How it's made, how it works, how it works. Made in Russia: how smartphones of domestic brands are created

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Everyone has long been accustomed to the fact that Russia does not have its own production of smartphones - they simply don’t make them here. However, there are many brands on the market that call themselves Russian, selling smartphones not assembled here. The resource found out how relationships are built between domestic companies and Asian factories.

Android is a mobile OS that is very tolerant of the gadgets on which it is installed. Any company can order from China just assembled smartphone, put your version of the platform on it, stick an emblem with your logo and release it on the shelves of showrooms cellular communications. How this development model influenced the smartphone market in Russia, why domestic companies persuade the Chinese to improve the product, and why Yota Devices had difficulty finding a manufacturer for the famous YotaPhone.

Copy paste

The Black brick scheme has been working effectively in Russia for more than three years. In 2012, the domestic company Explay ordered a noname copy from China Samsung Galaxy S2, branded it for itself, set the price tag 2 times less (10,000 rubles versus 20) and came to success. Dual SIM, bright screen(Super AMOLED Plus) and similar design made this device a hit. During that year, Explay's revenue grew by 80%, and by the end of 2013 - by another 40%. So many companies that call themselves Russian: brand Chinese gadgets with their logo, Russify the interface and put them on the shelves.

However, there are also some nuances here. Often, devices brought from Asia are positioned not as replicas of hit models, but as unique solutions. Three slots for SIM cards, four slots for SIM cards (teXet has the first in Russia), huge batteries (up to 5000 mAh), TV tuners, projectors and other quite useful features are not in demand among A-brands, but appear in smartphones coming out of the assembly line of Chinese factories. A person who follows Asian hits can easily find “twins” of Russian models and discover a markup in price (usually 1.5–2 times), but this is not surprising: you have to pay money for the transportation of smartphones and firmware in Russian.

Silicon Valley experience

teXet company ( electronic systems"Alkotel") opened in St. Petersburg 11 years ago. Initially, affordable DECT phones, players and navigators were produced under this brand, but then smartphones and tablets began to be released. "Apple ushered in the era tablet computers, offering the market devices of the highest price segment. We are trying to take our share in this trend by releasing inexpensive products,” said CEO"Alkotel" Alexander Korolkov. By the fall of 2014, the share of iPads in Russia had decreased by a third: this space was occupied by budget gadgets, including many domestic ones.

"We - Russian company, our headquarters is located in St. Petersburg. We do not want to dump and import “gray” devices in order to increase market share: our business idea is no different from the one used in Silicon Valley. Product development is carried out here, production is in Southeast Asia. It’s easier and cheaper,” continues Korolkov. By “product development” we should understand, first of all, software, but despite this, teXet is already a recognizable brand in Russia, so its smartphones will in any case be more popular than their Chinese counterparts.

The Highscreen brand had a harder time in this regard: in the first year (2011), Vobis Computer sold only 20–30 thousand imported gadgets. In order to increase share and profit, it was decided to make smartphones exclusive: now Chinese factories produce products for Highscreen that differ from the standard ones. For example, inexpensive devices with lids that are bright and different in feel (glossy for girls, matte for men). So Android gadgets under the Highscreen brand also became in demand.

Now the company’s share is 2.8% of the Russian market, and only Fly and Explay are higher among the B-brands (according to Vobis Computer). “At the same time, Fly has the same share of money as we do, because their smartphones are cheaper, and Explay almost does not modify smartphones,” Highscreen representatives assure.

“Everyone should have a smartphone”

However, negotiations with Chinese suppliers are a labor-intensive process that sometimes lasts for months. The young brand DNS (devices are sold in the chain of stores of the same name) brought ThL W11 Monkey King smartphones to Russia, but with important changes. For example, the “back”, “home” and “options” keys by order of DNS are printed more clearly, support for fast charging has been added, and instead of the usual protective glass used Corning Gorilla Glass 3 0.7 mm thick. The last point is the most interesting: the thickened glass is aimed at reducing defects, which are still found in Asian smartphones. To reduce the number of returns, it is more effective to negotiate and slightly increase the cost of each copy than to issue returns and conduct endless examinations for those whose “original” glass cracked on the first day.

Sometimes access to Russian market implies a path from a supplier to an independent brand. This was the case with SenseIt: earlier this company brought “miniphones” for Megafon, and now it produces indestructible smartphones and phones with its logo. You won’t find any absolutely identical to the Chinese ones: SenseIt carefully approaches design issues.

