The metal design adds significantly to the premium look of a smartphone and strengthens the signal receiving capabilities of the device. But the drool worthy looks apparently come at a price that is sometimes too hot to handle, according to an expert.
"The use of metal in smartphone designs ensures that heat generated by the phone's internals is dispersed quickly. Though metal dispels heat faster, it also means that the user may experience the metal body to be hotter than a plastic or polycarbonate body," said Satwik Rath, product expert at Chinese smartphone maker LeEco.
He added that a little heat from an all-metal smartphone is normal. "The perceived temperature of a metal is higher than plastic at the same surface temperatures. Though the device's body might feel warmer to the touch during heavy usage, it's important to note that this is normal and the device is functioning as it is designed to perform," Rath noted.
So, what steps you need to take to keep your device cool and ensure long life for the battery.
According to the LeEco expert, given the complex design of smartphones with processors, memory, battery, etc, and the fact that people use them for multi-tasking, each of these components is often utilised to the near maximum capacity.
But unlike laptops or personal computers which have dedicated fans or cooling systems, there is not much room left for ventilation in smartphones and this might lead to some amount of additional heat being generated in the process.
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Excessive gaming and apps usage may also lead to the heating problem. "While constantly playing games with heavy graphics, we put too much stress on the 'mother board' of the smartphone and it pushes electronic inputs at a much faster rate. Playing a game requires a lot of resources from the phone and it represents the most obvious cause for overheating," Rath said.
Also apps that use the phones processor and battery quite a lot can cause it to heat up fast - GPS for mapping, high screen brightness, and fast browsing can increase the temperature very quickly.
Video streaming and internet browsing use lots of data processing power, which equates to more work for a smartphone's processor. While these functions are staples of smartphone usage, abusing them can also lead to overheating.
Metal body is good in a way that it aids in dispersing heat generated by the processor and internals which it's plastic counterparts fail to do to some extent. But for a metallic device it can prove to be both a boon and a bane, as the device itself may get too hot to handle due to overheating processors.
"If you feel your phone is overheating, you can try taking the back case off. Taking the case off will allow the phone cool down quicker," Rath said.