Gorilla glass 4 on which phones. What is the secret of Gorilla Glass, and in which smartphones is it used. Ion exchange is everything

Screen protector modern smartphones is glass, which replaced plastic resistive touchscreens. But glass, against the background of transparent polymers, has one significant drawback: it is fragile. One small blow - and the screen is covered with a web of cracks. In order to prevent such an outcome, tempered glasses with increased strength are being actively developed. Their most famous manufacturer is the American company Corning, famous for its Gorilla Glass brand.

Gorilla Glass is a glass with a special composition, subjected to chemical and physical processing. Its purpose is to modify the structure of the material to increase resistance to scratches and impacts. Another advantage is the reduction of injury risk: fragments of tempered glass do not have very sharp edges. When using a smartphone with cracked glass, the risk of cutting your finger is significantly reduced. The same goes for the phone screen, accidentally crushed in your pocket.

The idea of ​​using chemical treatment of glass to give strength was born in the first half of the 20th century. Then soda-lime glass was invented, which has increased reliability. In 1959, Corning began testing various glass chemical treatments. Then, using alkali compounds and aluminosilicate, Chemcor glass was created, later used in aviation and motor vehicles. But it has not been widely adopted.

Everything changed in 2006 when Apple started developing the first iPhone. The plastic of the resistive touchscreens quickly wore out and scratched, which Jobs did not like. The Apple leader turned to Corning management and proposed to revive the technology. At that time, the company was already independently trying to resume research in this direction. Cooperation with Apple has significantly increased investment in development. As a result, the first generation of Gorilla Glass was born.

Gorilla Glass is made using ion exchange tempering technology. Classical silicate glass is immersed in a melt of potassium salts, heated to temperatures of about 400-500 degrees. Under their influence, weak sodium ions in the glass composition are replaced by stronger potassium ions, which increases the strength of the product. Thanks to the reinforced molecular bonds that chemical hardening provides, the hardness of Gorilla Glass, on the Moss scale, reaches 6 points (out of 10, the hardness of steel is about 5).

The thickness of Gorilla Glass was about 1 mm, while the impact resistance was up to 3 times greater than that of ordinary tempered glass. For 2007 (when the thinnest smartphones were thicker than 10 mm), this was a normal figure. But soon the thickness of the device began to decrease, and there was a lot of an extra millimeter.

Gorilla Glass 2

In January 2012, the company introduced the second generation of tempered Gorilla Glass. By that time, the development of Corning was already used in more than 200 million smartphones around the world. A new version Gorilla Glass has become 20% thinner, with an increase in strength up to 4 times. Engineers have improved the method of saturating workpieces with potassium ions, ensuring their deeper penetration. This made it possible to make the layer saturated with them thicker.

Gorilla Glass 3

To make Gorilla Glass 3, released in January 2013, more durable, the developers have improved the technology. According to the manufacturer's claims and tests, it is able to withstand loads greater than sapphire glass. Native Damage Resistance technology (innate resistance to damage) made it possible, with the same thickness, to increase strength by 3 times (against the background of the second generation). Scratch resistance increased by 40% and impact resistance increased by 50%.

Gorilla Glass 4

In the new generation of glass, shown in November 2014, the manufacturer managed to reduce the thickness by 2 times, bringing it to 0.4 mm. Other characteristics (strength, resistance to impacts and scratches), however, remained at the level of their predecessor. The purpose of the new glass is to reduce the thickness mobile devices without compromising their protection. According to the creators, it is 2 times stronger than coatings made using competing technologies.

Gorilla Glass Alternatives

Competing companies are moving forward and developing alternative screen coatings that are more durable. One of them is sapphire glass, created by the synthesis of this mineral. It is highly scratch resistant (only diamond and some synthetics can leave a mark), but is more fragile and also expensive.

The Japanese company Asahi, which specializes in the development of new types of glass, has also succeeded in this field. In 2011, she released Dragontrail, a more affordable alternative to Gorilla Glass. It is slightly inferior to its competitor in terms of strength, but surpasses ordinary glass by 6 times. Due to its low price, Dragontrail is in demand by Chinese manufacturers such as Xiaomi, Lenovo, Meizu. Even Sony equip their flagships of the Z series with it.

In Germany, a competitor for Gorilla Glass is being developed by Schott. Their development of Xensation Cover also claims to be one of the most durable types of glass. Its presentation took place in 2012. As of 2016, the most famous manufacturer using the Xensation Cover is the Chinese company Meizu. Glass is used in the new budget smartphones of the M3 series.

Crash test of Gorilla Glass 4 in a smartphone

You will also like:

Why the smartphone heats up: 7 popular reasons

Why is Gorilla Glass protective glass so popular?

