Another thing that bothers me is that many (expensive) phones feel like being made from cheap plastic.

So I'm inclined to believe that many phone makers are just clueless imitators.

That's because they are made from cheap plastic.

I'd really love to know why on earth they don't use better materials on all of their high-end phones.

I mean, sometimes they get it right and use a nice rubberized material. And then they blow it again, like on the Galaxy S where the plastic back-over is a harsh insult to the otherwise excellent hardware.

Is that rubberized plastic really so much more expensive?

You don't need to reach to the expensive glass or metal to make a phone feel less like a kids toy!