“It is necessary that any Russian consumer can afford a smartphone,” says Eduard Vashchenko, head of Explay. According to him, the most important thing for a new brand is to occupy a niche free from competitors. In 2010, Explay was the first to make a navigator with both GPS and Glonass, then (also among the first) it opened three-SIM phones for Russians, and in March 2014 it was a pioneer among those who installed the set by default on their own smartphones Yandex.Kit applications. True, after 8 months they abandoned it due to claims from Google, and in May 2015, the “Kit” project was completely frozen.

“Nobody believed in us”

The most resonant and most Russian smartphone on the market is YotaPhone 2. Development of the first gadget with two screens began back in 2011: Yota Devices chose four important characteristics (slim body, two displays, fast internet, long-term operation without recharging), created a prototype and began searching for a manufacturer. “At first, no one wanted to talk to us at all - no one believed in us, because we were a small company with some incomprehensible device,” recalls Yota Devices CEO Vladislav Martynov.

The order was accepted only in Suzhou: the head of this plant, Yao Xiao Tong, placed his bet on Yotafon, as he once did on BlackBerry. The first generation of YotaPhone was largely experimental, the second was mature and refined, but overpriced: in a crisis, people are not ready to pay 35-40 thousand rubles for a gadget that does not have an A-brand logo. By the end of May this year, Yota Devices had sold a total of 144 thousand smartphones out of 150 thousand that belonged to the first batch.

“The global market is equal for all players, so small companies like Yota Devices find themselves on a par with others. A-brands have priority support from chipset/component vendors, already built sales channels, and clear marketing,” says Evgeniy Kozlov, who previously developed smartphones for Fly. But Yota Devices does not give up. The plans include the third generation of YotaPhone and its own tablet with additional screen on electronic ink.

Five main Russian smartphones

YotaPhone 2

Price - 36 thousand rubles

The second YotaPhone first appeared at the Barcelona MWC 2015 exhibition. There it was remembered for its attractive body and announced characteristics: they were much more interesting than those of the first version. The gadget received two touch screens (5-inch - Full-HD, 4.7-inch - qHD on electronic ink), Snapdragon chipset 800.2 GB random access memory and an 8-megapixel camera.

Now the device regularly receives operating system updates: for example, one of them improved the camera’s performance. The main convenience when using YotaPhone 2 is the auxiliary screen, from which your eyes do not get tired when reading. Additional benefit- autonomy: for those who often use an economical black-and-white display, the smartphone lives without a power outlet much longer.

TeXet iX-maxi

Price - 9-10 thousand rubles

Frank copy iPhone 6, which can be mistaken for the original if you look at the smartphone from the other end of the subway car. Externally, everything is similar (only there is no apple on the back panel), but the characteristics are lame: screen - qHD, processor - Chinese MediaTek, battery - for 5 hours of talk time, operating system- Android.

But there is as much RAM as in an iPhone - 1 GB. However, a gigabyte has not been enough for Google’s OS for a long time.

SenseIt R390+

Price - 13 thousand rubles

This smartphone can be confused with a walkie-talkie, but the rugged design is necessary for full IP68 protection. The waterproof device weighs more than 200 grams, runs on Android 4.2, shoots HD video and is indifferent to any falls.

For those who go on long journeys, there is a second SIM card slot and a 2400 mAh battery: this capacity can easily be extended for two days.

Explay Tornado

Price - 4.5 thousand rubles

Bright (five body colors) anti-crisis smartphone with support for three (!) SIM cards, a 4.5-inch IPS screen (ppi - 218), a quad-core MediaTek chip and 512 MB of RAM. A 1550 mAh battery guarantees one day of operation, and a slot for a memory card (there is a 4 GB one) turns the budget device into a media center.

The main advantage of this device is the price: the Tornado costs less than $100, which is great.

Highscreen ICE 2

Price - 13 thousand rubles

Vobis Computer has tried to make a noticeable smartphone, and the ICE 2 really fits this role - it stands out on shelves with a shiny, glossy body and a window on the rear panel. The 4.7-inch screen with HD resolution falls into the “retina” category (ppi - above 300), the 13-megapixel camera takes more or less decent pictures, and the 8-core MediaTek processor(frequency - 1.7 GHz) and 2 GB of RAM eliminate slowdowns.

