Plastic vs glass and metal: which is better? Recipes for choosing the right smartphone: which material is better

I welcome everyone who stopped by. The review will focus, as you probably already guessed, on a thin frameless smartphone Uhans S1. The model is interesting due to its appearance, large amount of RAM and low price. The review will include testing and a short comparison with my previous smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S3. For anyone interested, you are welcome under cat.

General form:

Purchase background:

A few months ago, I accidentally broke my Samsung Galaxy S3 (SGS3), which served me faithfully for about two years:

Replacing the display approximately cost about 7,500 rubles, which was a bit expensive for me. In addition, I absolutely did not have enough RAM, especially when surfing the Internet, so I was in no particular hurry with repairs and began to look for a budget replacement with a large amount of RAM. I didn’t need high performance, because I had already moved away from games, and I consider playing on a 5” screen with finger control the height of masochism. There was basically a trend in the smartphone market - a large amount of memory was only available in top models, which cost well over 100-150 Baku rubles, so I did not consider powerful flagships. I was looking for an interesting new product with budget hardware, a large amount of RAM and a low price tag. I came across this model and took note. And some time after the peak of sales, the GearBest store dropped the price tag on this model. Taking into account the points, it turned out to be about 6,500 rubles, so I decided to buy it, because... The large amount of memory and 4G support were captivating. Well, after the purchase I came across an article about replacing the SGS3 display module and realized that you can replace the display yourself. In addition, there was just a boom in “delicious” eBay coupons and I had to order a display for the third galaxy. Well, why should he disappear? :-). In the end, I got two smart phones, so in the review I will occasionally compare them.

A sore point for many - bought with my own money, taking into account the points it came out to about a hundred dollars:

TTX:
- Manufacturer – Uhans
- Model name – S1
- Case material – metal + glass
- Screen – touch 5" with 2.5D technology, multi-touch 3 touches
- Screen resolution - 1280x720 (HD), pixel density 294 ppi
- Operating system - Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) + proprietary shell Freeme OS 6.1
- Processor - MediaTek MT6753 (eight ARM Cortex-A53 cores clocked at up to 1.3 GHz)
- Graphics - Mali T720
- RAM/internal memory – 3GB RAM (LPDDR3)/32GB ROM
- Tray type – combined, (micro SIM + nanoSIM) or (micro SIM + microSD)
- SIM cards - two SIM cards (micro SIM + NanoSIM)
- Frequencies - 2G (GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz), 3G (WCDMA 900/1900/2100MHz), 4G (FDD-LTE 800/1800/2100/2600MHz)
- Expansion slots - microSDXC up to 64 GB (actually microSDHC 32 GB)
- Cameras – 13 MP Sony IMX 214 (main) and 5 MP (front camera), interpolation (16 MP/8 MP)
- Battery type and capacity – non-removable Li-Pol, 2200mah (BAK)
- Fingerprint scanner - Good GF5118M
- Wireless interfaces: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS/GLONASS
- OTG – supports
- dimensions – 140mm*69mm*7.3mm
- weight – 155 g

Equipment:
- Uhans S1 smartphone
- mains charger with Euro plug
- USB->microUSB cable
- protective film on the screen
- quick installation guide in English
- paper clip for opening the tray
- two paper napkins for wiping the device

The smartphone is delivered in a fairly durable white cardboard box. The box is small but very durable. The smartphone model is indicated at the top, the main characteristics are indicated at the bottom, and on the side there is the inscription “The Beautiful Beast”, hinting that there is a beautiful beast inside, :-):

The smartphone itself is located in an antistatic bag in a special plastic box:

In addition, the smartphone is completely covered with transport film:

It also serves as some kind of assistant, since at the back there is brief information on the combination tray and some other elements of the smartphone:

The equipment is quite rich, at least a silicone bumper will be very useful. But why the manufacturer didn’t include at least some simple headphones in the kit remains a mystery to me. Also included is a protective film for the screen and paper napkins for wiping the device. As usual, there are no instructions, but there is a short guide to the combination tray and some specific functions:

Appearance:

This model attracts potential buyers with its design - the front and back panels are made of tempered glass using 2.5D technology, and there are golden metal frames on the sides:

No matter what anyone says, the smartphone looks gorgeous, and it looks a lot like the iPhone 6s, but Apple designers are quite meticulous about the appearance of their devices. It seems to me that the Uhans designers relied specifically on the Apple device when designing the device.
The layout is all standard: on the top of the front panel there is a front camera (5MP), a speaker, a proximity/light sensor and an LED indicator. At the back there is a main camera (13 megapixels), an LED flash and a fingerprint scanner.
On the left is a combination tray that allows you to install either two SIM cards (microSIM and nanoSIM), or one microSIM and microSDHC memory card. On the right are a double volume button and a power/lock button:

