What you need to know
- Corning has introduced Gorilla Glass 7i for budget smartphones, promising superior drop and scratch resistance.
- The new glass is proven to withstand falls from up to one meter onto rough surfaces, outperforming competitors.
- OPPO will be the first to use Gorilla Glass 7i in its future models.
Corning has unveiled Gorilla Glass 7i, its new glass for budget smartphones that promises superior drop and scratch resistance compared to the competition.
The Gorilla Glass 7i is billed as a tougher screen for mid-range and budget phones, and Corning said in its press release that it's stronger against drops and scratches than similar glasses, all without breaking the bank. This means better protection for a broader set of consumers.
During testing at Corning's labs, Gorilla Glass 7i proved its toughness by withstanding falls from up to one meter onto rough surfaces like asphalt. As per Corning, this puts Gorilla Glass 7i way ahead of the competition, whose glasses usually crack from much shorter falls.
The company aims for the new glass to address the persistence of earlier Gorilla Glass iterations like Gorilla Glass 5 within the mid-range smartphone segment. As these glasses age, there's a growing demand for a newer, cost-effective option that offers superior protection for today's bigger and better screens, like the Google Pixel 8a, which still uses Gorilla Glass 3.
David Velasquez, Corning's vice president and general manager, emphasized that durability and protection are always top priorities for the company, no matter the price of the device.
Gorilla Glass 7i goes beyond just drop protection, offering double the scratch resistance of other lithium aluminosilicate glasses on the market. It's an attractive solution for mid-range smartphone makers looking to boost durability without increasing costs and passing them on to consumers.
OPPO will be the first smartphone maker to feature Gorilla Glass 7i in its upcoming models. Specific details regarding these highly anticipated devices are expected to be unveiled in the near future.
Although originally designed for smartphones, Gorilla Glass 7i's impressive durability also makes it ideal for other devices like smartwatches, so it's only a matter of time before we see Corning's new glass make its debut on wearable devices.