The additional display on the rear panel is similar in functionality to external screen folding phones: the time and service information (charge, calls, tracks in the player) are displayed there.

As children, we loved to invent and invent, over the years we dream less and less, but some still believe that ideal smartphones exist. So where can you find it? IN Apple Store, where are the new iPhones or on Aliexpress, where can you snag an inexpensive new Xiaomi? But no, perfect smartphone you can come up with it yourself, if you assume that parts of different devices can be assembled into a single creation!

Front part – Xiaomi Mi Mix

A chic frameless smartphone with ultra-thin frames looks like an alien from the future. The author regrets that the phone cannot be officially purchased in America, but we know where to order such a spectacular smartphone.

Back of iPhone 7

The sparkling shiny surface in the “Jet Black” style is good: it looks beautiful and is pleasant to hold in your hands. Well, you can survive the scratches, after all, we are buying for ourselves, and not for resale in a couple of years.

Display from Sony Xperia XZ Premium

Full HD is good, but a 4K display is better, so your dream phone should have the maximum screen high resolution. This means we pull it out of Sony.

The best camera on the Samsung Galaxy S8

The Galaxy S8 may have an old-fashioned single-lens system rather than the usual two-lens system, but Samsung still takes great photos.

Fingerprint scanner from OnePlus 5

It is most convenient when the scanner is located at the front; it should work quickly and without errors. So, we take it from OnePlus 5, where it works noticeably faster than even in the top-end Galaxy S8.

Water protection from Samsung or LG

Expensive korean smartphones They are not afraid of water, so if you need protection from moisture, we look towards the older models - G6 or S8. They can withstand immersion to a depth of 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. For the iPhone 7, the stated characteristics are slightly worse - it can withstand half an hour, but at a depth of up to 1 meter, but also sufficient for underwater photography.

The most modern version Android with Google launcher Pixel

Naturally, your dream smartphone should work under Android control, so the shell needs to be simple, convenient and without unnecessary junk. Well, this can be found at Google Pixel, where everything is done wisely and it’s a pleasure to use.

Apple App Store

But with applications, everything is much more interesting at Apple, the store is better designed at Google, but the quality of the software is inferior iOS is better. It is more thoughtful, new products appear more often, and in general, application developers pay more attention to iOS than Android.

RAM from OnePlus 5

The $540 smartphone offers an impressive 8 GB of RAM. Don’t even ask why, let it be, it’s always nice to have a lot of memory in stock. Applications will run quickly and smoothly, you can always return to earlier running program and continue working from the very point where you left it, the software works in the background without affecting performance. In short, only advantages.

iPhone processor

Even if the iPhone 7 is not the most powerful smartphone on the market. So what if it outperforms even the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 in tests, so Apple processor A10 is a desirable component.

Wireless charging like Samsung and LG

Charge your phone using a wire? Phew, last century, it’s much more convenient to do this using wireless charging. Put your phone on the stand and watch how it fills with energy. Yes, albeit a little slower, but no wires around the office or apartment. If, of course, you figure out how to carefully hide the cable from the wireless charging itself.

Fast charging from OnePlus 5

It's good when the phone is not only powerful, but also with powerful fast charging included. The phone charges quickly, but at the same time does not overheat, the body remains cool, which is convenient and pleasant.

Huge battery from Lenovo P2

In general, in the original article there was ASUS ZenFone 3 Max, but on my own behalf I’ll add that I would prefer the 5100 mAh battery from the Lenovo P2. With it, the phone works for 3-4 days, or even a week, depending on how you use it. Down with thin phones, better let them work for a long time!

Price tag is the same as OnePlus 5

OnePlus 5 for $470 - great offer in terms of price and quality ratio on the market. What else can I add?

Translation

This guide walks you through building your own smartphone from start to finish. The business begins with printing the housing on a 3D printer, then soldering printed circuit boards, this whole thing is put together, and, in the end, a mobile operating system is installed on the smartphone, and using the language Python programming it becomes personally yours. You can find details about this project link .

Required skills:
- basic soldering skills;
- introduction to Raspberry Pi.
Or:
- a lot of free time and patience.

