Might buy- wish exterior design was more robust

[blackdog709]

I've been running a Samsung Galaxy Player 5.0 which looks like a Note 2 from 4 feet away. Had it over a year. It seems that while Samsung engineers and designers are busy on the outside, the "shell" guys are out back smoking and watching Netflix. They still keep churning out the same cheap-looking plasticy cases year after year. Why not rip off Apple's design sensibility, or make a stab at it themselves, and produces an aluminum or metal shell with some style to it? I'm having a hard time visualizing paying the almost unprecedented price of this phone...and the white or gray plastic isn't helping me.

Guess I'm just ranting...no real response to that, is there?

 

[colnago]

I think that a "metal shell" could be a detriment to "what I feel" is already marginal Samsung reception capability. Given that a significant number of people, including iphone users, use protective/decorative cases, I can understand why minimal effort may be spent on external design/materials. They did have to make 100Million of these...lot of material.

 

[dave1812]

my phone is always in a case anyway, so i couldn't care less about the "plasticky" feel. seriously. its a great phone, but I also couldn't care less if you want one or not. i.e, to each his own.

 

[_-Jay-_]

Metal = Heavy
Plastic = Light

Have you picked up an iPhone 4S? Weighs just as much as my N2 but is much smaller. These days it's all about thinner & lighter which is easier to accomplish using plastic shells.

Also,

Metal = Higher Manufacturing Costs
Plastic = Lower Manufacturing Costs


Plastic has more give to it as well. Go check out some of the drop tests that were done between the 4S and the GS3.

 

[lcneed]

I have an aluminum bumper around my Note II. You could also get aluminum battery cover. I didn't because the ones out there does not support NFC chip. But with just the metal bumper, it is very solid not plastic at all. But I have to say even without the metal bumper, the phone feels really good in the hand. In fact, it fits so well that I am afraid the I will forget it is there and let it slip and drop it. That's why I have the bumper.