N9 has gorilla glass? - Page 3 - maemo.org

qorax | # 21 | 2012-02-18, 01:31 | Report

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.

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Dragoss91 | # 22 | 2012-02-19, 17:21 | Report

Originally Posted by qorax View Post

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.

I guess that drop test is irrelevant because the phone just landed perfectly on the back . Take a look at the battery cover how it stays untouched after the first hit . As far as I know , gorilla glass it's resistant at shocks (like hitting display with an object) , the real nightmare for gorilla glass are shocks against it's corners .

sorry for gramma mistakes , english is not my mother language

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Lomax | # 23 | 2012-02-21, 15:21 | Report

Actually Gorilla Glass was specifically created for use in the first iPhone. Corning had experimented with similar materials in the past but they never went into production - until Steve Jobs got annoyed by how easily the intial prototype (which had a plastic screen) got scratched...

Gorilla Glass:

Originally Posted by

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.

Note also:

Originally Posted by

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

As for scratching Gorilla Glass, it's very easy to do as long as the material you scratch with is harder than the glass. Gorilla Glass has a hardness level of 7 (Mohs scale) but your average beach is full of corundum crystals, which have a hardness level of 9...

Corundum:

Originally Posted by

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

Originally Posted by

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

Edit:

A steel knife would typically have a hardness of 5.5 Mohs so will not scratch Gorilla Glass. Neither will plain window/bottle glass (also 5.5 Mohs), keys (maybe 4-5 Mohs) or jeans rivets (probably under 5.5 Mohs). But watch out for hardened tools (drillbits, files, pro screwdrivers etc) as these are easily harder than Gorilla Glass (7-8 Mohs) - and don't forget sanding paper and other abrasives which often contain corundum or other even harder minerals (tungsten carbide for example).

Last edited by Lomax; 2012-02-21 at 15:33.

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HELLASISGREECE | # 24 | 2012-02-21, 15:25 | Report

Originally Posted by lancewex View Post

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

That is because the N900 does not have glass.

the display is protected by plastic

N8/N9/E7,..etc have GLASS

Last edited by HELLASISGREECE; 2012-02-21 at 15:30.

afaq | # 25 | 2012-02-21, 16:23 | Report

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

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afaq | # 26 | 2012-02-21, 16:32 | Report

People keep the original rubber cases on! I cant tell you how many times ive dropped my N9 (slippery like a fish!) and the rubber has stopped it from denting/scratching etc. Its not as pretty with the case on but i cant think of an alternative solution.

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qorax | # 27 | 2012-02-21, 19:45 | Report

Originally Posted by afaq View Post

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

Thanx afaq - I apreciate ur sweet words... the internet seems to have revived the journalist in me, LOL !

zapotek | # 28 | 2012-02-21, 20:30 | Report

Originally Posted by zaoltryence View Post

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

me to!both corners

sitoub_n82 | # 29 | 2012-02-21, 21:34 | Report

Well mine fell from 1 meter on asphalt and even though I had the rubber cover on.......oh it hurts just to say it.....the screen is pretty messed up (but just the screen). I had a screen protector and I feel that's what's keeping the pieces together!!! You can fix it at a local shop but it will cost you $180 or you can buy the screen yourself for $125-$150. ZackMorris has his fixed at palcocellphonerepair.com, apparently they're good!

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patlak | # 30 | 2012-09-09, 15:29 | Report

Gorilla glass = my a.s.s

I keep it in a pouch, away from keys or anything that could potentially scratch it, and today in the sun, I see scratches. What, are my fingertips that sharp?