If you wish to know why Corning made Gorilla Glass Victus 2, the brand new cowl glass the corporate unveiled right this moment, you possibly can thank (or blame) your massive, fats telephone.

When Corning got down to make unbreakable glass 15 years in the past and started testing on cell gadgets, the benchmark was 160g, which greater than lined the unique iPhone, which weighed 135g. Examine this to the iPhone 14 Professional, which clocks in at a hefty 206g, iPhone 14 Professional Max, which weighs a dense 240 grams, or the Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely, which weighs in at a beefy 228 grams.

Corning VP and Basic Supervisor for Gorilla Glass David R. Velasquez instructed me this week that fashionable smartphones are actually filled with way more know-how (higher cameras, extra sensors, greater batteries) and are heavier and denser than the telephones Corning was initially testing on.

Now the benchmark is 200g. That’s nonetheless shy of a number of the weight of the most recent telephones, however weight is just not the one a part of Corning’s testing methodology that’s modified and, extra importantly, this Gorilla Glass is just not the identical, both.

Victus 2 is a brand new Gorilla Glass formulation. Once we requested for specifics, Velasquez confirmed that it’s completely different than the unique Victus, which was launched two years in the past, however added “It’s higher, that’s as a lot element as I can provide.”

The result’s a thinner glass that may arise equally effectively to scratches however affords higher breakage efficiency.

Corning, although, has modified its testing methodology. After years of dropping hundreds of telephones from 1M and 2M heights on simulated asphalt surfaces (sandpaper representing the coarseness of the floor with metallic beneath it), Corning has added in simulated concrete. Guess they lastly realized that we drop as many telephones on the sidewalk as we do on the road.

With “concrete,” Corning is testing Gorilla Glass Victus 2 at 1M and nonetheless utilizing “asphalt” for 2M exams. The distinction is just not a lot hardness as it’s the jaggedness of the surfaces. To reveal, Corning despatched me a sheet embedded with two sandpaper squares with coarseness designed to simulate each surfaces. The “concrete” one is noticeably rougher to the contact.

It’s not simply bigger telephones which can be making Corning’s job more durable. Velasquez jogged my memory that there was a time when defending glass screens was comparatively simpler.

“Again within the previous days, earlier than there have been formed glass components, a lot of the design work was across the framing the telephones would have. The iPhone four was the primary time glass was elevated, an enormous change and more likely to interrupt,” he mentioned.

Nowadays telephones like Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely, Google Pixel 7 Professional, and the iPhone 14 Professional appear to be made virtually solely of glass. I feel Corning is aware of find out how to make a telephone which may by no means break, however the collaboration between the glass-covering firm and the telephone producer doesn’t fairly work that method.

“OEMs come to us often [and say], ‘Right here’s what we launch 3, 5 years from now. Are you able to do that in glass, in that case, what are the design concerns?’” defined Velasquez.

What follows are conversations and even some changes of molecules and the way they’re designed to strengthen the glass.

Velasquez was fast so as to add that telephone producers don’t get bespoke glass merchandise. Nevertheless, understanding the path telephone producers are heading can influence the sorts of glass (possibly even Victus 2) Corning produces now and sooner or later.

Whereas Gorilla Glass Victus 2 is stronger than Victus 1, Corning has no management over how telephone producers use it.

“Most telephone corporations take this a lot better glass, and so they make it thinner. Telephones can by no means be skinny sufficient, or they make a extra aggressive design,” mentioned Velasquez.

Are you able to fold it?

Talking of aggressive designs, I needed to ask about bendable glass. Corning doesn’t have a bendable product now, however the future might be a distinct story.

Velasquez confirmed that Corning is in “deep dialogue with all massive clients on the place they’re going. Some are additional alongside than others.”

The corporate expects to have launched within the subsequent couple of years however might share little else about its plans. Nonetheless, Velasquez says Corning may be very enthusiastic about bendable glass.

“What’s actually nice about partnering with clients on enabling bendable designs, is it is actually, actually laborious to have glass bending and touching itself. It’s one of many hardest potential issues you possibly can think about. Corning tends to excel the place the issue is actually troublesome. Our scientist like to sink their tooth into that.”

For now, although, Corning and its companions are rubbing their tooth in opposition to virtually unbreakable and just-as-hard-to-scratch Gorilla Glass Victus 2. OEMs have the glass samples, and there are already some “design-ins occurring.”  Valesquez expects “bulletins from a few of our companions within the subsequent three months”

Within the meantime, we await actually unbreakable smartphone glass. Corning is engaged on it, however Velasquez instructed me “Not there but however gonna be persevering with preventing that struggle.”

Should you’re searching for some telephones that function the present model of Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus, there isn’t any higher place to begin than our Greatest Telephones of 2022.