Ordinary things can be made from the same ordinary materials, but made like this. that they will seem unusual. You can take, for example, anything. For example, leather boots, they contain leather, padding and material for the sole. Nothing else is needed, but they all look different: some are higher, others are lower; some with rough soles, and others with thin soles; after all, they all have different shapes. That is, any thing, no matter what it is, slippers or a car, can have completely different interpretations of its appearance, although the materials needed are approximately the same.
So, for example, without delving “into the depths” and into the spare parts of a car, any person who knows absolutely nothing about it internal structure, can determine that externally we see a metal case and glass. But in different cars the metal body is also made differently: in some places it is embossed, in others it is straight, and in others there are such and such places. Glasses have different placements. Somewhere there is more glass, and somewhere less, somewhere they are connected to each other, and somewhere they are separate.
It is precisely these opportunities for the flight of imagination of designers that have become key to creating a variety of cars, and sometimes even very original ones. Thus, the car created by designers Liu Shun, Gao Zhiqiang, and Chen Zhilei is one of those original cars. Its originality lies in the fact that its entire body is made of glass. That is, his appearance It’s very original, it’s difficult to describe it, it’s better to admire it in the photo.
Besides being a beauty, the Dolphin (that's the name of the car) is also a sports car. But the fact that this car is a sports car does not at all become an obstacle to placing the whole family in it, since it is very roomy.
Its cover is made of carbon fibers, which are popular as sports car covers due to the fact that they are very light.
Beauty, originality. lightness, spaciousness - what else is needed for an ideal car!?
Transparent phone
The phone market is so full that it would seem there is no room for it to develop! At first we could only communicate without leaving home, by wired telephone, which still had to be twisted to dial a number. Now even home phones exist with a database, that is, with telephone directory, which contains all the numbers you need. Previously, such a “database” was a telephone book, or telephone numbers in the brain’s memory. Her need simply disappeared, and, by the way, this is bad, because often phone numbers are stored in the phone’s memory, and not on the SIM card, so if your phone is broken, then it is impossible to restore all contacts. But not now phone books, but directly about phones.
Those home phones have been replaced by mobile wireless communications, which we all now successfully use. Phones are not the end wireless communication. Now we can communicate via Skype, and not only hear the voice of the person we are talking to, but also see him on the monitor screen, if, of course, he has a webcam.
The phones themselves were originally simple, black and white, but we still remember them. Nowadays, the telephone is not only a means of communication, it is also a means of entertainment. IN Lately They try to make phones as light as possible, so they become not only light in weight, but also visually light.
Everyone knows that the normal external frame of a phone (that is, what we see visually) is a metal, or plastic, case and a screen, which has recently often been touch-sensitive. But all these “phone stereotypes” may soon come to an end! This is due to the fact that the Taiwanese company Polytron Technologies is engaged in a project to make a glass phone. The entire phone cannot be completely glass; rather, its base is glass, but the “internals” on which it generally functions, the flash card and SIM card, are not glass.
The idea is certainly interesting, but from a practical point of view, it is unnecessary, since we already have multifunctional gadgets. In addition, those who like to “drop the phone” will not be able to be content with a glass phone for so long.
Bulletproof Runbo X5, giant Sony Xperia Z Ultra and stylish HTC J Butterfly - Pavel Gorodnitsky has compiled a digest of the most durable mobile devices.
Sony Xperia Go
The most budget holder of the IP67 dust and moisture protection certificate is produced in Japan - Sony company with its universal and inexpensive nature, it closed an entire niche, forcing competitors to look for free zones in other price categories.
The reliable and lightweight gadget is equipped with a five-megapixel camera, a dual-core proprietary processor with a frequency of 1 GHz and 4 GB of internal memory. However, there is also an expansion slot - installing a microSD card will allow you to load another 32 GB of various content into the smartphone.
A 1300 mAh battery would look weak in flagship devices with high-definition displays, but for a resolution of 320x480 (diagonal - 3.5 inches) this volume is quite enough. Sony Xperia Go is relevant both for lovers of tourist expeditions (the charge can easily be stretched over 3 light days) and for those who are used to seeing their phone in perfect store condition. The average price of the device is 8,000 rubles, which is quite a bit for such a balanced and compact device.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Active
Sometimes a Korean company acts as a trendsetter (take the first Galaxy Note), but more often competently adopts the ideas of other vendors. This happened in 2013 - as soon as Sony flooded the market with protected devices, main antagonist Apple began to develop its creation, intended for brutal use.
Already in June 2013, a nice smartphone with a five-inch FullHD display, a quad-core chipset from Qualcomm (frequency 1.9 GHz) and a 2600 mAh battery was announced. The new product was equipped with an eight-megapixel camera, two gigabytes random access memory and physical buttons.
The product case has an IP67 standard, which means that dust will not get inside the device. Water procedures for the Galaxy S4 Active are also not contraindicated: the smartphone can be lowered to a depth of up to a meter for several minutes.