Step 1: Gathering the necessary materials

Before we begin, let's order all the components that we will need. So, you will need the following electronic components and printed circuit boards (in Russia, components can be purchased, for example, in such stores):
1. Raspberry Pi A+ 256MB
2. GSM module Adafruit FONA uFL Version
3. 3.5" PiTFT touch screen
4. Raspberry Pi Camera 5MP
5. Powerboost 500 Basic converter
6. GSM antenna
7. 1V 8Ohm speaker
8. USB - Wifi adapter
9. electret microphone
10. 1200mA lithium-ion battery
11. 4-40 x 3/8" screws
12. M2.5 x 5mm screws
13. M2.5 x 20mm screws
14. M2 x 5mm screws
15. slide switch
16. wires

Well, while you are waiting for the delivery of the order with everything listed, you can print the case.

Step 2: Print the body on a 3D printer

The smartphone body consists of two parts, printed on a 3D printer: top and bottom (or front and back, depending on how you look at it). You can download .stl files from the thingiverse resource. Well, if you don’t have a 3D printer, you can order a print from some company that provides similar services (for example, Shapeways). And yes, if you want to make a more custom case design, you can download the project for Solidworks from my github page.

Step 3: Basic Assembly

Now let's put it all together. The diagram shows a Raspberry Pi. Instead of connecting directly to it, connect the wire to pin 26 on the PiTFT. Now further.

1. Connect the “bat” pin on the GSM module (Adafruit FONA) to the same pin on the converter (PowerBoost).
2. Solder a wire from the GND (ground) pin on the GSM module to the same pin on the converter.
3. Solder a wire from the GND pin on the converter to one of the half-switch pins.
4. Also connect the GND pin from the converter to the ground of the PiTFT display (Same pinout for the first 26 pins as the Raspberry Pi, note that the arrow and "1" denote the first pin).
5. Connect the 5V line from the converter to the 5V line of the display.
6. Solder a wire from the center pin of the slide switch to the "EN" pin on the inverter.
7. Solder a wire from the “KEY” pin on the GSM module to pin 12 (GPIO 18) on the display.
8. Place the display over the Raspberry Pi.
9. Double check all connections!

WARNING: While testing is in progress, make sure the 5V connector is micro USB not connected. The Raspberry Pi is already powered by a battery.

If you toggle the slide switch, the LEDs on the converter should light up and the Raspberry Pi should turn on. The display backlight should also turn on. If you have the Raspberry Pi SD card configured to send pictures to the display, then they should appear on it. Otherwise, the display will simply glow white, which will this moment will do too. Most likely, the LEDs on the GSM module will not light up. To turn it on, hold down the power button on it for a couple of seconds. Or apply a signal to GPIO 18 on the Raspberry Pi for the same amount of time. If you've managed to power your Raspberry Pi, display, and GSM module with battery, it's time to move on to the next step.

Step 4: Final Assembly

Once we have connected the power, we can complete connecting the modules to the Raspberry Pi, as well as connecting the speaker and microphone. Let's start.
1. Solder the speaker pin “spk +” (8Ω) to the pin “spk -” on the GSM module. Polarity doesn't matter.
2. Solder the red wire of the microphone to the Mic + pin on the GSM module.
3. Solder the black wire of the microphone to the Mic - pin on the GSM module.
4. Connect the “RI” (Ringer Indicator) pin on the GSM module to pin 7 (GPIO 4) on the display.
5. Connect TX on the GSM module to pin 10 (RX) on the display.
6. Solder the RX of the GSM module to pin 8 (TX) on the display.
7. Connect Vio and bat on the GSM module. If desired, you can use a 3v3 line on the Raspberry Pi.
8. Attach the uFL antenna to the uFL connector on the GSM module.
9. Double check all connections!

If you try to turn everything on now, the device should behave the same as in the previous step. In the next step we will install the SIM card into the GSM module, which will allow the device to contact the cellular network.

Step 5: Install the SIM card

Now that the connection of the modules is complete, you can install a SIM card so that the GSM module can contact the cellular network. This module uses 2G networks for data transmission, for example T-Mobile. Please note that the module does not work with 3G and 4G networks. AT&T plans to stop supporting 2G networks by 2016, so we'll be using a T-Mobile SIM card. This GSM module uses a standard format SIM card, so micro or nano sim cards they won't come here. Activate the card according to the operator's instructions. Then insert the SIM card into the GSM module and turn it on. If the red LED of the module blinks every 3 seconds, it means it has connected to cellular network! In the next step we will install software so that the Raspberry Pi can communicate with the GSM module.

