Corning announces Gorilla Glass 6 for mobile devices, to survive multiple drops

Focusing on improving the durability for the next generation mobile devices, US-based Corning has released Gorilla Glass 6. Capable of surviving multiple drops, the market leaders in cover glass for consumer mobile devices, claims Gorilla Glass 6 to be the most durable glass to date and is two times better than the Gorilla Glass 5.

According to a recent Toluna consumer study report, on an average, people drop their phones seven times a year, with more than 50 per cent of the drops occurring at 1 meter or below. Corning has improved cover glass performance by developing and engineering an entirely new material to address the challenge of multiple drops. During the lab test, on an average, the new Gorilla Glass 6 survived 15 drops from 1 meter onto rough surfaces. The company also states that under the same test conditions, competitive glass compositions, such as soda lime and aluminosilicate, did not survive the first drop.

"Gorilla Glass 6 is an entirely new glass composition that can be chemically strengthened to give it significantly higher levels of compression than is possible with Gorilla Glass 5. This enables Gorilla Glass 6 to be more resistant to damage," said Dr Jaymin Amin, vice president of technology and product development, Corning Gorilla Glass and Corning Specialty Materials.

Glass rear along with bezel-less displays has become a norm during the last couple of years. With its optical clarity, touch sensitivity, scratch resistance, efficient wireless charging and enhanced durability, Gorilla Glass 6 is poised to enable these new design trends.

Corning Gorilla Glass has been designed into more than 6 billion devices by more than 45 major brands. And this new glass is already in production but will take a few months to hit the market.

"As consumers become more dependent on their smartphones, the opportunity for potentially damaging drops is also on the rise. Now more than ever, it's critical the cover glass provides outstanding protection. Corning Gorilla Glass 6 improves upon Gorilla Glass 5 by surviving drops from higher heights, but, more importantly, has been engineered to survive multiple drops," said John Bayne, vice president and general manager, Corning Gorilla Glass.