Have you ever held your smartphone in your hand and thought, “Man, this is not comfortable to hold”? I have. In fact, I just did. I’m using a Galaxy S7 Edge for the next 6 months, and I’m on my third or fourth week of using it at this point and I just can’t shake the feeling that I really do not like the way this phone feels in my hand. At the same time, I also can’t pinpoint exactly what it is I don’t like about it. Is it the size? The edges? The weird way all of my cases seem to fit over it? Maybe a mixture of everything?
The more I thought about it, the more I realized I have only ever owned one phone that I considered comfortable: the 2013 Moto X. The size of the phone, the somewhat rounded edges, the soft matte material used on the back of the device, and the subtle dimple on the back for your finger are all design aspects that I remember fondly. And while I contribute a lot of my fond memory to its smaller size, I also realized that most smartphones nowadays are designed for style rather than comfort regardless of size. All of a sudden I find myself regretting past stances I’ve taken regarding smartphone design.
I look at my S7 Edge and I think back to articles I’ve written calling for Samsung to get rid of its polycarbonate housing in favor of something more “premium”. I think Samsung achieved that at one point with the textured design of the Note 3 and Note 4, but overshot it again by introducing the glass back on the S6 and dragging it over to the S7. While I wasn’t a fan of the polycarbonate material, I was even more opposed to the use of glass on the back of a phone. Sure, it’s pretty to look at if you never intend to touch it. Otherwise, it’s just a fragile, cold material that doubles as a fingerprint magnet, and a pain in the butt to replace if it shatters.
And then there's the rampant use of aluminum, which is sturdier than glass in the sense that it won’t completely shatter if dropped. Still, aluminum (in my experience) is still quite slippery, and when I think of words that I associate with “comfortable”, “slippery” is usually not one of them.
To be clear, glass and aluminum aren’t the real issues here. They may not be the most comfortable materials, but many people simply adjust and they’ve proven to be popular choices. The problem is that OEMs seem to be hopping on both bandwagons without much regard for anything else. In a sea of phones that are hell bent on trying to have the biggest, thinnest and most stylish design, maybe just one manufacturer can shift their focus to making a smartphone that is specifically designed with style and comfort in mind. Given that most people spend time using smartphones in their hands, the phrase “Hey, this feels really nice,” makes as much sense as, “Hey, this looks really nice.”
Perhaps the definition of what makes a smartphone “comfortable” is too subjective to make such a thing happen, but at this point, I would happy take an attempt at improved comfort over some of the major changes that have been made to smartphones lately.
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