At the bottom end of the device there is a microUSB connector, an external speaker and a microphone, and at the top there is only a 3.5mm miniJack connector for connecting headphones, which, alas, are not included in the kit:

The smartphone lies quite comfortably in the hand, but still the rear glass panel of the case is a little slippery to the touch:

Therefore, at first it is better to use the complete silicone bumper:

One of the interesting features of the smartphone is the complete absence of mechanical and touch buttons, instead of which there are on-screen control buttons that can be slightly customized:

The decision is controversial, because the bottom frame is quite wide and is not used in any way. On the other hand, the location of the buttons can be customized to suit your needs. It's unusual at first, but you get used to it quickly enough. In general, it was possible to reduce the width of the top and bottom frames - they are too wide.
The model is available in two colors – black and white. As for me, the white version looks a little more solid, the golden frame around the perimeter of the case plays a significant role in this, so I settled on the light version:

I am very pleased with the presence of a plastic insert in the microUSB connector. With it, the mechanical strength of the port increases slightly:

As for the appearance and build quality, there is nothing to complain about. It looks stylish, nothing creaks or plays. The use of metal and glass brings its own order in terms of tactility - in your hands you feel not a plastic stump, but a solid device.

Dimensions:

The dimensions of the smartphone are 140mm*69mm*7.3mm. The new product boasts a small body thickness, but the weight of the smartphone is already 155g:

But this is not surprising, because the developers used glass and metal in the smartphone, not plastic. Here is a comparison of a smartphone with the Pineng PN-963 and the thousandth banknote:

Display:

The Uhans S1 smartphone is equipped with a capacitive 5" IPS screen with minimal side frames:

As I mentioned earlier, the screen is protected by tempered glass with 2.5D technology, so you can hope that scratches should not appear. Also, according to the developers, thanks to On-Cell technology, the sensor and screen are combined into one layer with a glass panel, which improves color reproduction, quality and responsiveness of the display.
The screen resolution is typical for 5" shovels - 1280x720 (HD), the dot density (PPI) is 294 dots per inch, which allows you to comfortably view images without noticing graininess. Screen diagonal exactly 5"" (12.7cm):

Viewing angles are very good (the shooting angle is minimal):

The anti-reflective coating slightly reduces the maximum possible brightness, but it is still at a sufficient level to comfortably view anything in sunlight. The MiraVision system is responsible for adjusting the brightness. You can customize the modes “to suit you”, and if you wish, enable dynamic contrast:

The display supports up to 3 simultaneous presses:

Although I can’t imagine where more than three might be needed, except in games, and they’re not at all interesting to me at 5 inches and without a mouse.

Combination tray:

As you can see, on the left is a combined tray that allows you to use either two SIM cards, or one SIM and a memory card:

I don’t know why manufacturers always step on the same rake, because there is plenty of space for two SIM cards and a memory card. You just need to add one slot and then you wouldn’t have to choose. On the other hand, the smartphone has 32GB of memory installed and about 25GB is available to the user, which is quite enough, and the presence of OTG allows you to connect flash drives directly to the smartphone.
The tray opens by simply pressing a paper clip:

Two SIM cards are supported. The main SIM card can be configured in the settings:

4G (LTE) support is present.

Memory:

As I mentioned earlier, the smartphone has 3GB of RAM (memory loading after restarting the device is on average about 1 GB) and 32GB of built-in flash memory (about 25 GB available to the user):

Thanks to the card reader located in the combined tray, the user can easily supplement the built-in microSDHC memory with a card up to 32 GB. According to the developer, the device supports cards up to 64 GB, but, unfortunately, the smartphone does not understand the exFAT file system, so without dancing with a tambourine (formatting the card in NTFS), it will not be possible to attach such a card - an error appears that the SD card is damaged. The OTG function works properly. The Eaget V90 flash drive was identified without problems. In the photo below: on the left is a 64 GB microSDXC card with an error, in the middle is a 16 GB microSDHC, on the right is a connected OTG flash drive Eaget V90):

File system speed can be assessed using the AndroBench application:

Fingerprint's scanner:

The multifunctional model Good GF5118M is used as a fingerprint scanner:

The glass panel of the sensor is protected by durable glass, protecting it from keys, coins and other hard objects:

This model has high sensitivity and allows fingerprint recognition from any angle in 180 ms.
In your smartphone settings, you can choose what actions can be performed using your fingerprint:

Based on my experience of use, I can say the following: the scanner works correctly in 9 out of 10 cases, the main thing is to scan the fingertip itself correctly.

