According to the story, just six weeks before the original iPhone was released, CEO Steve Jobs was annoyed that the plastic screen of the prototype of the device he was using was scratched, so a last-minute change saw Apple switch to glass.
And not just any glass, but Gorilla Glass. This chemically strengthened glass was created by Corning and has since become a staple of the smartphone market. Let’s take a look at some history before we get to the smartphone age.
Corning began in the mid-19th century and made lenses for railway signal lights and later for automobile headlights. He made the glass for Thomas Edison’s light bulb. In 1915 he created Pyrex cookware. Then, in the 1960s, he began 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 has produced 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. Also, the iPhone was a touchscreen phone, the screen was everything and it had to be protected.
This was also true of other smartphones as they transition from keyboards and keyboards to touchscreens. The first iPhones used Gorilla Glass and so did the T-Mobile G1, the first ever Android phone.
Apple iPhone • Apple iPhone 3G • T-Mobile G1
Touch phones with almost every operating system on earth have also adopted Corning glass. From the small Samsung Corby to the powerful i8910 Omnia HD. From the elegant LG KM900 Arena to the exclusive LG BL40 New Chocolate.
It was also on the Nokia X6 (now that Finns were moving away from resistive touch), as well as on the Motorola Droid / Milestsone, the rugged Sonim XP3.20 Quest, and even the LG GD910 watch (more on wearables later). And these are just some of the phones from 2009.
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
By 2010, around 20% of mobile phones had Gorilla Glass, around 200 million devices. In 2012, the sequel was announced: Gorilla Glass 2 sheets could be 20% thinner while remaining just as strong.
GG2 has been used by the likes of Galaxy S III and Galaxy Camera GC100, turned into camera. Samsung also used it on its Windows Phone, the Activ S, as well as HTC on the creatively named Windows Phone 8X.
Samsung Galaxy S III • Galaxy GC100 Camera • Samsung Ativ S I8750 • HTC Windows Phone 8X
By now Nokia had become a fan of glass and was featured on the Lumia 920. Other influential phones to use GG2 include the Oppo Find 5 and the LG Optimus G. The glass was also 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
In 2013 Gorilla Glass 3 arrived, a completely 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 this at the MWC, Corning threw a 135g steel ball on a regular piece of glass and GG3. Normal glass broke, so it was replaced by aluminum foil. Dropping the ball again left a dent in the aluminum, but Gorilla Glass 3 survived unscathed.
Some familiar face sequels used GG3. For example, Samsung’s Galaxy S4, Note3 and S4 zoom. The affordable Moto G, its premium sibling Moto X (both made by Google-owned Motorola) and the LG Nexus 5.
Samsung I9500 Galaxy S4 • Samsung Galaxy Note 3 • Zoom Samsung Galaxy S4
Motorola Moto G • Motorola Moto X • LG Nexus 5
There was also the Nokia Lumia 1020 and the sizable Lumia 1320 with its 6-inch screen (remember this was back 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 today, here are some modern devices. The Pixel 6a uses it for its display. The Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro uses it for the 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 6 Pro phone • Motorola Edge 30 Pro • Ulefone Power Armor 14 Pro
We haven’t talked about Apple in a while, what happened? With the iPhone 5 in 2012, the company stopped using the name “Gorilla Glass” and started calling it “ion-reinforced glass”. However, it was still a Corning product.
Cupertino actually tried to switch from glass at this point. He was working with GT Advanced, a company that made sapphire crystal screens for the Apple Watch. These were also used to protect the camera and Touch ID fingerprint readers. But Apple wanted larger sheets, ones that could cover the iPhone display. Unfortunately, the GT Advanced went bankrupt as he tried 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 is mainly a watch thing.
This is a good sequel in Gorilla Glass SR +, a 2016 glass designed specifically for wearables. It offered better damage resistance and reduced screen reflections than the “alternative luxury cover materials”.
Corning formulated Gorilla Glass SR + and DX / DX + for wearable devices
Then in 2018 came Gorilla Glass DX and DX +, improved wearable glasses. According to Corning, it reduced reflections by 75%, improving the screen contrast by 50%. This was vital for smartwatches, which only had tiny batteries to power their displays. The difference between DX and DX + was that the plus model was harder.
A few years later Corning reintroduced Gorilla Glass DX and DX + as a protection for camera lenses. Scratch resistance and improved optical performance are just as important for cameras as they are for watches. DX and DX + let 98% of the light through reducing reflections (which can cause glare in photos).
Corning’s latest formulations are Gorilla Glass Victus and Victus + (it stopped with the number versions after 6). Based on official testing, a smartphone with Victus glass on the front can survive a 2m (6.5ft) drop to concrete and still have a working display. It also boasted superior scratch resistance compared to previous generations.
Victus and Victus + are now the norm for flagships: Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, Asus Zenfone 9, Google Pixel 6 Pro, Xiaomi 12S Ultra, Sony Xperia 1 IV, Galaxy Xcover 6 Pro, OnePlus 10 Pro, Oppo Find X5 Pro and many more other.
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 producing glass for larger displays such as televisions (although it is not marketed under the name “Gorilla Glass”).
Corning’s next challenge is foldable phones – some use “Ultra Thin Glass” (UTG), which is one-third the thickness of a human hair. It is so thin that it can bend, which is not normally seen with glass. But making it tough enough for hundreds of daily folding and unfolding cycles is no easy feat. However, it is a major problem to be solved as foldables are seen as the future of smartphones by some.
A folding glass plate developed by Corning
By 2020, Corning’s Gorilla Glass was used on 8 billion devices created by over 45 OEMs. It was a smash hit, considering the original GG was put together quickly, developed in just 4 months. It has gone through many iterations and improvements, and the reason it was needed in the first place hasn’t gone away.
A brief history of Gorilla Glass
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