The gadget weighs 151 grams and can control home appliances thanks to infrared port. average cost- about 23,000 rubles, but the most determined buyers will be able to find a Galaxy S4 Active for 19,000 in Russian currency.
Sony Xperia Z Ultra
We can talk about the advantages and ways of using this tablet-like device for a very long time. - stylish and thin device with a 6.44-inch display (you press whatever you want - from a match to a toothpick, from a pencil to a special stylus) equipped the most powerful filling(quad-core processor with a frequency of 2.2 GHz), a decent battery and an eight-megapixel camera.
They like to blame Sony for faded screens, flaws in proprietary interfaces and a craving for minimalism, but this time the Japanese have produced an excellent smartphone, the undeniable advantage of which is its invulnerability. Even if dust gets into the case, it will not affect the operation of the Android phablet in any way, and moisture will not be able to penetrate into the bins of the Xperia Z Ultra at all.
Sturdy, large, multifunctional, productive and multimedia - these five characteristics indicate that the price of the Ultra (approximately 26,000 rubles) is more than justified.
HTC J Butterfly
The number of strategic miscalculations of HTC in 2013 reached its historical maximum - the mistakes of the Taiwanese vendor can be devoted to a separate material, which will include the story with ultrapixels, the failure with the fingerprint sensor, illogical pricing and weak PR of the wonderful HTC smartphone Butterfly.
“Butterfly” was advertised as if reluctantly, making room for the pretentious HTC One. As a result, HTC managers talked about the wonderful “unit” camera, but never bothered to pay attention to a harmonious and waterproof camera.
In addition to its attractive appearance and protection from water penetration, the five-inch gadget can shoot video at 30 frames per second, run heavy games (4 cores and a frequency of 1.5 GHz) and provide comfort in video conferencing ( front-camera- 2 megapixels). The disadvantage of the device is standard, bold and indisputable - the 2020 mAh battery lasts a little less than three hours of hyperactive work ( Full time job in resource-intensive applications).
HTC J Butterfly is already difficult to find, but it is still possible: the “butterfly” sells for 20,000 rubles.
LG Optimus GJ
There is an opinion that LG specializes in creating sleek, rectangular smartphones with an ideal interface for writing short reminder notes. This stereotype is close to harsh reality - the South Korean manufacturer really has enough lines of devices different levels, but with a synonymous design.
The body of this brilliant smartphone (look at the archaic antenna!) will withstand shocks, falls, flights and other natural disasters. An elegant navigation key, two SIM slots, a weight of 340 grams, a thickness of 25 millimeters, a 3800 mAh battery (!), a volume sensor and a built-in walkie-talkie (!!!) - all these indicators make the Runbo X5 a gadget for the elite.
For the sake of respect, we list other parameters - dual core processor from MediaTek (frequency - 1 GHz), gigabyte of RAM, 4.3-inch display, eight-megapixel camera with autofocus, Android 4.0 and built-in barometer.
A work of art called Runbo X5 will cost the buyer 17,000 rubles.
Preserver Series
“What about us?” iPhone owners think sadly, realizing that the release of a secure smartphone on iOS 7 will happen with about the same probability as the victory of the Gabon national team at the World Cup.
Engineers from Otterbox decided to make life more difficult for services (yes, the same ones that change dozens of displays, microphones and back panels of Apple gadgets every day) and released Preserver Series cases that transform the iPhone, if not into a Runbo X5 (it is incomparable), then at least a durable and hardy device that does not crack after falling from a height of two meters and does not die after a half-hour dive to a depth of up to a meter.
The most surprising thing is that the accessory does not limit the functionality of Touch ID on the iPhone 5S: the craftsmen from Otterbox built the design in such a way that water does not penetrate into the case through the small holes located next to the fingerprint scanner.
For just $90, the iPhone 5, iPhone 5C or iPhone 5S is transformed into an invulnerable (if not so aesthetically pleasing) device.
Previously, almost all phones were made of plastic, but they were replete with a variety of shapes. Today, almost all phones look approximately the same, but manufacturers offer us to choose between. The choice, of course, is also not great - either glass, or metal, or, again, plastic. But today, the case material can play a decisive role in choosing a smartphone.
Each material has its own pros and cons. Colleagues from Authority We tried to figure out which is better. We will list the properties various materials, and then we will try to find out your opinion about smartphones made of plastic, metal or glass. It just so happens that everyone has different preferences.
Metal
Pros:
Appearance: The aluminum smartphone looks solid and feels good to hold in your hand. Usually, aluminum cases used for expensive smartphones, and they emphasize their high cost.
Thermal conductivity: the metal helps dissipate the heat generated by the processor, which plastic cases cannot boast of.
Minuses:
Thermal conductivity: This is both a minus and a plus. If your smartphone's processor gets very hot, its metal casing may become so hot that you simply feel uncomfortable holding the smartphone in your hands. This happens rarely, but it does happen.
Damage Resistance: While plastic can bend and bend back, bending metal back is not so easy. On metal cases Dents and scratches remain, which spoil the appearance of the smartphone, and they are visible much better than on plastic.
