Corning has once again improved the strength of its Gorilla Glass, meaning more smartphone displays will survive drops on to hard surfaces such as concrete.
Gorilla Glass Victus 2 was developed using a new glass composition which offers improved drop performance. Corning claims that Victus 2 can survive drops of up to 1 meter (3.3 feet) onto rough surfaces such as concrete. It can also survive drops of up to 2 meters (6.5 feet) onto surfaces like asphalt. At the some time, this new glass retains the scratch resistance of Gorilla Glass Victus.
David Velasquez, vice president and general manager of Gorilla Glass said, "We challenged our scientists not only to create a glass composition that was durable enough to better survive drops from waist height onto rougher surfaces than asphalt, but to improve cover-glass performance for larger and heavier devices."
Velasquez went on to explain how Corning needed to account for more weight because the current range of smartphones on the market are typically about 15% heavier. The screens are also roughly 10% larger, which means the glass is more exposed to damage and needs to cope with more stress when dropped or comes into contact with hard materials such as a key in your pocket.
Gorilla Glass Victus 2 has proved itself in lab tests, and is now "being evaluated by multiple customers." Corning believes there will be smartphones fitted with Victus 2 hitting the market within a few months. With Samsung's Galaxy S23 range expected to arrive by February, Samsung could be one of the first manufacturers to start using Corning's latest chemically strengthened glass.