Step 6: Install SD Card

Now that all the hardware is assembled, you can start setting up the interaction of the Raspberry Pi with all this equipment. Start with the firmware latest version PiTFT OS on Raspberry Pi SD card. Click here to download. Once the SD card is ready, install it in the Raspberry Pi and turn it on. You will need the raspi-config utility. Here are a few things you'll need to configure:
1. Expand the file system.
2. Enable camera support.
3. Turn off serial port. This way the Raspberry Pi will be able to communicate with the GSM module.
4. Enable ssh. This is important because the Raspberry Pi A+ only has a USB port.

Finish the installation and restart the Raspberry Pi.
Type startx and the Raspberry Pi will launch LXDE on the display. To log in via HDMI, write:

FRAMEBUFFER=/dev/fb0 startx

Step 7: Wifi Installation

Your phone does not have a keyboard, so to access the device via the console, you need to set up wifi to connect via ssh. Connect the Wifi adapter to your computer and configure the connection via Wifi Config. Turn off the Raspberry Pi and connect the Wifi adapter to it. If you still can't connect to your Raspberry Pi via ssh, try using a USB hub. More information By Wifi setup can be found .

Step 8: Final Software Preparation

GSM module testing

To test the GSM module, install minicom using the command:

Sudo apt-get install minicom

Then run:

Sudo minicom -D /dev/ttyAMA0 -b 9600

A terminal for interacting with devices via a com port should open. If you write:

The answer should be “OK”. If you do not receive it, check all connections. If you receive it, then the GSM module is ready for use.

Rotate the screen

You may have noticed that the text on the screen is shown sideways rather than aligned with the position of the phone. Let's change this with the command:

Sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/adafruit.conf

Change the value of the “rotate” parameter in the file to 180.

Finally, to add LXDE to startup, follow the instructions in the instructions.

Installing Camera Software

Now let's install the software that helps you take photos with your Raspberry Pi camera. To begin, write:

Sudo apt-get install python-pip

Camera Installation:

Sudo pip install picamera=0.8

Finally, download the software:

Git clone https://github.com/spadgenske/adafruit-pi-cam

Step 9: Install TYOS

TYOS is an operating system for mobile devices(Technically, a modified version of Raspbian is an operating system, while TYOS is just graphical shell), allowing the phone to send and receive sms messages and also make calls. In the console write:

Wget https://github.com/spadgenske/TYOS/archive/0.1.0.zip

Unpack the archive:

Unzip 0.1.0.zip

To launch TYOS write:

Sudo python /home/pi/tyos/src/main.py

Once TYOS starts up, make sure everything is working by sending an SMS and making a call. Once you are sure that everything is in order, you can install TYOS into startup.

Write

Sudo nano /etc/rc.local

To open configuration file. Below, after the text and before the line “exit 0”, add the following text:

Sudo python /home/pi/tyos/src/main.py --power

Now restart your Raspberry Pi. TYOS should start when the device boots!

Step 10: Putting it all together

Now you can safely pack everything into the case.
1. Using hot glue, glue the microphone and speaker into the connectors underneath.
2. Using M2 screws, secure the camera. You will need to connect a ribbon cable between the camera and the Raspberry Pi, so place it appropriately.
3. Using M2.5 screws, secure the Raspberry Pi along with the installed SD card and Wifi adapter down the body.
4. Connect the camera ribbon cable to the Raspberry Pi.
5. Also using M2.5 screws, secure the GSM module with SIM card into the case.
6. When laying wires, make sure they do not interfere with any other electronics.
7. Wrap the inverter with electrical tape to avoid short circuit.
8. Place the converter and battery between the Raspberry Pi and the display.
9. Using hot glue, glue the slide switch into the slot provided for it at the top of the case.
10. Using 4-40 screws, attach the top and bottom housings together.
11. Check all connections.

Congratulations! You've just built your own smartphone! If you don't like a phone called "tyfone", you can change the logo in /home/pi/tyos/graphics/logo.png to whatever you want.

Android is a highly customizable operating system, but if you're tired of its appearance, installing a custom launcher may not be enough; there are other, more radical tools for changing its interface. We will tell you about them today.

Custom launcher

The easiest way to change the external Android view- install a new launcher to replace the standard one. On Google Play Store You can find time-tested classics like Nova or Apex, but also more experimental launchers (for example, with sorting applications based on the color of their icons). Which one you choose is a matter of your taste.

