Corning unveiled the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 this week, the sequel to 2020’s Victus (and last year’s Victus+). The focus with this generation has been to improve drop performance, i.e., increase the chance that the glass will remain fine after you drop your phone. Rough surfaces such as asphalt and especially concrete were the main challenge.
We spoke with Scott Forrester, divisional vice president and business manager, Glass and Operations Council at Corning, about what goes into making toughened glass. It turns out that Saab is a moving target because the phones themselves change.
Modern glass is expected to withstand 2 million drops (Image credit: Corning)
Smartphones have become 15% heavier and 10% larger on average over the past four years. Weight and size dictate the force of impact when the phone is dropped and how that force is distributed through the screen glass and body of the phone.
Size is determined by market demand, phones with larger screens sell better than compact devices. Thin and large phones tend to flex a lot, which can spell disaster for the glass that also protects the front and back.
Victus 2 glass drop test on 80-grit sandpaper (which simulates concrete)
The extra weight is partly due to having a larger phone. That’s not all, larger batteries also weigh more. Also, manufacturers have moved from plastic to aluminum and even steel for the phone’s body, both of which are heavier than plastic (steel especially).
It’s not all bad, though – the metal makes for a more rigid body, which can reduce stress on the glass when the phone hits the ground. Corning is working with manufacturers to improve the internal construction of the phone to help make it more durable. You can watch this video A few years ago, demonstrating the importance of properly supporting the glass.
Sometimes, the company takes broken phones from users and examines them closely to see why the glass is shattered — that knowledge goes into next-gen improvement. What the team found is that rough surfaces are responsible for the majority of screen smashing times, and concrete and asphalt are the most common rough surfaces users encounter in their daily lives.
Concrete and asphalt are the most common rough surfaces (Image credit: Corning)
Big phones aren’t the only trend, curved screens are also very popular. We asked if they were more vulnerable – apparently, there isn’t much difference whether the impact is on the front of the phone or on the curved side. Again, a well-designed, solid frame can go a long way toward saving glass.
There is another link between smartphone batteries and glass. Corning wants to keep reflectivity low to prevent glare — if ambient light is flooding your screen, an immediate fix is to increase the brightness. But that wastes energy, and it’s not good for battery life and it’s not good for the glass either, because that would mean bigger and heavier batteries.
We also asked about screen protectors. Corning isn’t against them, but Forester tells us that phones with Gorilla Glass are designed to survive without additional protection, so protectors aren’t necessary.
This will be especially true for phones coming out in the next few months thanks to the increased survivability of Gorilla Glass Victus 2. Which phones exactly are not yet known, and not officially. But you can make an educated guess with Phone Finder.
