The plastic build quality of the Samsung Galaxy S4 was ‘a mistake’ that could cause consumers to lose faith in the brand, a rival manufacturer has suggested.
One of the few areas of Samsung’s latest flagship phone which has come under criticism from consumers, the plastic construction afforded to the Samsung Galaxy S4 does not fit with the handset’s high-end array of innards and premium price tag. What’s more, it has been suggested to devalue the phone.
Questioned on the most popular handset on the market right now, Nick Woodley, Head of ID Design for Huawei has stated: “I would say the plastic build of the Samsung Galaxy S4 was a mistake yes.”
Suggesting that consumers could feel cheated by the metal effect plastic body of the Samsung Galaxy S4, Woodley has claimed that smartphone owners are demanding more honest in the materials used in their new, high-end purchases.
“We did a report for the HQ design team and the biggest trend we pulled out was one of authenticity,” Woodley said in an exclusive interview with TrustedReviews. “If you start with plastic and paint it to look like metal initially it will look ok but a week later when you have dinged it and the paint has fallen off, the secret is out and people start to feel cheated.”
He added: “I think the more honest you can build into these things the better people perceive it and I think that is probably what’s gone wrong there with Samsung, people will be thinking ‘hang on I’ve just paid a lot of money for this and that’s not real metal’.”
Despite the less than premium materials used in the handset’s design, the Samsung Galaxy S4 has seen its 5-inch, 1080p Full HD display and 1.9GHz quad-core processor help it dominate the smartphone market. The handset’s closest rivals, the HTC One and iPhone 5, both sport superior, metal form factors, however.
“People have always wanted metal phones,” Woodley stated. “If you asked consumers if they would prefer a metal phone or a plastic phone they would more than likely always prefer metal. It is an inherently honest material that people respond to.”
Having last week unveiled the metal clad Huawei Ascend P6, the world’s thinnest smartphone at just 6.18mm thick, Woodley has claimed that “the move to the metal chassis is all about perceived quality.”
He added: “We wanted to produce the thinnest phone that actually feels solid, that is durable and feels like precision and high quality as opposed to just going for the thinnest thing possible.”
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