As the story goes, just six weeks before the original iPhone was released, CEO Steve Jobs became annoyed that the plastic screen of the prototype device he was using was scratched, so a last-minute change caused Apple to switch to glass.
And not just any glass, but Gorilla Glass. Made by Corning, this chemically reinforced glass has since become a staple of the smartphone market. Before moving on to the smartphone era, let’s take a look at a little history.
Corning started out in the mid-1800s, making lenses for railroad signal lights and later automotive headlights. It made the glass for Thomas Edison’s light bulb. In 1915 it created Pyrex cookware. Then in the 1960s it started making windows for NASA spacecraft, including the space shuttle. Fast forward to 2006 and we come to the fateful meeting between Apple and Corning.
Corning manufactured some of the most important pieces of glass in history
Plastic screens were the norm at the time, but Apple cares too much about aesthetics to let a device get scratched. More than that, the iPhone was a touchscreen phone, the screen was everything and it needed to be protected.
So did other smartphones as they transition from keyboards and keyboards to touchscreens. The early iPhones used Gorilla Glass and so did the T-Mobile G1, the very first Android phone.
Apple iPhone • Apple iPhone 3G • T-Mobile G1
Touch phones running just about every operating system in the world have also taken over Corning’s glass. From the tiny Samsung Corby to the i8910 Omnia HD powerhouse. From the stylish LG KM900 Arena to the unique LG BL40 New Chocolate.
It was also on the Nokia X6 (now the Finns are moving away from resistive touch), as well as the Motorola Droid/Milestsone, the rugged Sonim XP3.20 Quest, and even the LG GD910 watch phone (we’ll talk wearables later). And these are just some of the 2009 phones.
Samsung S3650 Corby • Samsung i8910 Omnia HD • LG KM900 Arena • LG BL40 New Chocolate
Nokia X6 (2009) • Motorola MILESTONE • Sonim XP3.20 Quest • LG GD910
In 2010, about 20% of mobile phones were equipped with Gorilla Glass, about 200 million devices. In 2012, the sequel was announced – records of Gorilla Glass 2 could be 20% thinner while remaining just as tough.
GG2 was used by the Galaxy S III and the camera phone Galaxy Camera GC100, among others. Samsung also used it on its Windows Phone device, the Ativ S, as did HTC on the creatively named Windows Phone 8X.
Samsung Galaxy S III • Galaxy Camera GC100 • Samsung Ativ S I8750 • HTC Windows Phone 8X
By now Nokia had become a fan of the glass and featured on the Lumia 920. Other influential phones to use GG2 are the Oppo Find 5 and the LG Optimus G. The glass was even suitable for 3D displays as seen on the Optimus 3D Max .
Nokia Lumia 920 • Oppo Find 5 • LG Optimus G E975 • LG Optimus 3D Max P720
Gorilla Glass 3 arrived in 2013, an all-new formulation. It was more resistant to scratches and the scratches it received were less visible thanks to something Corning called “Native Damage Resistance”.
To demonstrate it at MWC, Corning dropped a 135g steel ball onto a regular piece of glass and GG3. The normal glass was cracked, so it was replaced with a sheet of aluminum. Dropping the ball again left a dent in the aluminum, but Gorilla Glass 3 survived unscathed.
The sequels of some famous faces used GG3. For example, the Galaxy S4, Note3 and S4 zoom from Samsung. The affordable Moto G, its premium brother Moto X (both made by Motorola, owned by Google) and the LG Nexus 5.
Samsung I9500 Galaxy S4 • Samsung Galaxy Note 3 • Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom
Motorola Moto G • Motorola Moto X • LG Nexus 5
There was also the Nokia Lumia 1020 and the bulky Lumia 1320 with its 6-inch screen (remember, this was in the 16:9 days, this thing was 85.9mm wide and 164.2mm high).
Nokia Lumia 1020 • Nokia Lumia 1320
Gorilla Glass 3 was one of the most successful formulations for Corning and is still used to this day, here are a few modern devices. The Pixel 6a uses it for its display. The Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro uses it for its back. Interestingly, the Motorola Edge 30 Pro uses GG3 for the front and GG5 for the rear. It is still used by a rugged Sonim phone and the Ulefone Power Armor 14 Pro.
Google Pixel 6a • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro • Motorola Edge 30 Pro • Ulefone Power Armor 14 Pro
We haven’t mentioned Apple in a while, what happened? With the iPhone 5 in 2012, the company stopped using the trademarked name “Gorilla Glass” and started calling it “ion-enhanced glass” instead. However, it was still a Corning product.
Cupertino was actually trying to move away from glass around this point. It partnered with GT Advanced, a company that made sapphire glass screens for the Apple Watch. Those were also used to protect the camera and Touch ID fingerprint readers. But Apple wanted larger sheets, which could cover the display of iPhones. Unfortunately, the GT Advanced went bankrupt as we try to develop the technology to make it possible. Sapphire Crystal has been used on some phones, but none have the sales volume of iPhones. It’s mostly a watch thing.
This is a good sequel to Gorilla Glass SR+, a 2016 glass designed specifically for wearables. It offered better damage resistance and reduced screen reflections compared to “alternative luxury cladding materials”.
Corning Formulated Gorilla Glass SR+ and DX/DX+ for Wearables
Then came in 2018 Gorilla Glass DX and DX+, improved glass for wearables. According to Corning, it reduced reflections by 75%, which improved screen contrast by 50%. This was vital for smartwatches, which only had small batteries to power their displays. The difference between the DX and DX+ was that the plus model was harder.
A few years later, Corning reintroduced Gorilla Glass DX and DX+ as protection for camera lenses. Scratch resistance and improved optical performance are just as important for cameras as they are for watches. DX and DX+ allow 98% of light to pass through and reduce reflections (which can cause glare in photos).
Corning’s latest formulations are: Gorilla Glass Diet and Victus+ (it stopped the number versions after 6). Based on official testing, a Victus glass-fronted smartphone can survive a 2 m (6.5 ft) drop onto concrete and still have a functioning screen. It also boasted superior scratch resistance compared to previous generations.
Victus and Victus+ are now the norm for flagships – the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, Asus Zenfone 9, Google Pixel 6 Pro, Xiaomi 12S Ultra, Sony Xperia 1 IV, the Galaxy Xcover 6 Pro, OnePlus 10 Pro, Oppo Find X5 Pro and many more others.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G • Asus Zenfone 9 • Google Pixel 6 Pro • Xiaomi 12S Ultra
Sony Xperia 1 IV • Samsung Galaxy Xcover6 Pro • OnePlus 10 Pro • Oppo Find X5 Pro
Corning has also made Gorilla Glass for tablets and even laptops. The company has a long history of making glass for larger screens such as TVs (although that is not marketed under the name “Gorilla Glass”).
Corning’s next challenge is foldable phones — some use “Ultra Thin Glass” (UTG), which measures one-third the thickness of a human hair. It’s so thin that it can bend, something you don’t normally see with glass. But it’s not easy to make it durable enough for hundreds of daily folding and unfolding cycles. Still, it’s an important problem to solve, as foldable devices are seen by some as the future of smartphones.
A sheet of folding glass developed by Corning
By 2020, Corning’s Gorilla Glass will be used on 8 billion devices made by more than 45 OEMs. It was a huge success as the original GG was assembled and developed in just 4 months. It has gone through many iterations and improvements and the reason why it was needed in the first place has not gone away.
A Brief History of Gorilla Glass