[josefresco]

My evidence is anecdotal, so I searched and found this: http://mashable.com/2012/09/20/qualcomm-smartphone-study/

I don't see weight, tactile feel or looks on the list.

For those with cases, I doubt most even know what their phone really "feels" like, let alone actually weighs or even looks like.

As far as having to remove the case to swap a hardware component .. I don't think that's a major hurdle, we're not talking about a daily, weekly or even monthly task that would make that a pain.

[acjohnson55]

I don't see modularity/repairability on that list either, for what it's worth.

I think it would be really foolish to believe that aesthetics don't play a huge role in smartphone purchasing decisions.