Sapphire glass is nearly three times tougher than Gorilla Glass, might be on future smartphones

The Samsung Galaxy S 4 was just unveiled as the first phone coming with Corning’s new Gorilla Glass 3, and as tough as Gorilla Glass is, in the near future we might have much tougher glass on our devices. That will be sapphire glass, a type of glass that already has its use in the military for transparent armor, and that might soon arrive to smartphones.

A type aluminum oxide, sapphire is transparent and nearly three times tougher and more scratch resistant than current glass. It is actually so tough it’s comparable to diamonds. However unlike diamonds, it is much cheaper. This ruggedness and relatively affordable price make it a good candidate for the future superphones. The only hurdle? It is not yet affordable enough.

While Gorilla Glass could cost around $3 apiece, the same sized slab of sapphire might run phone makers up to $30.

There is a lot of savings to come though as competition in the space heats up and mass production would also significantly lower its costs.

We’re sure Corning will also not be resting idle while other companies try to make the case for sapphire. The end result though will surely be tougher and more scratch resistant glass in our smartphones.

source: Technology Review, Extreme Tech

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