# Do you care what your smartphone looks like? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 16, 2020, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-what-your-smartphone-looks-like/846507 "2020-01-16T14:32:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-what-your-smartphone-looks-like/846507/1 "2020-01-16T14:32:50Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-what-your-smartphone-looks-like/846507/2 "2020-01-16T14:44:12Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-what-your-smartphone-looks-like/846507/3 "2020-01-16T14:44:34Z")
I’m only interested in functionality. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-what-your-smartphone-looks-like/846507/4 "2020-01-16T14:51:31Z")
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). ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-what-your-smartphone-looks-like/846507/5 "2020-01-16T15:04:29Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-what-your-smartphone-looks-like/846507/6 "2020-01-16T15:44:53Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-what-your-smartphone-looks-like/846507/7 "2020-01-16T16:35:56Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-what-your-smartphone-looks-like/846507/8 "2020-01-16T16:38:52Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-what-your-smartphone-looks-like/846507/9 "2020-01-16T16:41:11Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-what-your-smartphone-looks-like/846507/10 "2020-01-16T16:45:36Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-what-your-smartphone-looks-like/846507/11 "2020-01-16T16:46:27Z")
I use a BlackBerry. 'Nuf said. (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.) ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-what-your-smartphone-looks-like/846507/12 "2020-01-16T16:51:30Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-what-your-smartphone-looks-like/846507/13 "2020-01-16T17:18:14Z")
Any phone I get is immediately slapped into a Pelican case, so its initial appearance is meaningless to me. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-what-your-smartphone-looks-like/846507/14 "2020-01-16T17:44:05Z")
The first thing I do is put a thick-ass black otterbox case on any new phone I buy. So no. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-what-your-smartphone-looks-like/846507/15 "2020-01-16T17:50:22Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > 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. There’s that, too. My phone looks rather nice but it’s like trying to hold an eel. Fortunately, my case looks nice as well. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-what-your-smartphone-looks-like/846507/16 "2020-01-16T18:00:21Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-what-your-smartphone-looks-like/846507/17 "2020-01-16T18:29:20Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-what-your-smartphone-looks-like/846507/18 "2020-01-16T18:43:50Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-what-your-smartphone-looks-like/846507/19 "2020-01-16T19:01:22Z")
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. All of which means a flip phone. I voted ‘depends on something else’. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-what-your-smartphone-looks-like/846507/20 "2020-01-16T19:50:55Z")
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. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-what-your-smartphone-looks-like/846507.md?page=2)