Originally Posted by qorax

Does Gorilla Glass Break / Scratch?



Well, as it's always said, "a glass - is a glass"... so Gorilla or otherwise - will do break / scratch. However, will it do so easily, w/out a 'fight'? -I guess Not. The following vids seem to prove it's prowess:

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhC7TLaflWk
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQnPmr61POw
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOHZD2bNQyA

Then how do I get these scratches on my phone?

It's an interesting paradox. If Gorilla is not easily scratched by materials commonly found in your pocket, how do our phones often end up with scratched screens?

The point to note is between the words "Resistant" & "Proof". Gorilla glass is indeed harder than normal glass, so it's harder to scratch & break... but not invincible. After all [repeat] glass is glass - they will scratch & break! Nobody said, "it's scratch proof" - but it sure is "resistant to it".

Three [3] things seem to go against:
1. Long-term use;
2. Regular rubbing;
3. Presence of harsher materials in our pockets.

All those videos depict a one-time effort. Those, one-off, attacks might not place a scar over some lower quality glass as well - leave alone Gorilla. While a few more persistent efforts too wouldn't do much to this hardened, tempered, ion-compressed & fortified material [google the making of this wonderful thing]. But the above three - is a different proposition altogether.

The fact remains that our phone's scratches are caused by sand, grit & dirt, in our pockets and the surfaces where inadvertently we place them. And this is multiplied by the regular rubbing of these unseen-evils over a period of time. Yes, in common parlance they aren't as 'harsh' as the items used in those vids [viz. coins, keys, swiss-knives etc.], but when regularly subjected - they tend to be, albeit, 'harsher'!

Of course, if we r so careless to keep our phones in the vicinity / regular presence of those tools/items - it'd scratch faster -- but we aren't that naive 2day, r we? We do take extra care to see where / how we 'put' that phone... even ensuring avoidance of those omni-present Levi's rivets. However, as much as we care - our devices yet get those unsightly / unworthy / heartaches. 'Coz there's 'true grit' in the grit!

But then, do we use those $1 screen-protectors?

Debatable. Much depends on personal choice. I don't. And have never had a scratch on my screens to fear / boast / talk of. What with Corning spending millions on R&D and producing a state-of-the-art product -- then we go putting a rubberized-plastic bloat over it? But then, who am I to contradict / judge user preferences either? However, I'd opine that a bit of care [preferably using the N9's OEM case* & keeping the phone in our right pocket, which usually has nothing else but the hanky] and placing the phone on softer surfaces, when drawn out, could well keep it ship-shape in the long run. That's what I do. We don't carry diamonds in our pockets, do we?

Gorilla thrown / droppped off the stairs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=bc5JjPU4Xh0

And this dude dropped a Galaxy Nexus [it's a Gorilla too!] a whole floor, uh! Agreed it was carpeted - but the drop was solid - a common glass would shatter [I did, watching his escapade!] - but our Gorilla didn't crack. LOL - I was about to dial Amnesty International !

Qorax
*Which certainly is the best OEM (freely included) case any phone ever had inside its box.

Corning experimented with chemically strengthened glass in 1960, as part of an initiative called "Project Muscle". Within a few years they had developed what they named "gorilla glass". However, Corning could find no practical use for the glass at the time and "gorilla glass" was never put into production.

In 2006, Apple Inc. was developing what was to be the first model of the iPhone. Though initially it was to have a hard plastic screen, Steve Jobs found that when placed in his pocket his keys scratched the prototype's surface. Jobs was outraged and resolved to find a glass that was scratch-resistant enough that iPhone buyers wouldn't have the same problem.

Jobs ended up contacting the CEO of Corning, Wendell Weeks and told him that Apple needed a light yet strong enough glass screen for use in their consumer devices. Weeks told him of the "gorilla glass" that the company had developed in the 1960s but had since been mothballed. Jobs convinced Weeks to immediately put the glass into production for use in the upcoming iPhone. Despite initial skepticism on Weeks' part that Corning could do so and also be able to manufacture enough screens in time for the iPhone's pending release, they did in fact achieve these aims within six months. Corning's Harrodsburg, Kentucky factory was able to supply enough "gorilla glass" screens for Apple's iPhone release in June 2007.

Thereafter, Corning's revived Gorilla Glass project started to develop this tough cover glass for a range of smartphones and other consumer electronics devices for multiple companies. Alongside smartphones, Gorilla Glass is also used in tablets, notebooks and TVs.

Gorilla Glass' most useful qualities are its strength, scratch resistance and thinness.

Because of corundum's hardness (pure corundum is defined to have 9.0 Mohs), it can scratch almost every other mineral.

It commonly occurs as a detrital mineral in stream and beach sands because of its hardness and resistance to weathering.

Originally Posted by lancewex

My N900 was dropped so many times without issues. These things are getting more delicate.

Originally Posted by afaq

Qorax - have to say i thoroughly enjoy reading your posts simply because your formatting skills are legendary.

Originally Posted by zaoltryence

I think it could have been worse if its another phone, mine dropped like 2 meters but screen stayed intact but the upper corner near the headphone jack is dented