Sure, it's fun to break stuff, but sometimes it's also fun to see how much punishment something can withstand without scratching or breaking. Gorilla Glass 3 will be just that magical force field for millions of smartphones and tablets come later this year. After hearing the claims of about 40 percent fewer scratches and much improved dent resistance, we wanted to see just how tough the new glass is for ourselves.
To demonstrate just how durable Gorilla Glass 3 is, Corning rolled a 130-gram ball down a wooden slope right at mock phones; one with its glass and the other with an unnamed competitors' panel inside. While GG3 came away unscathed, the other's glass suffered a serious blow, resulting in a spider web-like shatter pattern. Score one for GG3.
Then Corning increase the angle to deliver more force, this time substituting competing glass for a piece of aluminum. This time around the metal dented, and the Gorilla Glass 3 was scratch- and dent-free--even after the ball bounced back after the fall and hit the panel again.
Last but not least, Corning took the Gorilla Glass 3 panel out of the mock phone and onto a contraption that allows you to exert specific amounts of pressure. We're talking about 100 pounds of pressure. The plastic covering the slide had an indentation, but the glass itself was fine.
Gorilla Glass 3 is so strong, you may not need to invest in a case for your next smartphone. We look forward to seeing this technology hit handsets in the near future.