Corning revolutionized the mobile industry in 2005 by creating a special material from Al (aluminum), O (oxygen) and Si (silicon). Its main feature was its low weight, small thickness (about one and a half millimeters) and high strength. It is very difficult to damage such a film.

However, at that time, the technology was used in various industries (automotive, household appliances), but they began to be used in smartphones only in 2007. It was then that Apple introduced its first iPhone with special screen protection and an oleophobic coating. To find out if your smartphone has Gorilla Glass, follow the link to the official Corning website, select the brand, look at the list of phones. Second version

5 years later, at the CES 2012 high-tech exhibition, the manufacturer presented improved glass. It was thinner by 0.3 mm, withstood a load of no more than 50 kg per square meter. The most popular devices with Gorilla Glass 2 are the Google Nexus 4 and samsung galaxy S3. third generation

Each subsequent update differed from previous developments in improved strength and resistance to scratches (due to the introduction of Native Damage Resistance technology), and other damage. And again the thickness became smaller and amounted to about 1 mm.

The list of phones with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 included such well-known devices: Samsung Galaxy S4, Motorola Moto X/G.

Many people are still interested in the question - do you need an additional film for such phones? After all, sellers in stores are constantly trying to impose on us all sorts of accessories.

In fact, there is no need for such expenses. Gorilla Glass 3 is excellent protection against scratches. But no more. However, in the next generation, this problem was partially eliminated. Useful content: What is OTG in a smartphone: how to use it?

SAR in the phone - what is it, what is the acceptable level for a person

Glass or film - which will more effectively protect the smartphone screen from damage

Gyroscope in the phone - what kind of sensor is it? Less fall damage

The fourth version was introduced in 2014. When it was created, the wishes of thousands of owners of mobile gadgets were taken into account. All of them complained that the screens have a low level of protection during falls (and such cases have become quite common with the increase in the diagonal of the display and the dimensions of smartphones).

The manufacturer has taken these comments into account. As a result, the strength increased by almost 2 times. ASUS ZenFone 2 and Samsung Galaxy Note 5 successfully passed a number of crash tests thanks to the "fourth Gorilla". Corning Gorilla Glass 5 - what is this glass?

The fifth generation has become one of the most popular and was massively used by device manufacturers even in mid-range models.

Official test results ensured that even if dropped from one and a half meters, the screen would not be seriously damaged. Small cracks are possible.

And if the height is up to a meter, then the probability of damage approaches zero. Again, the thickness of the film has become less than a millimeter, which has a positive effect on the weight of manufactured gadgets - Xiaomi Mi A2, Samsung S9. Sixth version

At the time of writing this review, Gorilla Glass 6 is the latest modification. It was released in the summer of 2018. Security increased by 90%. Many Youtube bloggers conducted independent tests on their channels, in which they threw the recent flagship Samsung Galaxy S10 from different heights (at the level of the waist, head), on tiles, asphalt, soil, carpet, linoleum, etc.

Often, after 10 attempts, the screen received only minor damage. So far, a coating with such characteristics is used only in top-level devices - OPPO R17, iPhone Xs / Max. To find out if your smartphone has Gorilla Glass, follow the link to the official Corning website, select the brand, look at the list of phones.

Corning manufactures reliable protective glasses for Gorilla Glass smartphones, which in some cases save the display not only from scratches, but also from cracks. A phone with Corning protection is more likely to survive a drop or a hit on the screen, but it is guaranteed to protect the display from scratches. Below is a list of all modern smartphones with Gorilla Glass, and immediately after it - the top five models.

List

• S3, S4, S5, S6, S6 Edge, S7, S Edge, S8, S8 Plus, S9, S9 Plus
• Note 3, Note 4, Note 5, Note8, Note9
• A3, A5, A6, A6 Plus, A7, A8, A8 Plus
• J5 Prime

• Redmi S2, 5, 5 Plus, Note 5, Note 5 Pro, 6, 6 Pro
• Mi Max, Max 2, Max 3, Mi Note, Mi A2, Mi 6x, Mi 8, Mi8 SE, Mi Mix 2s

• P8, P9, P10, P10 Lite, P10 Plus, P20, P20 Pro
• Honor 10, 7X
• Mate 8, 10, 10 Pro

• Pro 5, Pro 6, Pro 7, Pro 7 plus
• M15, M15 Lite, M10 Plus, M16
• MX5, MX6

• 3, 3T
• 5.5T

• 5 dual sim, 5.1, 5.1 Plus
• 6, 6.1, 6.1 Plus
• 8 Dual Sim, 8 Sirocco

• One M9, One A9, M8
• U11, U11 Eyes, U11 Plus, U12, U12+, U Ultra, U Play,
• Desire 12
• Desire 10 Pro

