Gorilla Glass 5

A new type of ultra-strong glass has been unveiled and could spell the end for smashed smartphone screens.

16:55 25 July 2016

A virtually unsmashable smartphone screen, called Gorilla Glass 5, has been unveiled by Corning, a company that makes smartphone screens for the likes of Apple, LG, Samsung and HTC.

 

Gorilla Glass 5 has reportedly survived drops onto rough surfaces four times better than competitive glass designs. It is also twice as good at resisting scratches and other damage compared to other type of glass.

 

The new product aims to address the growing number of complaints of cracked and shattered screens when phones are accidentally dropped. Based on surveys, over 85per cent of smartphone owners dropped their phones at least once in the last year and 55per cent have dropped their phones at least three times in the same period.

 

In lab tests, Corning claims that Gorilla Glass 5 survives up to 80per cent of the time when dropped from 1.6 metres onto rough surfaces.

 

John Bayne, vice president and general manager of Corning Gorilla Glass, said: "With each successive generation of Corning Gorilla Glass, we have taken cover glass technology to new levels," 

 

"With many real-world drops occurring from between waist and shoulder height, we knew improving drop performance would be an important and necessary advancement."