This application allows you to create unique live wallpapers that no one else has. The basis is any image, which you can change as you like, add a gradient, any text and even a widget. Usually live wallpapers show a looping video or animation, but not KLWP. Wallpapers created in this application are much more useful - they can show news, weather, schedule, buttons to control the player and much more. Many plugins with additional customization have been released for the application.

With this application you can create unique widgets. Widgets can be anything: with a clock, weather forecast, battery and memory sensors, maps, buttons to control the player, etc. In the Play Store you can find several dozen ready-made widgets with additional settings appearance.

Minimalist Wallpaper

Minimalist Wallpaper is a simple application with access to more than a thousand wallpapers made in a minimalist style. Wallpapers are sorted by category. Any image can be enlarged, cropped, edited directly in this application, in general - tailored specifically to the desktop of a specific smartphone.

Dynamic Notifications lets you customize the appearance of notifications on the blocking page, as well as filter out apps you don't want to receive notifications from. It uses smartphone sensors and saves energy by preventing the screen from lighting up if the smartphone is in a bag, pocket or back cover up. The coolest thing is that this application adds the Always On function to any smartphone (the screen lights up when it receives a notification, you don’t need to press the power button).

Floatify Lockscreen

Floatify Lockscreen adds to older smartphones Android versions One of the main innovations of Nougat is the ability to respond to messages in instant messengers through the notification curtain or from the blocking page. If a message doesn't require a response or you don't have anything to say, you can mark it as read so it won't bother you anymore.

Xposed Framework - a set of various tweaks to change the appearance and Android functionality. It installs only on rooted devices and is not currently compatible with Android Nougat. In the repository of this framework you can find hundreds of tweaks, utilities, applications and activators of hidden system settings.

Modern smartphones: what are they made of?

Currently, there are three main materials for smartphones: metal, glass and plastic. They are usually used as a base for the body. But we haven’t forgotten about rare ceramics, as well as different variants for finishing - leather, wood, rubber.

Metal

Statistics and user surveys assure that all-metal smartphones are the most popular among users, although metal is far from a cheap option, its processing is expensive and the smartphone itself, therefore, cannot be too budget-friendly. True, now metal cases have begun to be used not only in flagships, but also in mid-budget models.

Huawei Nova 2 Plus in a solid anodized aluminum body

Most often, anodized or polished aluminum alloy is used for a metal case - it is lighter and cheaper than others, plus it is not subject to corrosion; less commonly - steel, titanium alloy and magnesium. Don't forget about the premium limited models, which are made of gold or silver.

We hear more and more often about aircraft aluminum - we are talking about aluminum alloys with magnesium and other additives to increase strength, corrosion resistance and reduce weight. But, ultimately, this can be called a marketing ploy, because, in any case, aluminum is not used exclusively for smartphones - in its pure form it is too plastic and soft.

Caviar iPhone X Titano Gold Diamonds: titanium, yellow gold and diamonds

The advantages of a metal case are obvious: it looks more expensive than a plastic one, it is durable, it is difficult to break, and if it falls, the metal takes the blow - there is a greater chance that the “filling” will remain intact. Although the metal case can be scratched and bent, fingerprints are usually very noticeable on it.

Metal also has good thermal conductivity, so it prevents the smartphone hardware from overheating. True, if the device is properly “overclocked,” then the user may even get burned on the metal case.

Nokia 8 in an all-metal body made of aircraft-grade aluminum with plastic inserts for antennas ()

There is a significant “but”: the metal case interferes with radio waves and wireless communication, so manufacturers sometimes place antennas in the most unexpected places, which can simply be inconvenient for the user. These problems became obvious even in iPhone times 4, then its fate was repeated by the Samsung Galaxy A in an all-metal case. Nowadays, special windows made of plastic or glass are increasingly being made next to the antenna.

Plastic

Mainly made from plastic budget smartphones- This is the most inexpensive material, easy to process and quite durable. At the same time, the plastic case holds up well when dropped, despite its apparent fragility. But for the “insides” of a smartphone, the consequences of such a device falling can be disastrous: the impact energy is transferred inside and much more expensive components of the device can be damaged. For this reason, smartphones are often made of plastic, but are encased in a metal frame, and sometimes it even goes inside the case.

Meizu M6 made of polycarbonate (metal styling)

As a rule, ABS plastic or polycarbonate is used as the material for plastic cases of smartphones. The first is ordinary lightweight plastic, the second has additives that make it more reliable. There is glass fiber reinforced plastic that was developed for the military industry.

