Corning just announced the latest generation of Gorilla Glass, unsurprisingly named Gorilla Glass 6. The name doesn't really matter, though: the company says this new iteration is more durable than previous models, and — more importantly — it'll be able to withstand even the clumsiest user.
According to vice president and general manager John Bayne, not only is Corning Gorilla Glass 6 engineered to survive drops from higher heights, it's also been developed to survive multiple drops.
Gorilla Glass 6 Can Handle 15 Drops
"On average, in lab tests, Gorilla Glass 6 survived 15 drops from 1 meter onto rough surfaces, and is up to two times better than Gorilla Glass 5," the company said in a statement. "Under the same test conditions, competitive glass compositions, such as soda lime and aluminosilicate, did not survive the first drop."
The problem is phones are increasingly getting thinner, and their displays are also getting fancier — two factors that negate the security benefits of Gorilla Glass protection. As more phones gain wireless charging capabilities, manufacturers are increasingly opting for glass backs, a requirement of wireless charging devices. These make phones look much more luxurious but also put them in more risk of breaking. There's also the matter of edge displays, which are particularly prone to cracking when dropped because the screen extending to the sides of the device are usually the first to make impact with the floor. Even still, Corning thinks edge displays have actually made screens stronger.
Same Scratch Resistance As Before, Though
While Gorilla Glass 16 is more drop-resistant than its predecessors, it's only got the same level of scratch resistance. So although the company claims Gorilla Glass 6 is improved, don't expect they'll be any better at protecting the screen from scratches. Even so, the company has engineered it to be more adaptable to new aforementioned design trends.
Gorilla Glass is now in production and available to smartphone manufacturers. It is expected to hit the market later this year. It'll be interesting to see which companies plan to integrate the new glass on their phones and also how quickly Gorilla Glass 6 will be adapted by all major manufacturers.
Thoughts about Gorilla Glass 6? Do you think smartphone manufacturers should slow down on making their devices thinner, or should it be the other way around, with Corning catching up to the evolving design landscape of smartphones? As always, if you have anything to share, feel free to sound them off in the comments section below!
