Affordable phones don't have to be brittle. Corning has announced Gorilla Glass 7i, which is designed for mid-range handsets. This design is likely similar to the other 7th generation glass, Gorilla Glass Victus, that was used on many premium smartphones like the Galaxy S23.
In a press release, Corning announced the release of their latest glass which the company says is “a new cover glass engineered to deliver improved durability for intermediate and value-segment mobile devices.” Gorilla Glass 7i purportedly offers better drop and scratch performance compared to "competitive lithium Aluminosilicate glasses from other manufacturers.”
Corning then breaks down the test results for the new glass, stating that the Gorilla Glass 7i survived drops of up to one meter on surfaces replicating asphalt. Competitive lithium aluminosilicate glass from other manufacturers typically failed when dropped from half a meter or less. According to Corning, the new Gorilla Glass 7i is up to two times more scratch-resistant than competitors.
There are several different generations of Gorilla glass at the moment, and which phones use which is not uniform. For instance, the Nothing phone 2a ships with Gorilla Glass 5, launched in 2016, while the Pixel 8a uses Gorilla Glass 3. So it's good to see the company introducing a cheap and sustainable version of their glass for more affordable phones.
Recently, we saw how tough the Gorilla Glass 8 was In the durability test for the Galaxy S24 Ultra by Jack Nelson of JerryRigEverything. In the test, the Galaxy S24 Ultra's screen was found to be very resistant to scratches and cuts with only slight markings appearing at a 7 on the scale, and deeper scratches at an 8. For reference, the typical score on the channel is scratching at level 6 for recent smartphones. Hopefully, the Gorilla Glass 7i can bring a similar level of durability to mid-range phones.
Overall, this is a positive development, but no glass is impervious to damage. So it's still worth buying a case and looking after your phone. On that note, we have a list of five tips to keep your phone safe.
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