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Is this the Galaxy S5’s metallic frame?

69

Samsung-Galaxy-S5-metal

What we’re seeing here isn’t much, but if we are to believe the reports associated with these images we are looking at the skeletal base of the Samsung Galaxy S5. Of particular note: the material here is metal, not plastic.

The images come by way of Nowhereelse.fr. They claim to have obtained the photos from sources working for a Samsung subcontractor tasked with production of the Galaxy S5.

One running complaint against Samsung’s premium Galaxy S line has been the company’s decision to utilize plastic as the primary build material over the device’s first four generations. The result is a handset that tends to feel a bit lower quality than intended. Samsung has long been rumored to upgrade the material, and the pictured casing jives with talk of a metal Galaxy S5.

Granted, if this turns out to be the GS5, the frame pictured leaves plenty of room for other materials to come into play. A metal base could still be accented with plastic panels, a removable battery cover, and the like. What do you guys think? Is this the real deal or something different entirely?

Samsung-Galaxy-S5-Cadre-06

 

Kevin Krause
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69 Comments

  1. Aaaaah those finger nails!!!!!!

    1. F*** microsoft

    2. Welcome to Asia ;)

    3. That pinky nail looks like it may be used for something…

  2. The only problem with Samsung’s plastic is that it’s glossy; that’s what makes it feel so cheap.. Make it matte or something and everything would be fine >_>

    1. the Note 3 took care of that. Much better feel than my GS3. The square edges of the Note 3 also keep the phone from slipping out of my hand like the GS3 did.

  3. As someone who just bought Black Sabbath tickets, I only want to add:

    METAL!!!!!!!

    On a serious note, if Samsung steps up and begins making some solidly designed devices out of something other than plastic, it might really squeeze HTC’s market. Build quality is a competitive advantage HTC has over Samsung.

    1. HTC’s build quality isn’t better than Samsung. HTC’s build materials may be preferred by some.

    2. you’re mistaking build quality with build materials.

      1. No I’m not. Any phone review on any site in the last 3 years will verify that. Or anyone that has owned both. HTC has lots of problems and down sides, but they have been the undisputed king of Android design and build quality.

        1. Read the forums and the “people” complain about the thin Aluminum speaker grills glued onto the One popping off when dropped and the gaps in their “gapless” technology. HTC make great phones but hardly the undisputed king of design and build quality for the last three years.

        2. I had 2 HTC Ones with build quality problems. The first one the micro-usb port was crooked and I could barely plug in the cord. Returned that one. The second after about a week I noticed light leaking from around the left side of the screen. I could push on the screen and see the whole thing moving. I returned that one for my S3 and so far no regrets. I’ll never buy another HTC product. For that kind of money I expect quality.

  4. Those are some serious coke nails.

    1. Oh my gosh!! IKR!?

    2. Seriously, it was the only thing i could see.

    3. those things are disgusting

    4. It makes it easier to peel oranges.

  5. As long as it’s not curved, I want it.
    Except not one handled by that guy, I just about hurled.

    1. dem nails

  6. Uh this is the inside of the phone. While I can’t speak for previous generations my S3 has a metal frame inside not plastic.

    Damn iPhone fan boys. Just because the outside is cheap plastic doesn’t mean the inside is. Sheesh.

  7. I only desire metal if the overall weight isn’t compromised too much and I wonder how that will work with the size of current devices. Having gone from a gs3 to the Note 3, I am very pleased with the improvement in feel and finish. But guess what, as always, I have put a case on my phone to protect it. The point being that I think most people will have their phone in a case and that the metal thing is a bit overblown.

  8. Here we go with this build quality bs.

    1. Most people talking about so-called “build quality” really mean “look”. They think a metal phone looks better.

  9. why not carbon fiber for the skeleton like lenovo laptops with aluminum cover panels? lightweight and invincible.

    1. My Lenovo is a piece of plastic dog crap.

      1. 1) I am talking about the internal frame not the covering. 2) i am discussing the business models like the T series which have really nice soft touch plastics not the horrible smooth plastic ones they sell at bestbuy. I am not 100% sure but i do not think the cheaper consumer models have the carbon fiber chassis/rollcage either.

        1. I am talking about my Lenovo being a piece of bulky, poorly designed, over weight dog crap. This one is a dull cased business model sold in The Netherlands. As a business model, Lenovo opted for dual crappy speakers instead of a 10 key keypad.

      2. Haha

  10. Only frame… back is going to still plastic with this metallic frame wrapping around. Lol, they cannot get away with using plastic!

    1. Is moto X plastic?
      Is Nexus 5 plastic?

      I wonder why only the Galaxy S series are being bashed.

      1. Everyone always like to root for the underdog. Everyone wants to feel unique.

        1. I like to root for the best

          1. That way they can charge anything they want

      2. You make an excellent point and the truth of the matter is that people usually provide news/information based on their personal opinions and biases. Very few have the ability to build their story on “facts” alone.

        1. Best comment .

        2. The problem is that the galaxy line “feels” cheap. They should just use nicer feeling plastics and they’ll be fine. The glossy plastic doesn’t feel that great compared to the n5 or moto x. They should use some more matte plastics

          1. i can agree that my galaxy s 2 (white), and note 2 felt a little less premium than other devices. My Note 3, however, feels more premium than its predecessors due to the fact that it does utilize texturized plastic for its back cover. It feels better than LG G2’s glossy plastic built. Let me add, my nexus 4 (although glass and a finger print magnet) didn’t feel that quality. Actually, if felt extremely fragile.

