Smartphones. With very few exceptions, they all have the same basic “slate” design.
I’m probably going to go buy a new iPhone 11 tomorrow. I see that it comes in 6 different colors.
This is somewhat baffling to me, as whenever I get a new cell phone the first thing I do, like probably 99% of everyone who gets a new mobile does, is stick the thing into a protective case, most of which completely conceal the exterior of the device save for the functional part, i.e. the screen.
Does the exterior design of a smartphone influence your decision to purchase it or not?
I usually put a case/shell of some sort on mine, so the design of the phone itself is immaterial, other than whether or not it’s the standard style (i.e. not a folding one, or something really out of the ordinary.
If my choice was hot pink or black I’d pick the black phone so I guess I care about the color of my phone. I currently have an S6active so the phone is its own case which makes the color a little more important. The rest of my preferences for looks are mainly about functionality so I want a big phone and I’m very interest in the new razer (no way I’m paying for it though).
I care about the build quality and materials and I guess I don’t want a bit of bright teal peeking out around the case but, other than that, I don’t worry much. They do sell clear cases though for those who want to show off and still protect their Rose Gold phones.
I’ve seen one or two chunky phones with relatively small screens being sold that I think are something to do with being more robust or having super high battery life compared to “normal” phones, but I would be too self-conscious to use myself. People would comment about why I was using such an “old” phone. So it seems I care a little.
Separate point; I think the multiple rear facing cameras thing is as much about having something to distinguish the top end phones than functionality. If you’re spending $1000 on a phone you want some way that it looks special, and after so many iPhone generations the apple logo alone doesn’t cut it.
I picked “important to me” for one reason–it is important to me that the front not be distracting–if it has bezels, I don’t want bright or shifting colors that will distract me from the display. I also don’t want a notch or hole punch or teardrop if it can be at all avoided. The back of the phone? I never look at the back of the phone, so I don’t give the slightest damn what that looks like.
I have raised four teenage girls. That’s my cite that some people do care. Interestingly, now that they’re older, they seem to care a lot less. Like the rest of us.
No, it’s not, even though the body of my phone is made from brushed aluminum. It’s too thin and smooth to hold without slipping out of my hand, so I put it in a case for a better grip.
I just got a new/replacement phone yesterday. I like my case & can’t wait to get it all setup & put into a case again which is thicker, & square, & grippier. I feel like I’m holding something delicate & slippery that I’m gonna drop w/o the case on it. So no, I don’t give a rat’s arse as to what color the back of it is because I decide that with whatever case I buy & given I go for function (two way - portrait & landscape kickstand) I’m frequently limited on the color options. Current one is black w/ some blue trim.
(I’ve tried, but I just can’t seem to navigate an on-screen keyboard with any degree of accuracy. Perhaps the fact that I have no feeling in one of my thumbs is a factor; whatever the cause, I’m all over the map.)
I always choose white to differentiate from my husband’s black. The last one was so pretty that I did want the color to show, but I wound up choosing a case for its durability, and it happened to be opaque blue. Oh well.
Speaking of cases, I recently got a new phone and was searching Amazon for the case type I wanted–a wallet-style with a hand strap–and found one I liked that came in several colors. Every other color was $9 (possibly some were more, but black was $9) but for some reason the brown ones were $3. I went with the brown.
I got a new phone recently and a clear case for the first time, not for any particular reason it was just a good cheap/quality ratio. Phone is dark blue but doesn’t really shine through. I wouldn’t have chosen pink for my first choice so I care somewhat, but am willing to compromise if one color is significantly cheaper.
All my self-purchased smartphones so far had the same basic standard design and black cases. I put them in protective cases immediately, so it doesn’t matter anyway. The last dumb phone I had was a gift from my parents (I had told them which model I wanted), but they didn’t take the color into account and it came in purple. Though it’s not my favorite color, I didn’t care. I prefer functionality over design.
The thread title and the poll actually ask two different questions; either that or the OP and I don’t mean the same thing by ‘design’, which to me is a quite general term that covers a lot of things besides color and decoration.
I don’t care at all what my phone looks like. But I do care about its design: I need one that’s very hard to break, fairly waterproof, and fits readily in my pockets, which I also need to carry other things in.
I don’t much care what it looks like as long as it generally conforms to the appearance of an average smartphone. I’m much less favorable to form over function.