Designers often play with different back panel coatings: Soft Touch, plastic, textured like leather, metal, wood, etc. Sometimes at first glance it is even difficult to distinguish a plastic case from one actually covered with leather or metal.

BQ-5201Space with a plastic back panel and metal inserts at the top and bottom ()

Plastic also allows us to produce smartphones with the most incredible colors and designs. In fact, the plastic apparatus can be of any shape. But there is a plus and a minus - the material has low thermal conductivity, i.e. does not remove heat well from the “filling” of the smartphone, so the device may overheat. If the hardware is powerful, then manufacturers prefer more thermally conductive materials.

Glass

The glass case looks impressive, it’s even a pity to hide it under a case, but the glass, alas, gets dirty quickly. The first glass cases in mass production appeared on the iPhone 4 and Nexus 4, and the release of the Galaxy S6 made them more popular.

Samsung Galaxy S9+ in a glass case (Gorilla Glass 5) with a metal frame

Most modern flagships use a glass case: in addition to an attractive appearance, it also allows you to equip a smartphone wireless charging(glass conducts the signal well). Now glass gives designers the opportunity to indulge in visual effects: it can change color depending on how the light falls, reflect it in the form of rays, etc.

Apple iPhone 8 and 8 Plus in a glass case - there is a metal frame made of aircraft-grade aluminum

Manufacturers typically use tempered aluminosilicate glass from Corning, encasing it in a metal frame for added strength. Although it is promised that Gorilla Glass will not be scratched, various crash tests show that you should not expect much resistance to scratches. In addition, the glass still remains quite fragile and with a strong impact it will simply break, forming a mesh. Well, at least it won’t shatter into fragments, risking injury to the user. By the way, about falls: smartphones made of glass are quite slippery, so many people still come to the need for a case.

HTC U Ultra Deluxe Sapphire

Rarely found is high-strength sapphire glass, which is used in the HTC U Ultra Deluxe Sapphire. Today, this is the most durable glass in smartphones, which has been proven by tests - it is very scratch-resistant, has good shielding and is completely transparent.

Ceramics

Ceramic smartphones are still exotic. They can be seen extremely rarely on the shelves; they are not stocked, although they look very attractive. The fact is that the material is quite fragile and the manufacturer has to work hard to make a smartphone from it. Processing ceramics is quite complicated, the process produces too much waste, so such a case costs the manufacturer a pretty penny.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 Ceramic Version - more impressive in white

But ultimately, after processing, ceramics become stronger than glass. It is more difficult to leave scratches on this material, not to mention the fact that it does not break easily. However, ceramics are simply obscenely slippery, so it would be extremely imprudent to “walk” such a smartphone without a case. By the way, the ceramic case can only be black or white, but the latter looks very impressive.

OnePlus X Ceramic Edition

The thermal conductivity of ceramics is low, which allows you to easily “put it under the hood” powerful filling. While ceramic smartphones are produced mainly Chinese manufacturers and they do this in the form of limited editions: Xiaomi Mi 6 Ceramic Edition, Mi Mix 2, OnePlus X Ceramic Edition, etc.

Finishing materials

There are smartphones with wood panels or leather trim, but smartphones are not made entirely from these materials, and this is justified - the problem is their strength and thermal conductivity. Typically, such models use either plastic or metal as a supporting structure. Such devices look beautiful, stylish and their body is very pleasant to the touch. However, they are usually produced in limited editions.

Lenovo Vibe X2

As an example, we can recall one of the unusual smartphones that we have already talked about - Monohm Runcible, a round device, one of the parts of which is made entirely of wood. If we turn to more mass-produced models, then back panel Moto X was made, among other things, from leather and bamboo, and the lower part of the “puff” that made up the body of the Lenovo Vibe X2 was also bamboo - it looked, frankly, great.

LG G4 with a plastic back covered in leather in different colors

They use rubber body linings, usually in combination with impact-resistant plastic and metal. Rubber is non-slippery and has the ability to absorb shock loads. But smartphones with rubberized bodies are bulky and thick, and “elegance” is no longer their thing.

Protected North Face M9 Pro LTE PTT smartphone with rubberized inserts on the body

In the future, manufacturers promise to use materials such as a decanter and wear-resistant but ductile liquid metal, which is an amorphous alloy of zirconium, copper, nickel, etc. Lastly Apple has already registered several patents, but the matter has not yet progressed further.