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Back of the iPhone 5: Which do you prefer?

Which backing would you prefer the iPhone 5 to have?

  • Glass

    Votes: 42 24.3%

  • Aluminum

    Votes: 27 15.6%

  • Matte Aluminum

    Votes: 104 60.1%
  • Total voters
    173
Kyotoma said:
What would you prefer then?
Click to expand...

Plastic? Maybe something that's more soft to the touch, grippy. I don't mind the glass...but I hate the current 2 completely flat surfaces, and I doubt they would make the back similar to the iPad/iPod/iP3g/s with glass, so that's out of the question.

As far as aluminum, that doesn't exactly inspire confidence in holding on to it. Are the current iPod touch's backs aluminum? Because they aren't scratch resistant at all from what I've seen...and would dent easier I would think as well.

Or, you know, wood. lol Never have seen that before, pretty funny.
 
Small White Car said:
What's on the back of the iPod Touch? It's WAY worse-off than any iPhone I've ever owned. Whatever that is should never be on an iPhone. Is it not aluminum?
Click to expand...
iPods have always had polished stainless steel backs. They scratch like they do because they're polished and don't have any kind of protective covering. It's an asinine material to use for something that gets heavy usage, no idea why Apple insisted on this without coming up with some kind of protective covering for it.

I really wish they'd just switched all iPods to the aluminum back that the iPad has. It feels great and looks nice - maybe not as nice as a mint iPod's stainless steel, but that lasts moments. Set it down one time and it instantly picks up knicks and scratches.
 
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Matte Aluminum
 
malnar said:
iPods have always had polished stainless steel backs. They scratch like they do because they're polished and don't have any kind of protective covering.
Click to expand...

You just answered your own question. They do it knowing that you won't want scratches on it and expect you to plunk down $20-$35 for some protective case or protector.
 
Ugh, I think the speculated concept looks terrible. Mostly because I can imagine how it'll feel in your hand.
It looks like it'll feel like the iPod Touch... I loved the fact that the iPhone 4 was DIFFERENT from that. It was solid feeling and it was easily graspable.
The iPod Touch isn't so much.

I'm really oping these case designs are really off the mark.
 
murdoc158 said:
You just answered your own question. They do it knowing that you won't want scratches on it and expect you to plunk down $20-$35 for some protective case or protector.
Click to expand...

But case protectors make the phone look even worse...
 
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DDar said:
murdoc158 said:
You just answered your own question. They do it knowing that you won't want scratches on it and expect you to plunk down $20-$35 for some protective case or protector.
Click to expand...

But case protectors make the phone look even worse...
Click to expand...

Exactly. I hate cases. Naked FTW! :D
 
Plastic or whatever material doesn't give a shielding effect to the antenna. This is about going for looks vs going for better reception. A give or take. I prefer the better reception part over looks.

Plastic used in industries and consumer electronics is not really "cheap plastic". They are high end polymers and are comparable to metal in both structural strength and cost. So a lower COP is not the reason for picking plastic.

A metal cage around their phone for a secure rugged feeling but they will be quickly annoyed by the signal attenuation made by metal. Check the HTC Sensation. It's a good example as it suffers from this issue. Check the iPhone 4 as well. Exterior metal contributes to signal attenuation due to shielding effect. That is how it works.

SGS2 is NOT made of pure plastic. At its core is a very rigid &tough mag-aluminium alloy chassis. Check i-fixit teardown to see the chassis. This one is very light and strong.

Plastics absorb shocks and impacts. They deform under stress and protect the internal contents. Their spring action is very useful in many applications. Metal frames are rigid and transfer the shock to the internal components and hence are less durable than the plastics. Also, plastic has no signal attenuation in any frequency band.
 
Unless Apple can make a different type of matte aluminium than what is used for the iPhone 4's antenna then I' want glass. If you use a bumper then you'll understand about the polishing effect :/
 
Glass. I'm still on the 3GS and haven't had a glass back but my wife does, I've seen her drop it several times (just this weekend on concrete) and it's always been fine. I on the other hand treat my phones like what they are - a fairly delicate $700 piece of equipment. So a glass back doesn't bother me.
 
If Matt Aluminium is what the Original iPhone was then most definitely that
 
iPhone-51.jpg


Your mockup with this back - maybe in black instead - would be the PERFECT iPhone for me.
 
Dumbledorelives said:
Image

Your mockup with this back - maybe in black instead - would be the PERFECT iPhone for me.
Click to expand...

Ooh, this is what the back of my custom scratched iPod touch looks like after I attacked it with a ScotchBrite sponge. This is the back I like. I agree that in black it would look cool. But I'm also curious how it would look in other colours too (like white or navy blue, not bright colours).
 
I am not a fan of metal backs from a phone or any type of cases made out of aluminum. It may look great and all, but not a fan.

This is why you will likely not get a signal if you were stuck inside an elevator.

Faraday cage
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage

Metal can't absorb shock better like polymer plastic when it comes to drops. Why it is that even a cheap $20 Nokia dumb phone made of plastic can still get stronger reception than iPhones? Metal or glass might look classier and feel more premium, but wear and tear can be worse in the longer run the more you drop it especially by affecting the internal parts. No phone is indestructible. With the back of the iPhone 4, you dealt with something that may look classy and sexy, but ergonomically flawed around the corners, attracts fingerprints, is slippery, and more brittle at shattering. The Nexus One had the same reception problems because it did have metal parts inside and the screen was scratch-prone. I remember scratching up the back of my first gen iPhone. The color was not the same as the light gray outside. You can wish for less fingerprints backside only to deal with scratches and matte aluminum will scratch as seen with the iPads. There is a give and take. My fav back from a phone comes from the BlackBerry Storm.

And by the looks of it, the Samsung Galaxy S II has a nice cover too...
http://androidandme.com/2011/06/vid...ry-cover-and-cutting-edge-droid-incredible-2/

^^ Doesn't attract fingerprints. Easily replaceable if you don't like the material.

And putting TPU case is fine with me because it doesn't attract lint, fingerprints, or get sticky. I don't think the back of a iPhone 5 should affect the people who plan to put it in a case anyway.
 
I know I'm going against the norm by saying that I actually prefer the glass backing. I use my iPhone "naked" and haven't (yet) had any problems. That having been said, I'm sure that if they were to release an iPhone with an aluminium backing it would look fantastic.
 
Dumbledorelives said:
Image

Your mockup with this back - maybe in black instead - would be the PERFECT iPhone for me.
Click to expand...

I completely agree!

Im working on a more refined model..

Its a mix of the HTC Evos dimensions, the iphone rum, that back (except a dark dark grey black brushed aluminum)

I think its going to look beautiful!
 
-aggie- said:
A “who cares” would be another option. At least I don’t.

Wasn’t it determined that aluminum messes with the signal for the iPhone? So, the chance of any kind of aluminum is fairly close to nil?
Click to expand...

that was back when the antenna was inside the phone though, wouldn't the antenna band around the sides solve that problem?
 
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