Corning Gorilla Glass Explained

Corning Gorilla Glass Explained


Gorilla glass is brand is specialised toughened glass developed and manufactured by Corning Inc. It is light , thin, scratch and crack resistant. It is mainly used as cover glass for smartphones, tablets, smart watches, television screens etc.
During its manufacture, the glass is toughened by ion exchange. The material is immersed in a molten alkaline potassium salt at a temperature of approximately 400 °C (750 °F), wherein smaller sodium ions in the glass are replaced by larger potassium ions from the salt bath. The larger ions occupy more volume and thereby create a surface layer of high residual compressive stress at the surface, giving the glass surface increased strength, ability to contain flaws and overall crack-resistance, making it resistant to damage from everyday use.


Gorilla glass versions :

    1. Gorilla glass 1 - 

       • Introduced in 2007 with iPhone 3GS.
       • It had high scratch resistance than plastic screen covers of that time.
       • 1.5 mm to 2 mm in thickness.

     2. Gorilla glass 2 -

        • Introduced in 2012.
        • 20 % thinner than gen 1.
        • 20 % increase in damage resistance than gen 1.

    3. Gorilla glass 3 -

      • Introduced in 2013.
      • Introduced native damage resistance.
      • 3 times more damage resistance.
      • 40 % improved  scratch resistance.
      • Less brittle and more tougher than gen 2.
      • More flexible
      • Has silver ion doping which is anti-bacterial.

    4. Gorilla glass 4 -

     • Introduced in 2014.
      • 80 % survival rate on dropping from 1 meter height on hard surface.
      • More flexible than Gorilla glass 3.
      • 125 % increase in compression layer depth.
      • Higher resistance to cracking and crack propagation.

    5. Gorilla glass 5 -

      • Introduced in 2016.
      • More damage resistance.
      • 80 % survival rate on dropping from 1.6 meter height on rough surface.
      • Scratch resistance is similar to gen 4.