• G4, G6, G6 Plus, G7
• Nexus 5
• X Venture

• XA1, XA2, XA2 Ultra
• XZ, XZ Premium, XZs
• XZ2, XZ2 Compact

• Pixel, XL
• Pixel 2, 2XL
• Pixel 3, 3XL

Rest:

• ZTE: Nubia Z17 mini, Axon 7, Z11 Max
• Asus Zenfone 3, 4, 4 Max, 5, 5 Lite, Go, Max M1, Max Plus M1
• Motorola Moto G5S, G6, Noto Z, Moto X Play
• Oppo F7, R11s Plus
• K10000Pro
• Vivo Y81

Top Models

It is obvious that not only flagships, but also inexpensive phones receive protective glasses from Corning. However, high-quality and durable Gorilla Glass 5 glasses are used on expensive models, and Glass 2 or 3 can be installed on state employees. Below are the best devices that have received protection from Corning.

1st place - HTC U12 Plus

The best flagship in the subjective opinion at the end of 2018 is the U12 Plus of the well-known HTC brand. It runs Android 8.0 out of the box, but will definitely get an update to Android 9.0 and most likely 10.0, though it's not known when that will be.

The device with a Super LCD screen received high picture quality, its 6-inch diagonal at a resolution of 2K, which gives a pixel density of 537 per inch. Naturally, it is covered with protective glass, however, this is not a new protection, but only Corning Gorilla Glass 3. This is strange, since the previous flagship of the company - U11 - uses Corning Gorilla Glass 5. But oh well, even with such protection, the phone does not scratches if it is in a pocket with keys.

Behind - 2 rear cameras with resolutions of 12 and 16 megapixels, optical stabilization and f / 1.75 aperture. Video shooting is available in 3840×2160 format and even shooting at 60 FPS, although this is nothing new.

The processor is Snapdragon 845 with the Adreno 630 video core, that is, the performance of the device is at its best. Also in HTC U12+ 6 GB of RAM, 128 GB of memory and a 3500 mAh battery. The manufacturer claims that it lasts for 23.8 hours of talks, which is a good result. The highlight of the phone is the Edge side touchpads that respond to compression. They squeezed the smartphone - a side column with a menu came out. They can also be programmed for other actions.

Excellent and reliable device with protection from Corning. Recommended for purchase.

2nd place - OnePlus 6

The flagship is good because it is devoid of unnecessary flagship “arsenal”: there is no water protection, a 3D face scanner, touch side panels and other bells and whistles. But there is the most powerful hardware, an excellent shell, and most importantly, optimization of performance and power consumption.

It’s not for nothing that OnePlus 6 became the first smartphone in terms of performance equipped with a Snapdragon 845 processor. Speed, lack of friezes and brakes, power reserve for the next 3-4 years, stable software updates and support, build quality are all pluses of the device.

The screen is 6.28-inch AMOLED with 2K resolution. Unlike the HTC U12+, this unit comes with a scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 5 screen protector, which is sure to withstand a drop or a slight impact, not to mention scratches. Many buyers use the device without additional protective films and glasses - the "native" protection is enough.

3-4 places - Samsung Galaxy S9 and S8

It is appropriate to put 2 phones at once in this position - S9 and S8. Both received reliable protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on both sides, so drops and scratches are not terrible for phones. Naturally, within reasonable limits.

Effective water protection - devices work even under water - build quality, the best Amoled screens (recognized by Display Mate studio) with automatic color correction for the user, proprietary Exynos processors and top technologies, including face recognition and iris scanning for unlocking. Not just because these flagships are distinguished by a high price.

Many users don't like new Galaxy S9 is an amateur, so we give phones 3-4 places. If they were cheaper, it would be appropriate to put these phones in 1-2 positions in the rating.

5th place - Xiaomi Mi 8

The new TOP phone of the Chinese brand Xiaomi, made with Gorilla Glass front and back. The phone received an Amoled-matrix with a diagonal of 6.21 inches and a resolution of 2K. There is a "monobrow" in the upper part, and the display itself occupies 88.5% of the entire area.

SoC - Snapdragon 845, 6 GB of RAM. Of course, the speed of the device is high. Plus, it uses cool rear cameras. You will find their review with photo examples.

The device works under Android control 8.0 will be upgraded to 9 in the future. Build quality, speed, optimization - all this is at a high level, as befits a flagship. It is recommended to buy, although it is difficult to find a phone in stores - it was dismantled within hours after the official start of sales.