Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 sports the latest Gorilla Glass 5 to protect its screen, but tests done by consumers seem to contradict the company's claims when it comes to scratch-free displays.
With every new flagship that hits the shelves, people try to pit the actual device against the manufacturer's touts in order to gauge how much marketing propaganda is and how sturdy the devices actually are.
As Samsung made a big deal out of fitting the Galaxy Note 7 with the resist-it-all Corning Gorilla Glass 5, it was to be expected that such a test would occur.
The latest video punishing the Galaxy Note 7 belongs to Zack from JerryRigEverything, who performed his famous durability test on the flagship smartphone. The video shows that the Gorilla Glass 5's scratch resistance falls way behind the standards touted by Samsung, which caused a predictable outrage among fans.
It looks like a 3 hardness pick can scratch the new Gorilla Glass 5, which is disturbing when you think that a 5 or 6 hardness pick was required to leave a scratch mark on previous variants of the glass.
Corning has taken action and defended its product after the video started making waves on YouTube. The company says the tests take place "in an uncontrolled manner" and underlines that it is impossible for a pick of hardness 3 to leave marks on glass that is in fact designed to resist a hardness of 5 or 6.
So, where do the visible scratch marks in JerryRigEverything's video come from?
Corning takes the time to enlighten the public.
The company notes that in the video a pick of hardness 3 was used, which is significantly softer than the glass. Corning adds that it is not uncommon for a softer scratcher to leave material transfer on the test substrate, which can create confusion to amateurs.
This would mean that the video actually shows residue from the pick disintegrating and sticking to the glass surface, instead of the glass getting damaged. Should this explanation hold true, how come the residue sticks to the display and is not removable by using a clean cloth?
Corning can explain this, as well.
"It can be very, very difficult to remove metallic material transfer from glass," the company notes.
Corning goes on to say that the effect is purely visual, as the apparent damage is nothing else but "a material on top of the surface."
Android Authority has contacted Corning and asked the enterprise to shed some light on the relationship between scratch resistance and shatter resistance, as some users are concerned that one might be prioritized over the other.
Corning explains that there is a roaming misconception about shock absorbency and flexibility. The company adds that the Gorilla Glass 5 is crafted in a way that maximizes the damage resistance of the glass itself. In short, drop events will yield less damage to the glass, regardless of scratches or shatters.
The explanations from Corning leave us a tad more relaxed about the capacity of the Galaxy Note 7 to withstand the occasional scratch, but it reminds us of the necessity of purchasing a screen protector.
Check out the video below to see how the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 fared in the famed scratch test.
