Corning, the leading American glassmaker, has announced a new set of glass composites to better protect smartphone rear camera lenses. These new composites, branded as Gorilla Glass with DX+, and Gorilla Glass with DX, also capture more ambient light and, according to Corning, offer “advanced optical performance, superior scratch resistance, and durability.”
Technically, the DX composite is not exactly new, as Corning had earlier offered it for smartwatches way back in 2018. However, according to Corning, making it suitable for camera phones involved more challenges, as not only was it required to be more resistant to scratches but also had to let in more light. These two tasks can often run counter to each other.
More Light but Same Scratch-Resistance
According to Corning, the new Gorilla Glass with DX and Gorilla Glass with DX+ are manufactured to permit 98% of the ambient light in while retaining its original scratch resistance. It is in comparison with the conventional lens covers that allow in only 95% of the light, even with anti-reflective coatings. Smartphone cameras can perform better, with more light being allowed in while restricting reflections. The additional light is also likely to make it possible for the sensors to collect more information for advanced smartphone photography computations. While Corning has not said anything about which phones will be using the new composites, it has said that Samsung has become the first company to sign on for using the new lens covers. Industry watchers are predicting that Samsung will unveil its plans for using this technology in an upcoming event on August 11.
New Gorilla Glass Victus Takes Drop Protection and Scratch Resistance to New Levels
In a separate announcement, Corning announced its toughest ever gadget glass, Gorilla Glass Victus. According to the company, the new glass will remain unbroken after a drop of six feet. It will also offer significantly superior scratch resistance for the first time in the last six years.
This new development is all the more exciting because not many people are aware that despite the versions of Gorilla Glass that Corning has announced regularly over the years, they have not gotten much better at resisting knocks of keys and coins inside pockets. Particularly, the performance has remained relatively stagnant since Gorilla Glass 3 launched in 2014. According to some experts, Gorilla Glass 4 actually underperformed in some tests, Gorilla Glass 5 performed averagely, while Gorilla Glass 6 did not offer better scratch resistance since it focused on drop resistance.
No Performance Tradeoffs for Victus
Given the lack of progress in protection by the earlier versions of Gorilla Glass, it is all the more significant that Victus, not Gorilla Glass 7, offers superior protection against both scratches and drops. According to Corning, Victus offers two times the scratch-resistance of Gorilla Glass 6, four times that of glasses by competitors, and is tough enough not to break even after a two-meter drop. For comparison’s sake, the drop resistance of Gorilla Glass 6 and Gorilla Glass 5 was only 1.6 meters and 1.2 meters respectively. Essentially, it means that if you drop your phone while speaking on it, it should survive for at least 20 times, should you be that careless.