Corning's new Gorilla Glass 4 aims to make next-generation smartphones as shatter-proof as possible, boasting notable improvements for greater protection against damage from accidental drops.
Smartphones look and feel good and have become nearly indispensable to one's daily routine, but they're not as durable as the bulky phones from yesteryear. Dropping a smartphone can often result in a shattered screen, which sometimes renders the device unusable.
Corning now wants to offer even more protection to smart devices, announcing the new Gorilla Glass 4 that's more durable than any previous iteration. The glass-maker supplies protective glass to both Samsung and Apple, for use in smartphones and tablets, and the new Gorilla Glass 4 will offer superior protection against damage caused by tough drops.
"Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) today announced its latest breakthrough innovation in consumer electronics material design, the revolutionary Corning Gorilla Glass 4, which is up to two times tougher than any competitive cover glass design now in the market. The new Gorilla Glass 4 has been formulated to address consumers' No. 1 issue - screen damage from everyday drops," the company touts in a new press release on Thursday, Nov. 20.
"Gorilla Glass 4 provides at least two times improved damage resistance over competitive aluminosilicate glass, as measured by retained strength after damage events, resulting in improved mechanical durability of the glass to in-field damage events, such as drops."
Corning came up with the "recipe" for Gorilla Glass 4 after its fractologists spend thousands of hours studying hundreds of broken phone screens in order to determine why the glass covers shattered. Most of the time, it shattered from being dropped onto hard surfaces such as asphalt or concrete. The team simulated those conditions in lab tests and started dropping phones with a "scientifically defined test mechanism." Corning ultimately concluded that the best way to test the resistance of its Gorilla Glass was to drop a device face-down onto a rough surface of 180-grid sandpaper, from a height of one meter.
In these lab tests, the new Gorilla Glass 4 survived 80 percent of the time, while also retaining more of its initial strength in damage tests compared to other rival products. Corning further notes that the soda-lime glass used in today's commercial devices breaks 100 percent of the time.
"Corning Gorilla Glass has outperformed competing materials such as soda-lime glass and other strengthened glass, since it was introduced in 2007, and we're always innovating to push the limits of what glass can do," boasts James R. Steiner, senior vice president and general manager of Corning Specialty Materials. "With Gorilla Glass 4, we have focused on significantly improving protection against sharp contact damage, which is the primary reason that mobile devices break. Dropping and breaking a phone is a common problem, and one that our customers have asked us to help address."
The new Gorilla Glass 4 is already en route to manufacturers, which means that it will most likely be a key feature in top-notch flagship devices next year.
