The plastic build of the Samsung Galaxy S4 is one of the few elements of the flagship phone which has come in for criticism, and accessory manufacturers have suggested that this could have seen a rise in case sales.
A true powerhouse of the smartphone scene with a 5-inch, 1080p Full HD Super AMOLED display and a 1.9GHz quad-core processor, the Samsung Galaxy S4, in the eyes of many consumers, us included, failed to live up to its high-end billing by adopting a cheap feeling plastic construction. Its main rivals, the HTC One and iPhone 5 are both crafted out of more premium metal.
While a disappointment to many, it has been suggested that this plastic build could have helped case manufacturers shift more protective covers for the S4.
“Consumer perception of the plastic construction might have driven more S4 case sales,” Bryan Hynecek, Vice President of design with case manufacturer Speck said in an interview with TrustedReviews. “There is definitely a consumer perception that plastic is more fragile that metal phones.”
Although stating that the build quality of the internals of the phone are a more honest portrayal of how sturdy a device is that is exterior material, Hynecek claimed that, with sales of S4 cases currently strong, the handset’s plastic build could have played a contributing role in this.
In an industry formally dominated by Apple products, the Speck VP has suggested that interest in cases for Android based handsets is on the rise, with the Samsung Galaxy S4 currently leading the way.
“There is a consolidation going on,” he told us. “With non-Apple phones previously you had other manufacturers making multiple phones throughout the year but they have started to consolidate to ‘world phones’ which makes it a little easier to know which devices to bet on with making cases.”
He added: “Likewise these companies are focussing branding and marketing around these hero phones and it is growing the market for non-Apple device cases.”
Read More: Samsung Galaxy S4 vs iPhone 5
