Previously on Lemmy:
Past Discussions:
As promised, we are talking repairability this week. I thought it’s not really possible to talk repairability without talking about it in relations to build quality.
It seems to me that over the years, the general trend is that phones have become more and more difficult to repair in general. To me, I don’t believe that this is some kind of nefarious plot designed to make people buy new phones every two years, here are some of the reasons why I think it is:
The first is the perceived build quality. It used to be that plastic is the most common type of material for the back of phones, and I would say plastic is the ideal default material for the back of phones: cheap, and versatile in hardness, color, and texture. However, the use of plastic in cheaper phones has resulted in a negative perception. Metal backs are durable but doesn’t allow for NFC signals through, and I can’t believe they settled on glass as the ideal material for the back instead, since it is actually extremely impractical to use.
The second is waterproofing. Waterproofing requirement means that glue is mandatory even with the presence of a gasket, which naturally discourages the
The third would the improvement in actual build quality. Modularity is very much still a trade-off, as if we can assume the phone cannot be easily opened, then more fragile components can be used in the phone that doesn’t have the requirement to be able to be repeatedly plugged and unplugged. One of the most important changes is the change from Micro-USB to USB-C, as the increased durability means that people won’t consider it to be a part that requires replacement as much.
I just think that what’s broken can eventually be fixed, but it’ll never feel the same afterwards.
Sorry if this is a bit messier and late this week, very interested in everybody’s thoughts on this topic. The Fairphones look interesting, but it’s not easy to get in the States.
One gripe I have with build quality. Why do people associate having glass back and metal frames with good build quality?
Looking back, Apple touted its superior plastic quality with the iPhone 5C, and it wasn’t bad at all iirc. The Zenfone 9 and 10 have the soft touch plastic back and feels good. I had a Pixel 5 before and enjoyed using it bare without having to worry about damaging the back.
Meanwhile, glass is prone to shatter and scratches, is more heavy and slippery, and is expensive to repair. Which means people will likely put on a case to protect their phones, which defeats the purpose of having a glass back, adds thickness and weight, and adds another layer between the wireless charger coils, and I argue creates more plastic waste.
PLASTIC IS FINE WHEN DONE PROPERLY!
Obligatory plastic is fantastic
:)
I hate the glass trend on phones too. I get why we use it for screens. But now when you accidentally drop a modern smartphone, you gave to worry about not only the display potentially shattering, but the back of the phone, too! And like you said, it makes modern phones slippery as fuck where you now need a case or skin on them in order to use them.
I know that the glass backs are because you can’t wirelessly charge with a metal back. Can you wirelessly charge with a plastic back?
As long as it isn’t a conductive surface that would interfere with electromagnetic induction, then yes you can wireless charge with it.
If you want a metal back but also be able to charge wirelessly, you would need to cut a hole in the middle for the coil, like the Pixel 5 did.