Smartphone power supply and battery capacity:

To charge a smartphone, you use a typical network adapter/power supply unit with a 5V/1A Euro plug and a good cable of average lousy quality, about 1 m long:

The power supply produces the declared parameters without problems (5.13V/0.9A), but it cannot cope with a more serious load at all - the voltage sags very strongly (4.05V/1.16A), this is when connecting a 2A load:

The cable itself does not shine with characteristics, the drawdown is 0.2V at a current of 0.9A (by the way, the Orico meter cable draws down by only 0.1V):

Since the battery in a smartphone is non-removable, we will use a charging doctor to roughly estimate the battery capacity. I connected the charger when the smartphone showed 8% capacity, the red indicator lights up when charging:

Unfortunately, the developers have not yet finalized the event indicator in the firmware, so the green LED does not light up when finished. After a full charge, I got 1640mah and this is without taking into account losses in the converter:

Hardware platform and performance:

The smartphone has a 64-bit octa-core MediaTek MT6753 processor (eight ARM Cortex-A53 cores clocked at up to 1.3 GHz) and a Mali-T720 graphics coprocessor. The RAM capacity is 3 GB, which allows you not to think about the number of applications running in the background. The memory should be enough for most “heavy” applications and games. By the way, in my SGS3 with 1 GB of RAM, the navigator often did not start after minimizing it, and numerous open tabs in the browser caused discomfort in operation and the smartphone lagged a little. You can view the intestines without opening the device using the popular CPU-Z application:

It was also impossible to ignore the synthetic tester Antutu Benchmark 6.2.0:

System information from Antutu:

Another Geekbench 3 test:

To test stress resistance, we will use the StabilityTest application:

Software:

The smartphone runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS with the manufacturer's proprietary Freeme OS 6.1 shell:

This shell is quite similar to MIUI. It is developed by a Chinese company and has more than 70 million users worldwide. This shell implements about 3,000 new functions, the main objectives of which are to add functionality and aesthetics to the operating system:

The smartphone has an OTA wireless update function. The stock version was V3.02, but V3.09 appeared just recently, and just a few days ago V3.10 appeared:

Unfortunately, event notifications were never finalized.
The settings menu is standard:

You can activate the hidden settings item “System UI Tuner” by holding the gear icon next to the “pop-up curtain”:

This way you can remove unnecessary icons or add your own.
The file manager is the simplest; for convenience it is better to install something more functional:

Multimedia:

For convenience, entertainment is hidden in a separate group:

The smartphone has its own music player:

Equalizer standard:

When you connect headphones, you can listen to the radio:

As you can see, the functionality of the program is basic, there is an auto scan and broadcast recording.
But with the video, not everything is as rosy as it would seem. Antutu Video Tester 3.0 showed that some file types are not supported by hardware:

But on the other hand, what prevents you from processing them programmatically by installing, for example, BSPlayer or MX Player, which have a built-in set of decoders, fortunately there are enough resources for this. The only negative is that these formats will be played programmatically, spending a little more resources.
Now let’s see if the smartphone can digest “heavy” test videos from the site IXBT.com (http://www.ixbt.com/multimedia/video-methodology-1.shtml#4) without the help of third-party players.
Video files 1080p-25p-high5.1.mp4 and 1080p-50p-5.1.mp4 (L5.1, playback without problems, many household players/TVs will refuse to play):

Video files 2048x1152.mp4 (L5.0) and 4096x2160.mp4 (L5.1) are not played by hardware, but with the help of the same BSPlayer they look great:

At the same time, playback of a 2048x1152.mp4 video file occasionally slows down, but 4096x2160.mp4 slows down quite a lot.
Surfing the Internet is a pleasure:

Wireless interfaces:

The smartphone supports all modern modules - GPS/GLONASS, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.1. There are no complaints about the WiFi module - the connection is reliable, reception is stable through a thick wall. The smartphone can operate in access point mode, i.e. distribute the Internet via WiFi, for example from a mobile operator’s network:

A common application is distributing the Internet to devices from an unlimited tariff of a cellular operator (in the absence of providers or outside the city).
But GPS/GLONASS works slowly. It finds satellites quite quickly, but it doesn’t always connect willingly; you have to wait about a minute. If the third galaxy, for example, has 13 active satellites, then the Uhans S1 has only about 8-10 satellites. Russian GLONASS supports (right screen):

Battery life:

I haven't found any verified battery tests, so I'll give my subjective opinion. My previous smartphone, Samsung Galaxy S3, with a 2100mah battery, initially lasted for a day with average use: several calls, surfing the Internet, briefly watching videos. A couple of years later, by the end of the working day, he was no longer alive and PB Pineng PN-963 came to the rescue. The Uhans S1 smartphone has a similar battery and hardware. While it is consistently enough for a working day, in the evening, of course, it needs to be recharged. I’m already used to it and for me it’s not strange, it’s in the order of things, besides, the time-tested thin Pineng PN-963 is always in my purse...

