YouTube tester made a mistake in Gorilla Glass 5 scratch test
JerryRigEverything admits that his scratch test of the Gorilla Glass 5 on the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was wrong. That test showed that the screen is less scratch-resistant than Gorilla Glass 4, but that was due to microscopic metal residues on its tools.
Shortly after the Note 7’s release in August, JerryRigEverything posted a video on his channel testing how scratch-resistant the Galaxy Note 7’s screen is. It is the first smartphone to use Cornings Gorilla Glass 5. In the video, it was apparent that the glass begins to scratch when it comes into contact with material rated 3 on the Mohs hardness scale. That was striking, because Gorilla Glass 4 only scratches on material with a score of 6 on the same scale.
JerryRigEverything now says in a new video that there was a flaw in his testing method. He had sharpened his tools with a supplied sharpening stone. The scriber with a hardness of 3 therefore contained microscopic metal particles, originating from the sharpening stone, with a hardness of 8. Due to the contamination on the scriber, it was as if the Gorilla Glass 5 screen already scratched at a hardness of 3. The YouTuber ran the test again with a new set of tools and it shows that the Note 7’s screen only scratches at a hardness of 6 or 7. That corresponds to smartphones equipped with Gorilla Glass 4.
Immediately after the publication of the test, Corning, the manufacturer of the glass for smartphones, already indicated that the new material is just as scratch-resistant as the previous version. Corning argued that the bad score was the result of metal scraps and with the correction video JerryRigEverything now agrees with the manufacturer.
The YouTuber says that the error in the test only occurred with the Note 7 and that results of tests from other smartphones were not affected. He would not have used the sharpening stone in the past and says he will not do so again in the future. JerryRigEverything’s popular YouTube channel is known for its physical testing of new smartphones. In addition to testing scratch resistance, he also subjects smartphones to bending tests.
Corning presented Gorilla Glass 5 this summer. The new version of the toughened glass often has to survive drops from more than five feet, while Corning says it was from one meter with version four.