Corning makes new type of Gorilla Glass for wearables

Corning, the maker of Gorilla Glass, has developed a new type of glass called Gorilla Glass SR+. The SR+ glass is specifically intended for wearables and is said to be almost as scratch resistant as sapphire glass, which is also used in more expensive watches.

Corning announced in early 2015 that it was working on a project to develop glass that is as scratch-resistant as sapphire, but not as fragile. This Project Phire has now resulted in SR+. According to Corning, SR+ is “seventy percent more resistant to impact and drops” and its surface reflectivity is “twenty-five percent better” than comparable materials.

The company’s infographic states that the scratch resistance is almost as great as sapphire, yet the glass is just as strong and thin as Gorilla Glass 4 and 5. The light transmittance is also said to be better than sapphire, but slightly worse than those of GG 4 and 5. It is not clear what the material consists of and whether it contains synthetic sapphire glass.

The new glass is already available to manufacturers of wearables and the glass should therefore soon be available in the wild with models to be presented this year. At the end of July, Corning presented Gorilla Glass 5, which should especially be able to withstand falls from greater heights.