Corning has revealed a new version of its Gorilla Glass, dubbed the Gorilla Glass 4. This new glass is said to be tougher and much more resistant to damages caused by drops, which is a huge concern among phone owners.
In order for the Gorilla Glass 4 to be realised, Corning took numerous phones with different glass materials and drop them to figure out what caused the glass to crack or break. According to Cliff Hund, the president of Corning East Asia, “they bought a bunch of phones, and started dropping them in our labs with a scientifically defined test mechanism.” They eventually found that rough surfaces such as asphalt or concrete are the most likely surfaces to break a phone’s protective glass.
Corning then simulates drop tests as closely as it can to represent an actual drop with lab equipments. In order to ensure that the phones will fall down face first onto the floor, a machine is used to hold the phone in place as it is dropping before eventually releasing the phone. As for the drop surface, Corning used 180-grit sandpapers to simulate a rough surface. Corning claims that the Gorilla Glass 4 survived 80% of drops in the lab test.
Facing tough competition from companies who offer cheaper alternative such as a soda lime glasses, Corning has to step up its game to stay relevant in the industry. Corning would also have to best other companies who are manufacturing sapphire glasses that are made from a material that is only second to diamonds in terms of toughness.
If the Gorilla Glass 4 is as tough as Corning claims it is, we may not need to use a phone case to protect the phone’s display any more. Watch the video below to see how Corning conducted the tests for the Gorilla Glass 4.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ObyPq-OmO0
(Source: Re/code)
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