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It's not really plastic vs. metal, it's plastic vs. aluminum. Steel would be a much better choice for strength, it's just heavy.
by smackfu 12y ago
It's not really plastic vs. metal, it's plastic vs. aluminum. Steel would be a much better choice for strength, it's just heavy.
- jader201 12y agoAbsolutely right. I guess it's more like this: - Stylish - Durable - Lightweight Pick two.
- m_mueller 12y agoWell - Titanium. But then we get into issues with mass availability.
- jpgvm 12y agoThere are a number of magnesium alloys which while not as tanky as titanium would be I think would be viable contenders to construct the chassis out of. You could still use an aluminium skin as it's much more attractive usually.
- m_mueller 12y agoI've never seen an aluminium skin on a magnesium alloy. Does that work?
- kissickas 12y agoI thought iPhones were normally designed to feel heavier (and therefore more expensive) than other phones. The 6 and 6+ both weigh more than the 5s, although I'm not sure how it "feels" given the bigger size (I haven't held one yet).
- Pxtl 12y agoiirc, aluminum is actually stronger than steel if you calculate it per-unit-weight. So alternately they could've made it a bit thicker. Obviously, I'm a software guy and not a materials engineer.
- ominous_prime 12y agoYes. Aluminum and stainless steel have very similar "Specific Strength" characteristics, though the steel is slightly stronger and has a much higher tensile strength. In a measure of stiffness, aluminum has a higher "Specific Modulus" than steel, and can often be constructed into forms that give it more "strength" (in the meaning overall rigidity) for a given weight.