Camera:

The Uhans S1 has two cameras: a Sony IMX 214 13MP main camera (up to 16MP interpolation) and a 5MP front camera (up to 8MP interpolation). Basic settings are present, plus some effects can be downloaded from the Internet:

Autofocus works well and photos are saved quickly, faster than the SGS3. Examples of photos compressed to 1980 pixels in width in sunny weather (photos of the Uhans S1 come first):
Uhans S1 vs Samsung Galaxy S3:

Photos of Uhans S1 are somewhat lighter. Both of them do well with greens:

Front cameras:

A few more comparisons in clear sunny weather:

Carrot:

Shooting in an unlit place. Uhans S1 blurs the photo a little, so it looks a little better:

But SGS3 is very noisy, although the detail is much higher:

And finally, macro photography in a dimly lit place:

To summarize, we can say the following: the camera in the Uhans S1 smartphone is not that bad. In good lighting it shows good results. Of course, it is far from the level of top brands, but for normal use it is quite enough. In low light, the camera loses its position, however, like the SGS3.
Well, in conclusion, video recording from the main cameras (Uhans S1 vs Samsung Galaxy S3):

Here Galaxy has no competition. Video recording in the Uhans S1 smartphone is clearly not its strong point...

Pros:
+ Stylish appearance
+ high quality case manufacturing
+ productive filling for this price category
+ large memory capacity
+ bright, responsive screen
+ 4G (LTE) support
+ good performance of the fingerprint scanner
+ support for microSDXC cards (64GB and more)
+ silicone bumper included

Minuses:
- Small battery capacity
- average video quality
- combination tray
- without coupons the price is a bit expensive

Conclusion: The device is not bad, I'm happy with it so far. Of course, the small battery capacity by modern standards scares off many, but I’m already used to it and don’t consider it a big minus. But still, for those who like to actively use smartphones, it is better to look at other models with more capacious batteries. I needed a device for surfing, so the main criteria were 4G support and a large amount of RAM for glitch-free operation. In my opinion, the current price for it is around $100; for the current price without coupons, there are better models...
+32

Nowadays, smartphones value not only performance, but also quality. The main thing in smartphones is resistance to falls, scratches, and water. Therefore, safety glass is gaining popularity. Gorilla Glass can definitely be called the most famous protective glass. It is used in the manufacture of telephones. Protective glass is also used in tablets.

According to statistics, every person drops their device about 10 times a year. So many falls can break your tablet/phone to pieces. Gorilla Glass really helps with the fear of breaking your phone.

For example, Nokia Lumia smartphones have Gorilla coating. The smartphone falls at a distance of 1.5 meters onto the asphalt, but remains completely undamaged. This is far from the only example proving the effectiveness of such protection. A large number of experiments were carried out to test the effect of glass. It successfully passed all tests. Many users specifically look for smartphones with this coating.

The first mobile phone with such protective glass is Nokia N8 (2008). The use of screen protection became especially important after the advent of touch phones. This is explained by the fact that the touch screen is highly susceptible to mechanical damage. This glass is made from aluminum silicates.

There are currently six generations of Gorilla Glass:

Gorilla Glass 1(2008).
Gorilla Glass 2(year 2012). The glass is 20% thinner and is difficult but possible to scratch.
Gorilla Glass 3(year 2013). It is 40% more resistant to mechanical damage, 50% more resistant to impacts.
Gorilla Glass 4(2015).
Gorilla Glass 5 falls from a distance of up to 1.6 m without damage.
Gorilla Glass 6 has indicators twice as good as those of the fifth generation. At the moment, glass of this generation is the best, most reliable and strongest. But manufacturers don't stop! They continue to look for new combinations and conduct experiments to create even more perfect glass.

Many manufacturers of both expensive and budget brands use Gorilla Glass protective glass, which has proven itself to be excellent.

