Corning unveiled Gorilla Glass Victus 2 last week. The company, which manufactures glass covers for smartphone brands including Samsung, Google, Sony, Lenovo and Oppo, said that the Victus 2 features a new glass composition, and performs better in drop tests, while preserving the scratch resistance of earlier models.
Corning VP and General Manager for Gorilla Glass David R. Velasquez said that the company had changed its testing methodology for the Victus 2, adding drop tests on to simulated concrete surfaces to the drop tests it already does on to simulated asphalt surfaces.
"Smartphones are the center of our digital lives, and the requirement for exceptional scratch and drop resistance has only increased with our growing reliance on clear, damage-free displays," said Velasquez. "Surfaces matter, and rough surfaces like concrete are everywhere."
Velasquez went on: "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.
"With more sophisticated and varied designs, today's smartphones are nearly 15 percent heavier, and screen sizes are up to 10 percent larger, than they were four years ago – increasing both the stress on the cover glass and the probability of damage."
According to Corning, in lab tests the Victus 2 cover glass survived drops of up to one meter on a surface replicating concrete and drops up to two meters on a surface replicating asphalt.
According to Corning, Gorilla Glass has been designed into more than 8 billion devices worldwide by more than 45 major brands, with the Victus 2 cover glass expected to reach the market within the next few months.