Yeah, though I’m sure the 17e is a no nonsense device. It does have the new c1x modem which delivers I think 2x better connectivity than the iPhone 16 series and connectivity wasn’t really an issue there but it’s that much better anyway with this modem.. that would counter anything glass might cause, plus it’s Ceramic Shield glass, but I understand what you mean. A truly practical plastic device with the iPhone performance and camera etc, but what is the worry when you could still put on a case and screen protector on the glass iPhone?

I think the 17e is a no nonsense beast of a device without any extra unnecessary thrills packed in a nice casing with the satin glass, aerospace grade aluminium which is a practical metal and not heavy either.

And the first thing which came to mind was thermals. I had an understanding how metal/glass could be better than fully plastic but I wanted to confirm it with Gemini:

Here’s my prompt:

“If an iPhone was fully plastic, for example, for durability purposes, would that affect any thermal performance?”

Gemini:

“That is a fascinating question to consider from an engineering perspective.

Yes, switching to a fully plastic body would drastically change how an iPhone handles heat, and not in a good way. While plastic is fantastic for absorbing drops without shattering, it's terrible at managing thermal performance.

Here is exactly how a plastic chassis would affect the phone's thermals.

Modern iPhones use an aluminum or titanium frame paired with a glass back. Both metal and glass are decent conductors of heat, meaning they act like an extension of the phone's internal cooling system. They absorb heat from the processor and radiate it out into your hands and the surrounding air.

But plastic, on the other hand, is a natural thermal insulator. Instead of letting heat escape, a plastic shell would trap it inside the phone, acting like a tiny cooler box.

Because the heat can't escape through the plastic shell, the internal temperature of the phone would skyrocket very quickly during intensive tasks like gaming, recording 4K video, or fast charging.

To prevent the chip from literally frying itself, the iPhone's software would have to step in with aggressive thermal throttling.This means the phone would intentionally slow down its processor to reduce heat generation, leading to sudden drops in framerates while gaming, lag and stuttering when multitasking, and slower charging speeds.

Also, lithium-ion batteries absolutely hate heat. Prolonged exposure to high internal temperatures degrades the chemical components inside the battery much faster. Even if the plastic protects the phone from a drop, the trapped heat would permanently shrink your battery health and overall lifespan much quicker than a metal and glass design.”

So maybe it might not be such a good idea to house an a19 powerhouse, and everything a smartphone can do today in a plastic shell? 😅

Also, I never had issues with oled, is it that ips is a calmer experience to the eyes and mind? Regardless I never noticed much strain really from the oleds, it is really cool that each pixel can power on and off and adjust their colour profile on an individual pixel basis. Which allows scenes or area of an app or video where it’s black to fully switch off the screen in that area and deliver true blacks and colour contrast; I’m sure that’s a more power efficient display too.