One of the most common criticisms of Samsung’s hugely popular Galaxy line of devices is that they use plastic cases that are less durable and of lower quality than the aluminum builds of the iPhone 5 and the HTC One. One of SamMobile’s sources says that the company is taking this criticism to heart, however, and is considering upping the build quality for its next Galaxy Note “phablet” because it is supposedly “worried” about the perception that it uses second-rate materials. While this news would be welcomed by many Samsung fans, there are some reasons to doubt whether Samsung will really ditch plastic going forward. In the first place, the plastic builds make Samsung devices much easier to mass produce than rival devices and the high yields help Samsung achieve better economies of scale. Second, the average consumer has given precisely no sign that he or she cares about plastic builds since the notoriously plasticky Galaxy S III sold around 40 million units in 2012.
