Samsung will ditch plastic for 'new materials' on a 2014 phone

galaxy s5
Is this the end of Samsung's faux-metal rims?

Samsung will break the mold this year and release a non-plastic phone, bucking a trend it's established over several years of cheap-feeling Galaxy devices.

Not that Samsung's phones have actually been cheap or of poor quality, but their plastic chassis have sometimes made them feel that way.

No doubt that hasn't helped the Korean firm in its battles with competitors like HTC, which has taken to using metal on flagships like the One M8.

But now Samsung Mobile Senior Vice President Kim Hyun-joon has informed investors and analysts that Samsung will release two more phones this year, one of which will be made from "new materials," reports The Wall Street Journal.

So metal

One of those phones will be a large device, possibly the Galaxy Note 4.

The other could very well be the rumored Galaxy Alpha, which is thought to be a Galaxy S5 spin-off with metal sides and a textured, plastic back.

In addition, an unknown Samsung phone being used for research and development purposes popped up in April with what was thought to possibly be an all-metal body, so that could be it., too - or those could be the same phone.

Samsung revealed in its latest quarterly earnings report that profits have fallen, though not by any fault of the successful Galaxy S5.

It seems the company will try to pick up its fortunes with a metal - or at least partially metal - phone, a strategy that's worked just fine for its competitors.

  • Guess what's already made of metal? The iPhone 5S

Via The Verge

Michael Rougeau

Michael Rougeau is a former freelance news writer for TechRadar. Studying at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Northeastern University, Michael has bylines at Kotaku, 1UP, G4, Complex Magazine, Digital Trends, GamesRadar, GameSpot, IFC, Animal New York, @Gamer, Inside the Magic, Comic Book Resources, Zap2It, TabTimes, GameZone, Cheat Code Central, Gameshark, Gameranx, The Industry, Debonair Mag, Kombo, and others.


Micheal also spent time as the Games Editor for Playboy.com, and was the managing editor at GameSpot before becoming an Animal Care Manager for Wags and Walks.