List of budget smartphones with Gorilla Glass protection:

1. Ulefone Amor

A budget phone for people who love extreme sports. The smartphone can withstand being dropped from a height or immersed in water. The body has metal inserts, which attracts many people.

Main characteristics:

Screen: 4.7 inches.
OS: Android 6.0.
RAM: 3 GB.
Main camera: 13 MP.
Selfie camera: 5 MP.
Battery: 3000 mAh.

2. DOOGEE Mix Lite

Budget frameless phone with Gorilla Glass coating. It stands out for its low price and beautiful frameless design. The screen is quite large, but comfortable to hold in the user's hand.

Main characteristics:

Screen 5.2 inches.
OS: Android 6.0.
RAM: 2 GB.
Main camera: 13 MP.
Selfie camera: 8 MP.
Battery: 3080 mAh.

A very beautiful phone that looks expensive. The black metal body adds strength to the design. A real courageous smartphone is suitable for life in a metropolis and for long journeys! Screen coating Gorilla Glass 3. You can use two SIM cards.

Main characteristics:

Screen 5.0 inches.
OS: Android 6.0.
RAM: 2 GB.
Main camera: 8 MP.
Selfie camera: 2 MP.
Battery: 3050 mAh.

Frameless smartphone with a fingerprint scanner. It has all the necessary qualities of a modern smartphone.

Main characteristics:

Screen 5.5 inches.
OS: Android 7.0.
RAM: 3 GB.
Main camera: 13 MP.
Selfie camera: 13 MP.
Battery: 3000 mAh.

Chinese frameless smartphone with dual camera. It has excellent quality and an inexpensive price.

Main characteristics:

Screen 5.7 inches.
OS: Android 7.0.
RAM: 2 GB.
Main camera: 8 MP.
Selfie camera: 5 MP.
Battery: 3000 mAh.

6. Xiaomi Redmi 5

A smartphone with an incredibly beautiful design in a modern style. A thin smartphone that meets all user requirements.

Main characteristics:

Screen 5.7 inches.
OS: Android 7.1.2.
RAM: 2/3 GB.
Main camera: 12 MP.
Selfie camera: 5 MP.
Battery: 3300 mAh.

A beautiful thin smartphone, the body combines metal and plastic, which especially captivates buyers. The screen is covered with protective glass Gorilla Glass 3. Supports two SIM cards.

Main characteristics:

Screen 5.5 inches.
OS: Android 6.0.
RAM: 4 GB.
Main camera: 13 MP.
Selfie camera: 8 MP.
Battery: 3000 mAh.

8. Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

One of the new smartphones from the Chinese company. Very stylish and beautiful, has a scanner for an individual hand pattern. Aluminum body with plastic parts. The huge screen opens up great technical possibilities for watching movies, TV series or just videos. Several colors give everyone the opportunity to choose a smartphone to their liking.

Main characteristics:

Screen 5.99 inches.
OS: Android 7.1.2.
Memory: 3/4 GB.
Main camera: 12 MP.
Selfie camera: 5 MP.
Battery: 4000 mAh.

Why are smartphones made of glass? June 13th, 2018

Glass as a material for smartphone cases is a relatively recent invention. One of the first was the iPhone 4, then the baton was picked up by the Sony Xperia Z line, and a little later by the Samsung Galaxy S. This year, glass finally captured not only the market, but also the minds of manufacturers: all modern flagships are made from it, including the iPhone X, Samsung Galaxy S9 and Huawei Mate 10 Pro. And what the users of all these phones do is stuff them into cases. What stupidity it is to buy a beautiful and expensive thing and cover it with a cover forever.

But really, glass has many shortcomings, and all of them are terribly annoying. So why are smartphones made of glass?

Glass smartphones are slippery

In 2010, during the announcement of the iPhone 4, the problem of the glass case did not bother anyone. But since manufacturers began measuring screens, using glass devices has become more difficult. From now on, you run the risk of breaking your gadget every time you grab it in your hand. And this is not to mention the fact that the “glass” tends to slide off even from an almost horizontal surface.

This is how the technology of the future is depicted: it looks cool, but is absolutely not functional

To curb a modern smartphone, it is advisable to have some kind of padding between the palm and the body - usually a case takes on this function. But plastic looks bad, wood looks weird, silicone looks disgusting, and leather, although not the worst option, is too short-lived. And in general, do you really like hiding an expensive and beautiful flagship in a “sock” for 500 rubles? Hardly, but there is still no alternative to covers. Or do you want to always carry a bag of talcum powder with you, like a wrestling brother?

