Tuesday
Jul242012
Question: The look?
Tuesday, July 24, 2012 at 3:00AM How much does the look of a new smartphone influence your purchasing decision? I think it does for me, but deep down I tend to know what I am going to buy anyway regardless of the looks. A very ugly phone, however, may put me off regardless of capability.
Reader Comments (5)
Extremely, don't buy ugly anymore. There is no excuse for companies to make ugly devices.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that, Gavin.
The Galaxy S3 was initially criticised as a somewhat ugly device with numerous articles speculating that design changes had been forced to accommodate Apple's patent police.
Personally, it took me some time to warm to Apple designs - I was always a fan of Sony's design aesthetic. But Sony has diluted their design language quite a bit in the last 20 years.
These days, it's more about materials - I remember buying a high-end Nokia (one of the first N series phones) around a decade ago and being shocked at the flimsy plastic cover on the back. Touching it was like that scene in Jaws where Quint scratched the blackboard. I'm a fan of good, solid material choices. The iPhone looks OK, but it feels great. I owned an HTC Desire Z for a while, too, and it felt even better to the touch than an iPhone.
I'm like Gavin. The first look impression says a lot. And presently the technology allows to produce very pleasant devices. I prefer a very good looking device missing one bit of features (but having the ones I need) than a more ugly one with loads of features.
I like decent looks, but it isn't the final decider for me. I admire the iPhone and think it does look good, but wouldn't buy one as it doesn't suit my needs. Saying that i wouldn't buy an ugly android phone just because it suits my needs, it has to at least look ok (unless that is the only choice - fortunately that is no longer the case).
If I'm getting top of the line, I expect top of the line, and that includes how it looks to me. Yet I'm a practical person. I wouldn't get something just because it looks good if it doesn't do the job I want it to.