As Samsung likes to point out, the Galaxy S3 is one of the world's most popular smartphones even a year after its release. The phone helped the South Korean company overtake Apple as the world's most popular smartphone maker and cement Google's Android as the most used operating system on the globe. In nearly all respects, people expect the Galaxy S4 to continue the trend set by its predecessor.
But there was one aspect that many people complained about: the Galaxy S3's plastic body.
If Samsung Executive Vice President YH Lee's words are to be believed, then it seems likely that the Galaxy S4 will continue to incorporate a plastic body instead of moving towards other material like glass or aluminum. Even polycarbonate seems a stretch, and it mostly comes down to one thing: popularity.
Just like the S3, Samsung expects the Galaxy S4 to sell by the truckload, and in order to meet demand the company needs to take into account what the best material would be for manufacturing purposes.
"Since we are shipping really large units, we always have to think how efficiently we can manage the manufacturability and also durability," said Lee in an interview with CNET.
Samsung wants to listen to users who want a more high-end, premium product, but its struggle is that it also needs to accommodate what's possibly going to be a record-breaking launch. HTC's new metal-based smartphone is being cut at a rate of one smartphone every 200 minutes, but that might not be quick enough for Samsung.
Not content to simply say it's about manufacturing, the company also thinks its plastic backing is sturdier than those of competitors. It wants to keep its removable back cover, too.
Still, Samsung knows that millions are heavily anticipating the Galaxy S4, and they want a product whose quality is readily seen in its design and feel.
"I think the next product has a nice balance between this [demand for a premium phone and manufacturing cost]," she said. "We listen to the market and try to accommodate."