Glass collects fingerprints

The pores on our body constantly secrete sweat and fat - such a feature of the human body. And the palms have the most sweat glands. Alas, we cannot do anything about our own physiology, so the phone will remain clean only in one case: if it is never used. All the latest devices shimmer beautifully on display, but in your hands they are instantly covered with fingerprints and dirt. After some time, the “captured” device for a thousand dollars looks hardly more attractive than a state employee.

Manufacturers tried to solve the problem by using an oleophobic coating, including on the back surface of the gadget. True, it only lasts for a few months. Don't want to carry a portable fingerprint scanner? The cover will save you - and only the cover.

You might now object: what about frosted glass? It doesn't slip and doesn't leave fingerprints. Well, the idea is really good, but for some reason manufacturers are reluctant to use matte materials instead of the tired gloss. Without straining our memory, we can name only a few models from the Xperia line in which such glass was installed. Unfortunately, Sony has now moved away from this practice.

Glass is scratched

If they still try to save money in budget and mid-segment devices, then in modern flagships, without giving a damn about costs, they install two Gorilla Glass glasses at once. Or similar hardened mineral. Who cares how many dollars it adds to the final price if the buyer pays anyway?
But the problem is different - even Gorilla Glass 5 will not be difficult to scratch. Yes, on modern smartphones you can easily chop vegetables. However, just one grain of sand that gets into your pocket is guaranteed to leave a noticeable mark on the body of the device. A “sandwich” made from a pair of glasses approximately doubles this risk.

Have you already guessed what the conclusion should be? That's right: we use a cover. We weren't the only ones who thought of this. There is a suspicion that all brands began to have a wide range of branded accessories precisely after the mass distribution of glass. Coincidence? We don't think so.

Glass breaks

While it is still possible to protect equipment from scratches, making it truly shockproof is not. A fall even from a small height is almost always fatal: glass will break into pieces, unlike metal, which will only get away with a small dent or even a scratch. If you are unlucky, the device will become covered with a web of cracks. Even falling off my knee! And this is not fiction, but personal pain - this is exactly what happened with the author’s Galaxy S7 Edge.

Need for repairs

The following drawback follows from the previous drawback: the rear panel, if anything happens, will have to be repaired. Yes, damage can be covered with a cover or simply forgotten about its existence. Just think, what nonsense. This is why we bought an expensive flagship, so that we could walk around with a cracked shell, which not every homeless person would covet.

If the aesthetic sense wins, prepare cash. Replacing the back is cheaper than the screen, but still, they promise to supply new glass on the Galaxy S9 on the Internet for a measly 3,500 rubles. A similar procedure for iPhone X will cost at least 6,000 rubles, but happy owners of Apple equipment are no stranger to paying more. But who said that this would be a one-time event? You can change the socket at least every week, especially if you are overcome by hand tremors. And most importantly, why is there such a problem in a world where aluminum exists?

Glass does not conduct heat well

Go ahead. Glass is a poor conductor of heat. When the processor load is high, the temperature inevitably increases, which, coupled with not the most successful cooling, leads to so-called throttling. The processor frequency sags and the FPS in games drops. The latter, however, does not apply to flagships: in expensive models, the chipsets have a good performance reserve - just for this case. The risk of overheating harms more than just PUBG battles: if it happens regularly, your battery will throw a white flag sooner than you expect.

Why glass?

So why do manufacturers, knowing about the many shortcomings of glass, stubbornly push it into smartphones?
Firstly, glass gadgets look attractive in shop windows, renderings and promotional photographs, encouraging impulse purchases.

Secondly, the material is suitable for design tasks: you can create a “solid” device. In aluminum analogues, one has to go to some lengths to accommodate modem antennas and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radio modules.
Finally, the main argument in favor of glass is that wireless charging cannot be placed in a metal case.

However, don't forget about the alternatives! Plastic and ceramics also have no problems with the placement of antennas and wireless charging. And ceramics is also quite exotic, and although it is inferior in strength to metal, it is still superior to glass. But manufacturers believe that these materials are not worthy of flagships, although once upon a time a bunch of gadgets were wrapped in such cases. What do you think is the best material for smartphone cases?

sources

A smartphone made of metal looks solid and expensive. This was the case before, and it is still the case today, although metal has already moved down from the top segment to the budget segment and, in general, does not add much value to the smartphone.

pros

Looks expensive. If you have a metal smartphone, then you are definitely not a poor person. At least, many will think so.
Fashionable. Metal has become the main material of modern industrial design. It's a thing in itself. If the body is made of metal, then no additional elements and design effort are required. Metal is beautiful as is.
Thermal conductivity. The metal is cold. That same feeling when you hold a smartphone and feel how pleasantly cool it is in your palm. Tactile sensation is also important.

