Samsung VP hints that the Samsung Galaxy S IV will be plastic

On Monday, we passed along the word from Russian blogger Eldar Murtizan about the Samsung Galaxy S IV. And that word, similar to the movie The Graduate, was "plastic," as in the sentence, the Samsung Galaxy S IV will be made out of plastic. As it turns out, Samsung executive VP of mobile, Y.H. Lee says that there will be no change in the Korean manufacturer's use of the material. That would seem to confirm Murtizan's comments.

Why is there no uni-body aluminum body for the flagship Android device? According to Lee, it has to do with Samsung being practical. In pumping out the giddlywoowoozillion devices a year that Samsung does, there is no time for the longer process required with some other materials to make sure that there are no defective units being sent out.

When it comes to keeping the back cover removable, Samsung listened to its customers who want to be able to swap out a fresh battery to replace a dead one. Fellow Korean handset producer LG did not offer a removable battery with the LG Optimus G, but did so on the sequel LG Optimus G Pro after listening to its customers. And while the plastic cover feels light and seems to bend to the point of snapping in two, Samsung says its back cover is more durable than the back of other smartphone manufacturers because of the flexibility provided by the plastic which better absorbs physical impact.

The big question is whether Samsung's decision to stick to plastic at a time when HTC went with an aluminum construction with the HTC One, and Nokia offers polycarbonate (along with one rumored aluminum model itself) will have any affect on sales of the Samsung Galaxy S IV.

source: CNET