Glass
Tempered glass is used today in almost every smartphone to protect the display. However, some manufacturers cover with glass and back smartphone. Today you can see similar solutions in flagship Sony smartphones and Galaxy S6.
Pros:
Hardness: Tempered glass is very difficult to scratch, unlike plastic or metal.
Scalability: If you don't complicate things with the idea of using sapphire glass, glass panels can be produced in on a large scale, and their use allows to reduce production costs.
Minuses:
Fragility: tempered glass difficult to scratch, but easy enough to break. Replacement glass case is not always cheap, and this is evidenced by great amount people around us who use phones with cracked glass.
Design limitations: Almost all glass devices are smooth and flat. Curved models are starting to appear, but this does not give the freedom that designers have when working with plastic or metal.
Plastic
It is still the most popular material for making smartphone cases. LG, Samsung, Nokia and many other companies actively use it.
Pros:
Does not affect reception quality: metal and glass cases often negatively affect the operation of the smartphone antenna, which leads to poor reception. Such problems never arise with plastic.
Low cost: plastic is cheaper than glass and metal, and this affects the cost of the smartphone.
Minuses:
Appearance: a plastic smartphone often looks much simpler and more inconspicuous. They feel exactly the same in the hand, unless, of course, the plastic is covered with genuine leather.
Thermal conductivity: Polycarbonate does not conduct heat well. This should mean that, with the same characteristics, a plastic smartphone will work slower.
One of the essential components of our smartphones is glass, which covers the display and protects it from shocks and scratches. There are different types of glass. We will try to tell you whether they differ from each other, and how big the difference is. If there is a difference, then which glass is the safest.
Gorilla Glass
Glass from the company has existed since 2007. Glass appeared in 2012 Gorilla Glass second generation. A year later, the third generation appeared. Today the majority flagship smartphones use Gorilla Glass 5, introduced in 2016. The sixth generation glass was recently announced.
The glass manufacturing process does not change much from year to year. The glass becomes stronger by being in a bath of molten salt at a temperature of 400 degrees Celsius. Potassium ions create a layer that adds strength to the glass.
Scratch resistance does not change from year to year, but resistance to shocks and falls increases with each generation of Gorilla Glass. According to Corning, last generation their glass can withstand up to 15 drops from a height of one meter. That's twice as many drops as Gorilla Glass 5 can withstand.
Dragontrail
Other popular glass makes Japanese manufacturer Asahi. It can be called the second most popular. There are Dragontrail, Dragontrail X and Dragontrail Pro. The latest variety was released in 2016. No new glass from Asahi has been announced yet.
Tempered safety glass
There are glasses that many people stick on top of the main glass of their smartphone. It's hard to be sure that all of these glasses are made to the same standard, but let's hope that most of them are tempered at 600 degrees Celsius. These tempered glasses are the most affordable to manufacture.
Sapphire crystal
The least accessible are sapphire crystals. They are made from artificially grown crystals in a barrel that is exposed to 2200 degrees Celsius. The process takes about 16-17 days. This is why sapphire crystals are so expensive. Sapphire has a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale, while Gorilla Glass can withstand scratches from objects with a hardness of no higher than 5 on the Mohs scale.
Which glass is better
There is practically no difference in scratch resistance between glasses from Corning and Asahi. Sapphire crystal can only be scratched by a diamond, and this is where it wins. Regular tempered glass will lose the battle.
When it comes to flexibility and strength, the situation is different. Sapphire glass is more likely to crumble than bend. Gorilla Glass is significantly more flexible. This means that the glass can withstand greater pressure. Corning assures that sapphire crystal will not be able to support 73 kilograms above itself, while their solution holds 195 kilograms under it. Dragontrail crystals are catching up with Corning and surpassing sapphire crystals. Tempered protective glass may not even be considered.
And it turns out that you have to choose between greater scratch resistance and greater shock tolerance. Manufacturers today choose lower costs and install glass from Corning and Asahi. Sapphire crystals They are not used in all products, and they are not necessarily used for screen protection, but many consumers would like to have a smartphone whose screen is not scratched. True, smartphone users have found their way out. They buy smartphones with Gorilla Glass and cover it with tempered protective glass.
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 Sony Xperia Z line picked up the baton, and a little later - Samsung Galaxy S. This year, glass has finally captured not only the market, but also the brains 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 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 can’t do anything about our own physiology, so the phone will remain clean only in one case: if it is never used. All latest devices They shimmer beautifully in display cases, but in your hands they instantly become 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 may now object: but how? 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 tired gloss. Without straining our memory, we can name only a few models from Xperia line, in which such glass was inserted. 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, not caring 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 mass distribution 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 be 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 shortcoming follows from the previous shortcoming: back panel, if something happens, it 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 the iPhone X will cost at least 6,000 rubles, but the lucky owners Apple technology 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. At high load The temperature of the processor inevitably increases, which, coupled with not the most successful cooling, leads to the 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 antenna placement 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?
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