These advantages create a feeling of high cost.

Minuses

It bends and becomes deformed. Moreover, in order to bend a smartphone, you don’t need to mock it at all - just put it in the back pocket of your jeans and sit down. Thus, many smartphones turn into iPhone 6 Plus. Remember what bendgate is? Exactly.
Shields. Metal does not transmit radio waves. LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth - all these signals have a hard time getting through the metal case, so you have to make ugly external leads for the antennas. This first became clear under Steve Jobs, when Apple released the iPhone 4 and it had poor network reception. A few years later, Samsung stepped on the same rake by launching the Galaxy A line of all-metal smartphones. The new products received network reception 20% worse than the plastic Samsung Galaxy S5. Also, the all-metal case does not allow for wireless charging.
Thermal conductivity. A plus easily turns into a minus. When powerful metal smartphones work at full capacity, the body can get so hot that it’s enough to fry eggs on it!

So, a paradox: the very material that makes a smartphone premium does not allow premium functions to be implemented in the device. And it bends too!

Plastic

LG G Flex. theverge.com

Smartphones made of plastic can be of any color and, in general, of any shape, for example curved, as the LG G Flex was at one time. Plastic also opens the way to a variety of finishing types. Glossy, matte, leather-like, metal-like - with plastic, designers gain absolute freedom. Despite the fact that plastic is cheaper than other materials, the smartphone itself can be more expensive than metal and even glass competitors.

pros

Price. Plastic smartphones are cheaper to produce.
Elasticity. In general, plastic is a very durable material, it is resistant to bending, twisting, and perfectly absorbs impact energy. Sony has used this property to create many smartphones, such as the Sony Xperia Z5. Its body was made of metal, and the corners were plastic. When a smartphone was dropped at an angle, the energy was not transferred to the internal components of the device, but was absorbed by the plastic. Note that complex composite materials, such as fiberglass-reinforced plastic, have even greater strength. Developed for the military industry, it is now used to make smartphones. For example, the new Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact.
Does not shield. Plastic conducts radio waves perfectly, regardless of thickness and strength. This is why we see plastic wiring for antennas in metal smartphones.
Color. Plastic can be any color, and Nokia took advantage of this when releasing orange, light green and yellow smartphones.

Plastic gives the manufacturer more freedom when creating a design, and the material is interesting enough to be used even in expensive top-end smartphones.

Minuses

Feels cheap. Many plastic smartphones are perceived as simple crafts, although they can be expensive.
Looks cheap. Making a plastic smartphone look expensive and rich is not so easy.
Painted. Plastic may change color when in contact with other colored surfaces. For example, a white smartphone, after being in a jeans pocket, can become denim colored.

As a rule, a plastic smartphone is a cheap device in every sense.

Glass

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

Glass first appeared in the iPhone 4 and Nexus 4, but the real boom began after the release of the Samsung Galaxy S6. Glass smartphones look expensive, are expensive, but are also quite fragile. Glass backs shatter just as well as glass screens. Even despite Gorilla Glass 5.

pros

Does not shield. Glass does not interfere with radio waves, therefore, unlike metal smartphones, glass ones do not need any plastic inserts for antennas.
Looks amazing. Glass allows you to create beautiful visual effects, such as a sense of depth, change the color of the panel depending on the angle of incidence of light, catch light spots and reflect them in the form of rays.
Feels expensive. Like metal smartphones, glass ones pleasantly cool the palm, delight with the smoothness of the surface and awaken the feeling that you are holding a luxury item in your hand.

A glass smartphone is, as a rule, an expensive device with a claim to premium status.

Minuses

Fragile. No one has yet succeeded in creating indestructible glass, so dropping a glass smartphone is strictly prohibited.
Scratched. It doesn’t matter what the manufacturer says, but the glass is covered with scratches once or twice.
Slippery. Glass smartphones slip out of your hands like an ice cube.

You need to be extremely careful with a glass smartphone, because it is not only an expensive thing, but also very fragile.

So which is better?

Aesthetes will love smartphones made of glass, and it doesn’t matter that they are fragile. Plastic is universal, found in all segments and can be presented both as a budget material and an expensive high-tech composite. But metal is the worst thing that can happen. It is deformed and does not transmit radio waves. However, it is metal smartphones that are especially popular today.

