Corning’s Gorilla Glass is a touch, scratch-resistant type of glass that’s often used in smartphones to help prevent screens from scratching or cracking when they come in contact with other objects (like the ground).
Nearly two years after the introducing of Gorilla Glass 4, which was set to survive about 80 percent of one-meter (3.3 foot) falls, Corning has unveiled Gorilla Glass 5. This time the company says the the glass should survive about 80 percent of falls of 1.6 meters (5.3 feet).
That means your phone is less likely to get a cracked screen if you drop it when it’s held up to your head to make a call or when you’re lifting it above waist height. In other words, if you’re using your phone like a phone, it’s probably more than 3 feet from the ground pretty often, which makes Gorilla Glass 5 sound like a big improvement.
Of course, the 80 percent survival rate means there’s still a 1 in 5 chance that your screen will be damaged if you drop it. So even if your next phone has Corning’s latest Gorilla Glass protecting the screen, it might not be a bad idea to invest in a bumper case that helps keep the glass from actually touching the ground.
It’s likely that Gorilla Glass 5 will start showing up in devices this fall.