Corning has introduced the latest generation of its uber-tough cover glass product, Gorilla Glass 6. The company says the new glass offers “unprecedented protection against multiple drops” and is able to withstand up to 15 consecutive drops from as high as 1 Meter.
A recent worldwide Toluna consumer study revealed that, on average, people drop their phones seven times a year, with more than 50 percent of the drops occurring at 1 meter or below. To improve cover glass performance, Corning scientists developed and engineered an entirely new material to address the challenge of multiple 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. Under the same test conditions, competitive glass compositions, such as soda lime and aluminosilicate, did not survive the first drop.
If the average person drops their phone seven times a year, that means there are at least 23 nimble fingered individuals out there that I am more than making up for. But, I digress.
Corning says Gorilla Glass 6 is the perfect solution for today’s increasingly-popular all glass phone designs.
“In addition to addressing drop height and drop frequency, Gorilla Glass 6 was also developed to meet the requirements of modern designs that use glass for more than 85 percent of the enclosure. With both its aesthetic and performance advantages, glass is on the right side of the technology curve and will continue to be the material of choice for mobile consumer electronics,” said Scott Forester, division vice president, Marketing and Innovation Products, Corning Gorilla Glass.
Corning has long been an Apple supplier, providing Gorilla Glass for use in Apple’s device lineup. It has apparently made good use of the $200 million it received from Apple’s Advanced Manufacturing Fund for research and development.
There’s a good bet that Corning’s new Gorilla Glass 6 will make an appearance in an upcoming iPhone. Corning is playing it close to the vest, saying only that the new glass is being “evaluated by multiple customers, and is expected to reach the market in the next several months.”