Among the gray mass of modern smartphones, it is so difficult to find something unusual - both in terms of design and functionality. Most gadgets look the same and do the same things. Against such a background, it’s easy to stand out by coming up with something original. This is what the Russian brand Highscreen did, which at the end of 2014 presented its “ice novelty” Highscreen Ice 2.

The body of the smartphone is made of durable glass, and there is an additional display on the back cover. Intriguing, isn't it? Further more.

In the box

The smartphone comes with a charger and a cable with a built-in LED, which serves as an indicator of the current process. Lights up red – the battery is still charging, blue – it’s ready. A very convenient thing. In addition, the box contains: a decent red headset, a clip for removing the SIM card, as well as instructions and a warranty card.

Appearance

There seems to be nothing unusual in the design of the smartphone, but I liked Highscreen Ice 2 at first sight. Probably it’s all about the unusual “shimmering” color of the device.

The front and back panels of the smartphone are made of durable Gorilla Glass 3. That is, the body is not afraid of scratches, impacts and other delights of life with keys in one pocket. It is also worth noting that the smartphone is resistant to fingerprints - thanks to the oleophobic coating, the glass remains clean for a long time and, if necessary, can be easily cleaned with a regular napkin.

The frame of the case does not appear to be metal, but is actually made of durable plastic, although the control buttons are made of metal.

The touch buttons located under the screen are devoid of the usual icons and represent ordinary circles. The same solution can be found in Meizu and ZTE smartphones.

The central, largest, circle can blink in different colors, thereby informing the owner of different notifications. For example, you can assign the color red to missed calls, blue to email, and so on.

The lock button is on the top edge. Reaching it is not a problem, but it would still be more convenient if the button was on the side. In general, all the keys are made very carefully, they do not stick out from the smartphone, but are easy to press.

Highscreen Ice 2 supports two SIM cards; the slots for them are made in the same way as “iPhone” ones and are located on the left side of the smartphone. On the right is a slot for a microSD memory card.

The body itself is well put together. All parts fit perfectly together, there are no gaps or cracks. Highscreen Ice 2 is available in three colors - black, white and cosmic dark blue.

Display

The main screen has a diagonal of 4.7 inches and a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. The IPS matrix in conjunction with OGS (technology for producing displays without an air gap) provides good color reproduction, high brightness, contrast and wide viewing angles. Under normal conditions, a brightness level of 15-20% is sufficient. The screen is very responsive, responding quickly even to light touches.

The second display is located on the back cover of the smartphone. Externally, it is a small strip with a diagonal of 0.88 inches. In essence, this is a monochrome (black and white) notification board. This narrow screen displays information about the date, time, missed calls and other important things.

The list of notifications can be increased or decreased in the settings. Unlike a large screen, a small screen allows you to save personal information from strangers, and at the same time, all the necessary data will always be in front of your eyes (for example, at a business meeting or in a couple’s meeting).

In progress

Highscreen Ice 2 is powered by an 8-core MediaTek MT6592 chipset (frequency up to 1.7 GHz). In conjunction with the Mali-450MP4 video accelerator and 2 GB of RAM, the processor provides excellent performance in games, applications and when playing high-definition video. In “heavy” 3D games, the smartphone shows its good side: graphics load without lags or freezes. Here are the results of Highscreen Ice 2 in popular benchmarks:

16 GB of internal memory is provided for data storage, part of this volume is occupied by the system, for a total of 13.32 GB of “clean” space. You can increase the reserve using a microSD memory card (up to 32 GB). It’s also worth reminding us of a gift for all Highscreen Ice 2 users – as much as 128 GB of cloud storage in the 4Sync service. Of course, it's free.

The smartphone has bare Android 4.4 installed. In the absence of pre-installed programs, I see only a plus: everything you need can be downloaded yourself, and all sorts of uninstallable “branded” services only take up space.

Since only one radio module is installed in the smartphone, during a conversation on one number, the second one will be “out of reach”. The smartphone works on 3G networks, but, unfortunately, does not support LTE. Other wireless joys in the form of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS work flawlessly.

The 2,500 mAh battery lasts approximately 1 – 1.5 days of moderate use. By moderate I mean calls for 15 minutes a day, a few short trips to the Internet, launching GPS and a few toys. When playing HD video, the battery runs out in about 4.5 hours; with Wi-Fi always on, the smartphone will want to “eat” after about 7 hours.

Camera

Highscreen Ice 2 has a high-quality 13 megapixel camera with a Sony IMX214 sensor and BlueGlass optics.

Photos come out good even in poor lighting. Separately, I would like to note the decent quality of shooting in the “macro” mode; all the cracks and texture of surfaces can be captured in great detail.