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A new smartphone again? Rethink unhealthy culture of frequent upgrades
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this post was submitted on 27 Sep 2023
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That waterproof/durability argument doesn't really hold up. We had waterproof, durable Android phones with user replaceable batteries a decade ago. They were made primarily of plastic, and had a nice thick gasket around the battery cover.
That's part of the problem with all these phones made of "premium" materials like glass and titanium. They serve no functional purpose, they only make the phone more expensive and less repairable. And of course, both of those things are great for manufacturers that want to sell you a new phone when you drop it ONE time and the glass front and back crack.
Back when I had a plastic phone I didn't even use a case, I beat the hell out of it and it never broke, and I replaced the battery myself in thirty seconds.
I laugh at the stupid titanium thing on the iPhone. It's such a stupid marketing ploy by Apple. Like, it's impressive of course, from a manufacturing and engineering point of view, working with titanium is always difficult and challenging. But Jerry Rig Everything disassembled the thing and the titanium is a 1mm veneer around the border of the phone. It has absolutely no structural or protective function at all. The frame is cheap and reliable old aluminum. And the titanium is covered in a disgusting plastic coat that peels and scratches just as easily as any paint over aluminum or plastic. It's such an obvious scam made to justify overcharging for a boring, dull and standard phone.