Smartphone Build Materials Explained: Glass Back | Plastic | Metal

Smartphone Build Materials Explained: Glass Back | Plastic | Metal

Years ago, phones used to be made of plastic, and there were no changes in the material for a long time. However, in recent years major changes have come along as the material used in making a mobile phone started varying. We now have phones made of glass and metals, and even ceramic. Every material has its upsides and downsides, and none of the material could be called better or worse than the other. Nonetheless, they do have distinct features, which makes them different. Here we are gonna discuss the same kind of distinct features of several materials used in making a cell phone these days.

• Metal

Metal back phones are made up of thin aluminium alloy. Contrary to popular belief, it is not made up of steel.

Advantages

1. Premium looks– Metal back gives the phone a defining look. It stands apart from its other competitors in build material. Phones have come with a matte finish on their back which gives them a high-end look.
2. Proper heat distribution– Metal is known to be a good conductor of heat. Metal keeps the back of the phone cool by distributing it well in the device. This reduces heat and ultimately makes the phone comfortable to hold or carry around in pockets, and keeps the phone safe.
3. Low chance of scratches- Metal-bodied phones don’t get scratched easily if they fall. However, based on the impact, they might suffer a dent.

Disadvantages

1. Extra cost– Metal phones also prove high-end because the looks come with an extra cost because of the material. Metal is expensive compared to glass or plastic. Hence, you may expect a couple of extra bucks being shelled out of your pocket while buying a metal-bodied phone.
2. Bends and dents– The metal used in a phone bent out of shape very easily. If the sole reason behind getting a metal phone is its look, you have to be careful with its handling.
3. Hampers with radio transmission signals– Metal is a denser material compared to plastic and glass and hence might obstruct radio transmission signals; that’s why metal body phones have a glass cut-out in them to assist in receiving signals properly. These phones also don’t support wireless charging.

• Plastic

Plastic, an artificial material, has some differentiating characteristics such as flexibility, strength, and so on. This special material’s evolution has also found its place in the mobile phone industries. Plastic is still the most common material used in the manufacture of mobile phones. Because plastic is inexpensive, a phone with a plastic body can be bought for a low price. Almost every smartphone brand releases phones with this material, ranging from low-end to high-end.

Advantages

1. Lower cost– Plastic is a cheap and easily available material. It induces lower investment on both buyers and seller’s side; that’s what makes such phones preferable. As consumers, we, of course, like things that go easy on our pockets and mobile phones can be a pretty heavy investment these days.
2. Tough design- Plastic is very tough and flexible. Plastic is far more durable than metal or glass. So, if your mobile is made of plastic and you drop it unintentionally, it would not break easily. Yes, it may get a few scratches, though scratches and dents are quite rare; unlike glass, it would take a lot more abuse to break the plastic into pieces. If you have a plastic phone or plan to buy one, leave your concerns about its durability at the door because it can withstand all physical punishments.
3. Available in tons of colours- Plastic phones come in a variety of colours, including orange, pink, green, yellow, sky blue, violet, red, and anything else you can think of. A few years ago, brands like Nokia, Sony, and Microsoft had millions of fans with their various coloured smartphones. Plastic allows manufacturers to create phones that are both durable and visually appealing.
4. Easily allow radio transmission signals- Although the plastic is tough, it still allows radio signals to pass through the phone without heavy signal loss. This means that signal loss during phone calls and other tasks will be a less common problem. That means, unlike metal phones, the LTE signal, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi will be very strong without any antenna cut-outs in plastic-built phones. This advantage alone puts plastic one step ahead of metal and glass. After all, a mobile phone’s fundamental function is to allow users to make calls as seamless as possible.

Disadvantages

1. Looks cheap– If a person wants a phone with good looks, a plastic back may not be the way to go. Although there are some snappy options in plastic back phones, most of them don’t have that look which a metal or glass body might give.
2. Poor Heat Distribution– Plastic is a bad conductor of heat; hence it wouldn’t spread the heat around, and that’s why if you have a plastic phone, you can feel one part of it quite hot. That’s because the heat doesn’t spread equally on all the parts of it with the processor getting hot.

• Glass

There are two options, some manufacturers make them either with a full glass body, and some of them just keep the back of the phone glass. Completely glass phones are more beautiful, but they are also more fragile. If this phone is dropped on the ground, both the screen and the back would easily break. Modern glass phones are very scratch-resistant, so they will not lose their beauty easily. Let’s take a look at what this material has to offer.

Advantages

1. Wireless Charging– Since glass is a non-conductive material, it supports wireless charging.
2. There are negligible chances of a scratch– Glass phones don’t get scratched easily; almost every glass phone these days comes with gorilla glass, which is a heavy-duty version of glass sturdy against scratches and cracks.
3. Allow radio transmission signals– Glass phones experience very few interruptions during calls, and they also support wireless charging cause the material is not that dense. They function adequately in areas with less network and don’t need any antenna cuts.

Disadvantages

1. Fragile- This is something we’ve all seen since we were kids, and unfortunately, nothing can be done to make such phones’ body sturdier.  This means that if you drop your glass phone, it will eventually break, and all the beauty it contains will become suddenly invisible. You can protect your phone with a high-quality phone cover, but you still risk breaking the glass body inside the cover. After all, glass-encased phones are the most brittle.
2. Poor heat distribution– Just like plastic, the heat gets focused in one area as glass is a poor conductor; it makes the phone uncomfortable to hold and use. Some phones use liquid cooling to get rid of the excess heat; however, it’s still dangerous.

How to make a choice?

Keeping that in mind, we conclude with the three most common building materials for phones: metal, plastic, and glass. What you look for in a smartphone is entirely up to you now. Choose the best option for you based on your needs. Plastic-built phones are a good option if you don’t care about looks and want a decent phone that is comparatively cheaper but can provide great strength and also other useful features. If you care a lot about your phone and want it to be cool, we recommend going with glass-backed phones.