
- 12 Feb 2024
Hard to find more durable than Cromax Steel Grades from Ovako
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- AM Bunny
- 7%L
- 12 Feb 2024
I have a Note 20 Uktra 5G... the frame is stainless steel... this phone was and is a tank.
The solid feeling of stainless steel is uncompareable to aluminium... plus it has a certian shine and strength... basically the frame will outlast the phone for many years
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- Inve
- S3c
- 12 Feb 2024
Plastic. I prefer my phone light weight.
Overwhelmingly most common damage is cracked screen, and only a screen protector helps against that.
Metallic frame will only make it heavier and subject internal components and board to higher force if the phone hits the ground.
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- Anonymous
- 3cH
- 12 Feb 2024
Ran Diy, 12 Feb 2024Did you forget about the Lumias of the last decade. Well, t... moreBack then the screens weren't so close to the edges of the phones as they are today. Nowadays you'd be forced to built in some sort of bumper that protects the screen which will be unacceptable for anything over low mid-range.
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- Anonymous
- msZ
- 12 Feb 2024
plastic. cheap and light.
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- Vegetaholic
- x2j
- 12 Feb 2024
Anonymous, 12 Feb 2024And why is seemingly everyone forgetting that the iPhone 4/... moreIt clearly points out the problem in the article with stainless steel. Nothing against it but iPhone 14 pro Max is unwieldy brick, no wonder Apple dropped it, it worked well on the iPhone 4, because it was tiny device 3.5 inch screener, at that point, weight was not an issue, now phones got bigger, weight became an issue.
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- MojoMick
- s8a
- 12 Feb 2024
David, 12 Feb 2024Magnesium is the best like the Surface Pro used to be made ... moreAbsolutely! Magnesium stuff feels amazing. I'd tried out one of them LG laptops made out of Mg, and it was uber lightweight (I believe gossamer is the right term) and durable too! Titanium is good, but not as light IMHO! Would love to see more phones and laptops made of Mg.
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- Carol
- swE
- 12 Feb 2024
Anonymous, 12 Feb 2024What baffles me the most is that soda cans made from alumin... moreYou probably never seen bended phones because of a drop. It happes more offten then you'd like to believe. Platic will never bend and i have never seen broken polycarbonate devices. So plastic is more durable then aluminium, or glass or even steal when we talk phones.
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- Carol
- swE
- 12 Feb 2024
Ran Diy, 12 Feb 2024Did you forget about the Lumias of the last decade. Well, t... moreWell, metal scratches too, and hinders proper Signal function of the Antenna, forcing the manufacturer to raise it's power. So yeah the polycarbonate in Nokia lumia devices is a great material that can withstand a lot of beating without breaking, and even if it scratches or has some defects because of drops or whatever, is still ok overall to look at, while metal can bend from a proper drop and by by phone integrity and looks.
And if we take a look at this so called "titanium phones" we realise that they are even worse made, because well they are not really titanium but only on the outside.
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- Anonymous
- 3SI
- 12 Feb 2024
And why is seemingly everyone forgetting that the iPhone 4/4s used stainless steel in 2010 and 2011 and sold in millions? Way before the LG V10 and with way more sales. You all have the memory of a goldfish? Or is it because you were not born back then?