New Materials for Mobile : Aluminum, magnesium and reinforced metals

The designs and materials for smartphones moving, and there are options beyond the classic plastic or metal that populate today's smartphones: we show which are the most innovative materials that may find yourself on a smartphone.

Manufacturers seek to innovate, to distance itself from its competitors, do we buy so your smartphone can not find in other devices, and a key field in this competition is the design. A field in which many manufacturers remain classics, but where others dare to innovate with materials somewhat different.

Materials to improve the existing

Before turning to the true strangers, the current materials are renewed to keep up to date, or have extra advantages over other mobile devices using these materials. A couple of which we can find in today's phones are:

Aluminum, magnesium and reinforced metals

The metal is fine, gives a feeling of being a great material, and aluminum is the most widely used at the time of making the back cover. Protects well our device and dissipates heat at the expense of not being able to use any internal antenna, the scratches are more visible, and increasing the price of the product and final cost.

The solution to these small problems could be to use magnesium, which is already done some manufacturers in the intermediate layers, but a material that corrodes too quickly if not treated before. As a compromise, many manufacturers employ different designs, such as including several layers of aluminum in the housing construction reinforced aluminum alloys, and other inventions.

Gorilla Glass

We love that manufacturers use to make their crystal devices, path taken giants like Sony and Samsung with its flagships, but we dislike both its disadvantages: it breaks easily, and is brittle with a vengeance. And if for some reason it breaks, poses a risk to power cut our skin.

To avoid, or at least make us forget scratches, Gorilla Glass is also used in the layers of glass rear of the device. Resistant Corning glass not only prevents scratches on the screen, you can also do it in the back, and we like that manufacturers think about it.

New options for the "Premium" devices

Actually, if we talk about new materials, we have to talk about the so-called premium devices, the flagships of each manufacturer. Being the most expensive devices in its class, they can afford to build them in different materials, in order to get a differentiating effect.

Wood

Wood can not miss if we talk about material facts for premium devices, one trend that manufacturers have jumped as diverse as Motorola or OnePlus: made ​​of wood finish to the rear which claims to be attractive. It is easy to hold and even become more sustainable than other materials, but expensive, few devices have it, and its strength is no protection.

Leather

And what you say to me leather back, a material that has always been linked with the design? LG has been one of the biggest brands on board the train with your LG G4 , and has not been in vain: it has a touch that is noticeable when we hold. His biggest problems are its price, when unsustainable be made from animal skin (can be synthetic), and offered little protection against falls.

Jewelry

It provides no other benefit other than the design, but precious crystals have crept into the making of terminals in certain special editions: Samsung knows enough of this , to have a few limited editions of its flagships coated with precious materials. Of course, the downside is obvious, they are tacky, very tacky.

New materials: tougher or lighter designs

Finally, we have to grab our particular crystal ball, because we talk about lighter and tougher than materials, although they are not as expensive, can be the next big leap in the design of our smartphones and tablets.

Kevlar

The first is a material used in Android devices for some time, but has always remained an anecdote: Kevlar, an artificial fiber characterized by being lightweight, robust, and highly resistant to heat. We will know more as the material forming body armor and heat resistant clothing and cuts.

If you are looking phones made ​​with Kevlar, unfortunately you have little choice: the old Motorola RAZR , the Motorola Droid is not as old Turbo , or OnePlus housings . It would be nice to encourage more manufacturers in the future to work with this manufacturer, but no indication that will happen soon.

Carbon fiber

You also know the carbon fiber, another very popular material in certain fields: aircraft, spacecraft, automobiles, wind power ... all thanks to its lightness and strength, qualities that make it perfect for these applications. The question has also been cast in the construction and protection devices, branch we play now.

The downside is that is in a similar situation to that of Kevlar: besides curiosities, like the new TAG Heuer watch with Android Wear , it is very difficult to find a smartphone built in carbon fiber, mainly because the cost would be. What we do have are bags, skins and adhesives built in the fiber, we can apply to our built in any material device.

Graphene

Finally, we speak of a material that is on everyone's lips: graphene, the material of the future that promises thousands of applications since it was first isolated in 2004. Still do not have in our smartphones, but manufacturers like Samsung get what they propose, we could reach a revolution to change the industry altogether.