

The Thinnest Smartphone - dits59
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tech/news/a346307/motorolas-droid-razr-worlds-thinnest-4g-smartphone-launches.html

======
jerrya
I've seen too many dropped and broken screens on phones to desire a really
thin smartphone, that is, until the standard warranty covers screen damage for
a minimal (if any) charge.

I've been very pleased with my Nexus One. Haven't dropped it often, but
dropped it often enough to be very pleased with how HTC designed and built it
(with a metal chassis).

In a real sense, bragging that your phone is thin, without giving me coverage
for breaking the screen is a disfeature. An unbenefit. A risk factor.

~~~
2muchcoffeeman
What does thin have to do with breaking the screen?

"featuring a chassis with a stainless steel core and woven kevlar on the
back."

I like how they are using nice materials.

~~~
jerrya
It's my perception a thin chassis will subject the screen to more flexing.
Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe I'd prefer the modern screens flex than be
subject to a rigid shock.

But the point is, I don't know, and the manufacturers neither make it clear
which screen is more durable to shock, nor do they take the risk away.

So they offer me something that is of neglible value: thinness. Why do I want
a thinner phone? My Nexus One ain't that fat, and neither are the various
iPhones. WHY do I want a thinner phone? The manufacturers have not made the
benefits of a thinner phone clear to me, but I sure am aware of the risks and
costs of breaking a phone screen.

If the manufacturers really want to demonstrate that a thinner phone is less
resistant to screen breaks, they should warrant the screen for breakage.

Otherwise, I just perceive they are asking me to pay for a non-feature, a
style point more valuable to them and the press than to me.

~~~
nodata
Thinner phones will be bought by people who want to upgrade from their old fat
phones. If you're going to buy a thinner phone, why not buy the thinnest?

------
weiran
No doubt it's a thin phone, but it's only 7mm at the thinnest point. As Gruber
pointed out that's like saying the Macbook Air is 3mm thick.

