Strong, fancy, and oh-so-shiny – titanium is the newest fad in the world of smartphones. It’s up there with “AI” when it comes to marketing. It promises to be tougher than aNokia 3310and lighter than a battery pack, but do those things really matter?
Let’s be real: for the average person, a titanium phone is not going to make a difference in their lives, except for the sky-high price they’ll be expected to pay for it.
What’s the big deal with titanium, anyway?
It’s durable, and maybe cool
Let’s get technical for a moment. Titanium is a natural metal. Scientists didn’t wizz up titanium one day. According to theEncyclopedia Britannica, titanium is a grey metal of group IVb on the periodic table of elements. It is half as dense as iron and only a fraction as dense as aluminum, yet it is stronger than steel.
But who cares? Well, if smartphone presentations are to be believed, everyone. They promise a titanium phone is so strong it will dent the floor and not the frame if you drop it. It’s so durable that your keys will scratch themselves up in your pocket before they put a mark on your phone. And it’s SO shiny!
This all adds up to a phone that is supposedly tougher, lighter, and shinier. Did we mention it is also more expensive?
Why you probably don’t care
Prepare to pay an arm and a leg for a bit of metal
Titanium sounds awesome. But is it?
Apple led the pack when it announced the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max last September, two phones wrapped in a shiny titanium frame. Samsung was hot on its heels with the titanium Galaxy S24 Ultra, released just last month.
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Is there no more innovation left in this Galaxy?
The iPhone 15 Pro has been bombarded by complaints about weak titanium that scratches, dents, and warps. Thankfully, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has not had as many complaints in this department, and the phone does appear to be tough. It seems Apple went with the cheapo version of titanium. Not that your wallet could tell the difference.
Next, we have theupcoming Xiaomi 14, which will reportedly also feature titanium. This is becoming a trend.
Do we need it, though? Aside from bragging that your phone is made out of something stronger than aluminum, what benefits does it really bring to a smartphone? Aluminum is a fine enough metal, and let’s be real, you’re going to slap a case on your device no matter what it’s made from, so does the added strength actually matter?
But what if…
There are some potential benefits to using titanium
There could be actual beneficial use cases for making a titanium-encased smartphone aside from profit and shininess. Some people have real allergies to certain metals. Nobody is allergic to titanium. This small minority of metal-phobic sufferers could benefit from titanium.
Then, there are those who work in rough industrial settings. A roofer, for instance, could benefit from knowing their phone is able to take a knocking. Okay, maybe not the iPhone 15 Pro, but Samsung’s offering is certainly tough. The military, HVAC installers, baggage handlers… there are a lot of physically demanding jobs where phones get smushed all the time.
The same could be said for outdoor adventurers. Want to climb a mountain or bike down one? A titanium device could be the answer to phone anxiety.
But let’s not kid ourselves – even the toughest titanium phone isn’t invincible. Drop it screen-first on a particularly unlucky rock, and you’ll still be facing a shattered display. Heartbreak and repair costs won’t magically disappear just because your phone’s frame is made from fancy metal.
Titanium is kinda mid
Your wallet will care more than you do
Titanium may be cool for tech nerds and metallurgists, but everyone else just kind of yawns. It’s only been half a year since Apple dropped its titanium phones on us, but we’re already at the point where Wayne Knight points at a smartphone CEO and yells, “Titanium! We’ve got titanium here! See?Nobody cares.”
Ultimately, a titanium phone is a luxury, not a necessity. If you’ve got money to burn and love the idea of owning a cutting-edge gadget, then by all means, go for it! But for the average person looking for a reliable, functional smartphone, there are plenty of amazing (and far more affordable) options out there.
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For now, titanium is the caviar of smartphone frames. It is fancy and exclusive but doesn’t really taste all that good. The real question is, would you ditch your trusty aluminum phone for a titanium one, or do you have better things on which to spend your money?
