Sculptors have their clay. Painters have their palettes. For the tens of millions of people creating content on social media – the canvas of choice is the mobile device in their pocket.
The ways we make and consume art, media, and other content have undergone a revolution, and the devices are evolving in response.
Over a decade ago, Corning, one of the world’s leading innovators in material science, created the original tough cover glass for mobile devices – Corning® Gorilla® Glass. Since then, smartphone displays have gotten larger for more immersive user experiences, their processing power has increased to deliver more advanced functionality, and their cameras capture professional quality images.
All these factors translate to bigger, heavier devices. Today’s smartphones are nearly 15% heavier and screen sizes are up to 10% larger than they were four years ago, increasing both the stress on the cover glass and the probability of damage.
“Smartphones are the center of our digital lives, and the requirement for exceptional scratch and drop resistance has only increased with our growing reliance on clear, damage-free displays,” said Dave Velasquez, vice president and general manager, Gorilla Glass. “With Corning® Gorilla® Glass Victus® 2, we’ve redefined tough and added another milestone in our Gorilla Glass journey of solving the toughest problems of today, tomorrow, and into the future.”
To help solve the tough problems pre-sented by the latest devices, Corning scien-tists created a glass composition that is not only durable enough to better survive drops from waist height onto rougher surfaces than asphalt, like concrete, but also improves cover glass performance for larger and heavier devices.
testing vehicle using a drop tower onto hard, rough surfaces using 80 and 180 grit sandpaper which simulates sharp-contact damage (similar to concrete and asphalt). To test glass performance, they use Corning-designed pucks that represent modern smartphones that are heavier with a larger surface area and thinner design.
In lab tests, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 survived drops up to one meter on a surface replicating concrete, the world’s most abundantly engineered material. Competitive aluminosilicate glasses typically failed when dropped from half a meter or less. In addition, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 continued to survive drops up to two meters on a surface replicating asphalt and maintained scratch resistance up to four times better than competitive aluminosilicate.
Corning’s rigorous testing process for new cover glass compositions is at the heart of their ability to innovate.
“Gorilla Glass didn’t just set the bar for tough cover glass – we created it,” said Scott Forester, division vice president and business director, Glass and Operations Council, Gorilla Glass. “We invented the testing and defined the science that has become the standard for cover glass durability.”
The ability of Gorilla Glass Victus 2 to better withstand drops on a wider range of unforgiving surfaces is a significant step advancement for cover glass durability. It’s no secret that our phones are always with us, and they’re in our hands more often than ever before. The time our devices spend safely in our pockets has decreased as we create and consume on the go.
For the skateboarder filming point-of-view as he kickflips over a curb and the travel blogger taking a selfie in the middle of a street, devices that can withstand an accidental drop are essential. Gorilla Glass Victus 2 is helping creators keep doing what they do, and redefining what’s possible with a mobile device.
