Glass can crack. It’s simply fact. And one way that it can crack is by a quick change in temperature. I’ve had this happen before while washing dishes. The sudden change from hot to cold on the cup caused the cup to shatter. Now I’m not going to get into all the science behind it because frankly this isn’t a science site. So why do I bring this up?
Well apparently a Nexus 4 user had this glass shattering phenomenon happen to his phone. No, no liquid was involved. The story goes that the user was on his phone for a little while which would have heated the phone up, both from the internal heat and the heat from his hands. After using the phone he placed it “gently” on a stone counter top and presto, cracked back.
Now I for one am a little sceptical about this claim. Perhaps the “gentle” placement on the stone counter top wasn’t as gentle as he thought. I’m especially sceptical after seeing some drops tests where it seemed as though the glass was holding up fairly well. However, this whole story leads to a bigger question. Should LG and Google have used glass in the first place?
While glass can offer a more “premium” feel, it’s probably the most fragile material you could use for the back of your phone. I believe that’s why Apple finally switched their back to metal because to several customers were cracking their backs and fronts (I see these broken iPhone 4/4s on a regular basis). I personally prefer durability over a premium feel. I don’t mind the plastic build of the Samsung devices because they’ve always held up well for me. An even better option is the one piece polycarbonate plastic shells that is being used on devices like the HTC One X or the Lumia 920. Those devices seem to be extremely durable while offering that “premium” feel.
What do you guys think? Do you pick durability and maybe a cheaper build or a more fragile device with premium materials.