Why the Nokia 3310 was so strong compared to phones now and even phone at the same time.
In: Engineering
Consider the materials most modern smartphones are made out of. Glass and thin metal.
Glass is a great material for a lot of reasons. It’s actually very strong and durable. It resists bending, is scratch resistant, easy to clean, and not damaged by heat or UV light. The problem with glass though is it’s very difficult to make the perfect sheet. Small imperfections create weak spots, which make it brittle. Hence why smartphone screens will shatter when dropped.
Thin metals on phones serve a couple of purposes. They primarily help with heat dissipation, which is critical as phone processors become more powerful. It also looks attractive. But thin metals bend easily. Hence the whole “bendgate” debacle with so many of Apple’s products.
The Nokia 3310 on the other hand is one big hunk of plastic. Plastic screen, plastic outer shell, and a thick plastic chassis inside holding all the electronics in place. One of the key properties of plastic is how they resist compressive and tensile loads through deformation. Certain plastics will also spring back to their original shape following deformation. So when you drop the legendary Nokia, it’s plastic shell deforms and absorbs the energy of the impact. Contrast to glass which doesn’t like to deform, or metal which won’t spring back on its own.
So what are the downsides of plastic? Well, it scratches easily, which is especially bad for displays. It can also crack over time through repeated deformation, and weaken due to exposure to UV light. Plus people think plastic looks and feels cheap. People like their phones to have a premium quality about them. So even though plastic is probably more durable material, people would prefer metal or glass.
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