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Phones Galaxy S5 metal version coming in may?
- Thread starter The Game 161
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They've been saying this since the G3, let's face it, Samsung has a design language they like and for better or worse they're going to stick with it. Closest thing to a metal version was the active.
I predicted this from the start..They'll sell quite a few plastic ones before they launch a more premium version. They don't bother with getting one device just RIGHT and throw around a bunch of stuff at your face to cover all bases. I guess i'll have to stick with my note 3 for some more time !
I don't think that I would want the metal, but I've noticed quite a few people would. I am the rare exception the rule, I actually enjoy plastic phones. It was one of the reasons I preferred the 5C over the 5s.
Plastic could be done better (nokia does it quite well IMO..Apple did it nicely with the 5c, only were dumb not to include the standard black color)..The overall design of the GS5 is fairly bad in my opinion (to stay polite) on one end it is totally conservative vis-a-vis the Galaxy S3 and S4 (and with bigger bezels) and on the other end it replaces a much disliked feature of the GS4 (shiny/glossy plastic back) with another plastic plate that is bound to be equally disliked.
HTC is the gold standard when it comes to android designed phones in my opinion, with the One..Even their budget phone launched at MWC is much better looking despite being plastic..
Its not tough to do one phone and get it right..Like HTC has done, yet samsung will make multiple versions of this phone with different configurations and perhaps they may get one version that appeals to a certain demographic..I see the same in the gear with so many options and devices which get replaced just few months after launch with plenty of flip flops (Changing OS just after a few months)..Even Sony which is a lesser known player in smartphones has done much better with the Z2..Its unibody construction, premium feel (metal and glass) and is fully water proof (just not resistant)..Although not as well designed as the One it is still miles ahead of what the GS5 is from a design stand point..
That's a bit unfair to those who buy the plastic version though, only for it to be superseded within a few months with a more premium model. I think that would upset quite a few people. Just like when the iPad 3 was dumped for the 4 within a few months. People were not happy.
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That's part of Samsung's business model though. They don't want to just make one premium model like Apple or HTC. They want to make a range of models (rehashes)at every price point possible, so in a sense they have a phone for everyone.
I completely agree..Had the announced that a PRIME or F version is coming and perhaps shown a rendering of it..it would have made sense. But they want to make a lot of money off of this plastic one for a few months..Those on a 2 year cycle may well end up getting hurt as they would be locked into a device that is followed up by a much better one a few months later. At least with tablets you arent (or werent) locked down as much as with phones (although i agree, apple did not do the right thing then)..
You can make all the sub-models you like to appeal to all the folks. Just make the plastic phone, the best looking plastic phone in the world, and the metal phone the best looking metal phone.
One of these samsung would realize that dishing out dozens of phones with minute differences is bad for profit margins. I think in the coming years they'll look to streamline their smartphone portfolio..Why not wait for a proper smartwatch as opposed to jumping the gun 5 months early and having to change the entire OS of the device just 5 months later..People want "certainty" and "continuity" in design from premium devices...one of the reasons apple does not change the shape of the iPhone every year (in my opinion)..
Excellent design using "affordable" materials for an affordable mid price phone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEDipVkl37g
I hope HTC does a plastic casing for the M8 as well to make it more affordable for users new to the HTC brand (to win customers over from the big brands)...As HTC has shown you do not need to be a super big company to win the best phone award at MWC..
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Actually with all of these new carrier plans and jump programs it makes sense to release a phone and then a few months later release an updated better version. You will get to double dip as a manufacture.
I seriously doubt this..Not all will join the plus programs and a lot many folks are already locked into contracts and do not want to leave. Then there is the developing world, where samsung does a lot of business. These phones cost close to 700-800$ in those markets...
You would be shocked at the number of people jumping on these plans. Why would they not try to make more money
Kindly show me some numbers. I do not see any indication that smartphone users from around the world have suddenly gotten an increased appetite to change phones after a few months. In fact most analysts and market students point to a cooling off of the smartphone market.
IDC: Smartphone growth to slow down this year
http://www.lohud.com/usatoday/article/5831021
Growth will still primarily come form the "underserved" markets especially where LTE is only now catching up (CHINA) or where it is about to begin/or has just begun (India)..Problem with most of those markets is that Contracts, and EDGE like plans are really very small segment of the market and people usually shell out the full amount to procure a phone.
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I am referring to the US market. I do not have numbers, but my uncle works for att and on the sales flow team that helped design the Next program. They did not think it would do that great, and said even att is shocked by the amount of people who are using it.
These program are made for this exact reason. There is a massive market for people who upgrade every 6-12 months. Samsung doing this would only help them out. Would people be angry, yes but samsung would laugh all the way to the bank.
I think Samsung has an edge in the developing markets (compared to apple) and this strategy while may work in some conditions in the US (Will people leave the iPhone 5s in may-June for the GS5F when the new iPhone is coming in September and ISO8 being shown off in June?) will on the "net" be detrimental to samsung's overall position in the premium market. Samsung is hemorrhaging customers to apple (ratio is 3:1 as per some reports) and this is certainly not a way to reverse the trend.
Amen, brother.
That should be more of their main focus. Revamp it with a lighter footprint like what HTC did to Sense. Eliminate the lag. Limit the bloatware apps. Change up the icons and core apps. Even the notification looks like a total mess.
Metal is nice but it can be overrated. I love the One's design and generally many of HTC's previous designs like the Nexus One, Windows Phone 8X, Desire 600, Butterfly S. Even the plastic they use can feel very solid like on the Amaze and One SV. But metal dents. Metal scrapes. It can get hot very quickly. Reception may not always come through.
Samsung should focus mostly on their software right now. Because even an ugly iOS7 can make a well-designed metal-clad phone like the 5s feel ugly to use. HTC got it right last year combining a improved hardware design with the One with a more streamlined software design of Sense 5. Samsung needs to work on both hardware and software because if one of them is still ugly, it ruins the marriage for the other.
Agreed it does.
Not enough to make me not think of Knox, but enough that if us Note 3 owners got a taste of it sooner rather than later it would make me procrastinate updating / changing phone.