Report: Metal Samsung Galaxy S5 'unlikely'

The old saying "where there's smoke, there's fire" is being challenged by Taiwan-based chassis manufacturers. We have recently seen a number of stories about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S5 and if there is one constant in all of them, it is that a metal version of the phone is coming. While the Samsung Galaxy S4 remained the flagship Android model this year, and will most likely end up number one in sales among Android smartphones, sales still fell flat after a terrific start with many criticizing Samsung for not turning to a metal chassis like HTC used with the HTC One.

With all of these rumors and rampant speculation about a metal Galaxy S5, the days of plastic are over for Samsung's top of the line Android phone, right? Uh, not exactly. A published report on Wednesday cites the aforementioned Taiwan-based chassis manufacturers as saying that it is "unlikely" that Samsung will offer a metal version of the Samsung Galaxy S5. This is based on the notion that the new model will be unveiled late in February 2014, and still there have been no mass produced metal chassis for the phone.

And while these same sources say that the Korean based OEM is still evaluating the use of metal, the company has become the largest smartphone producer on the planet using plastic, leaving Samsung with no reason to make the change. The report says that in order to save costs in the future, Samsung might turn to a compound material like fiberglass/plastic or carbon fiber/plastic for its smartphones.

On the other hand, while not mentioned in the report, the tepid reaction to the plastic bodied LG G2 could give Sammy something to think about. Named by us as one of the top smartphones of 2013, the LG G2 is a powerful handset, highly spec'd and with a wonderfully thin bezel. Still, the phone has sold only 2.3 million units and the plastic body used for the device could be partially to blame for the less than enthusiastic consumer response. There is no denying that LG's flagship model has many similarities in design with the Samsung Galaxy S4 and as a result, this would be a perfect time for Samsung to differentiate itself from LG with a new metal designed Galaxy S5.

source: DigiTimes