          2. Yet you don’t hear people bashing Nexus 4 everyday and it has its flaws, right?

          3. i criticize it quite a bit. My parents wanted to buy the nexus 4 but i told them not to because of the glass back. I steered them to either the Moto G or Nexus 5

          4. i agree, the note 3 feels really nice, much better than the note 2 imho

          5. That is more like personal preference than factual.

          6. im just saying what i hear people say. A lot of people ive talked to think the galaxy’s feel cheap cause of the glossiness or “plastickyness” but like 10-15 people have told me my n5 feels solid

      3. i don’t believe its the fact that it’s plastic, i believe its the type of plastic that it uses. I used to have a Note 8.0, n it was fine… but it was just fine… didn’t feel like it was a $400 device. When other tablets feel like like higher quality, its not the end of the world obviously, but its noticeable and its a pro for other manufacturers if their phones feel better.

  11. Nice. I held off the Note 3 and bought a new iPad mini retina. Looking to get the S5 for a news handset next year

  12. My Note 3 looks and feels just fine. Tech review sites might consider the back of the phone tacky, but my friends and family love it. F what everyone else is doing. I would be fine if they keep revising their use of plastic.

    1. Except most Samsung phones already have metal chassis’s. They are just covered by plastic. That’s why they already feel sturdy and durable enough. Samsung knows what they are doing. They just need to change their outer plastic shell to a higher quality platic.

      1. Agreed

      2. My wife had an old feature phone that finally gave out. I activated my old HTC rezound and she promptly broke it within 24 hours. After one bad insurance replacement they sent a droid DNA phone and my wife who had been clamoring for an iPhone immediately said the DNA was much nicer in look and feel. So I absolutely agree with you that samsung just needs to use higher quality plastic materials because HTC and some other companies have shown that you can make a very premium feeling phone with plastic materials.

      3. Soft-touch plastic. Everywhere. (The grease wipes away)

  13. I can honestly say that durability wise, the note 3 feels the best since the start of the galaxy line, and looks more premium. If the S5 does use premium materials I may consider them. But after my buddy s4 Active screen shattered from a 2 ft drop, Im back to being sceptical about sammy products. And whoever got something stupid to say, ya know what you can kiss

  14. Most people on here including me upgrade their phones quite often, I really think phones need to be made any better as far as build quality is. Also most people cover the crap out of their phones and they all look like otter box and whatever other cases people put on them. I am surprised otter box hasn’t come put with a phone yet.

  15. Does this metal frame somehow reject Samsung bloatware? If so, wow really cool!

  16. I didn’t know Freddie Krueger was a phandroid?

    1. I was thinkin’ the same thing. Looks like like nails for manhands. Or maybe it’s just obese chick hands?

  17. So is Samsung changing their camera placement? Maybe to accommodate for the new isocell sensor?

  18. All I’m saying is it better have a removable battery…

  19. I hope Samsung keeps using plastic. It’s the best material for a phone: light, durable, do not block wireless signal.

    1. Best comment

    2. I think most of us hope plastic remains, since it’s better in all respects EXCEPT the “huurrr durrrrr metal feels ‘premium'” sentiment from iFans

      1. its hardly better in any respect, its all just personal preference

    3. yet samsung still has a reputation for worse signals than other phones

      1. I have had a Droid Charge, a GS3 and a GN3 all on Verizon. All had far worse reception in all aspects that comparable Motorola or HTC hardware. Though I will admit that the GS3 was the worst of the lot and the Note 3 is a solid improvement.

        1. Yea my mom went from an evo 4g to a gs3 and she instantly started complaining to me how she can’t get service all the places she used to.

  20. The internal frames of all samsung phones sense the GS3 have had metal frames. Go look at the tear down videos, I know for a fact that the GN2 has a metal frame.

  21. So much hoopla about this plastic stuff. My sg4 is the best phone I have ever had. External Micro SD and removable battery are important though. Looking forward to the isocell camera.

  22. I think what you mean to say is it “JIBES” with such talk. I don’t think anyone wants something to “jive” with anything about exciting rumors, otherwise it might just be a bunch of “jive talk.”
    That being said, I have never had a problem with plastic. With a cheap protective case added, plastic will weather drops better than metal or other inflexible materials, and it also helps prevent the screen from cracking by absorbing much of the impact by flexing, instead of transferring most of the impact directly to the glass. I hope they never change it. The “feel” is not nearly as important to me as being able to pick up my still-in-new-condition phone from the floor time after time.
    Yes, you can just invest $50 in an Otterbox case, if you want to put your phone in a case on your hip instead of securely in your pocket, cleanly out of the way of all activities.
    Let the Apple boys fawn over their aluminum and glass. IDGAF what it’s made of, I want it to last. Period.

  23. …On the “nails” front: The website the photos come from is in France, so maybe it’s a French guy’s nails. Who knows, maybe nails on men are all the rage in France. On the other hand, many machinists prefer having at least one long nail, since it allows them to check for small uneven edges on the surface of newly-machined parts such as that one, and also to get small chips out of small places.
    Alternatively, maybe he prides himself on being able to offer a snort to 5 friends at the same time.

  24. If that’s the camera cut out on the upper left hand corner, it resembles the cutout of the iPhone 5 and 5s. Or something…

  25. If it doesn’t have a user replaceable battery, I’m not interested. I have no issue with Samsung’s use of plastic. I’ve played with the HTC, One, the Moto X, various Nexus’s, a couple of Samsungs, and you know what? Some are heavier, some are lighter. None twist or flex in normal use. None feel like a bank vault or a Leica camera. They all feel like…… phones.

    This whole “feel” thing is just snobbery. A way for people to feel smug, and “better yhan you.”

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