In an unexpected series of events, news today has HTC reducing the number of smartphones with metal chassis from 60% to 30% in 2012 with a plastic becoming more widely used. The result of the rumors resulted in a 2.1% drop in stock for the smartphone chassis manufacturing company Catcher.
HTC is one of Catcher's largest clients and such a move by HTC could result in a 15-20% reduction in revenues for the chassis builder. No official word from either HTC or Catcher as to why HTC would drop metal from the mix.
Less metal would mean lighter phones and maybe less interference with the phone's reception. There are some rather sturdy plastics out there but if this move to plastic holds true, do you think HTC's build quality will suffer? Does it matter what is used to build the frames as long as it will hold up to the daily grind?
