Corning Launches Gorilla Glass SR+ For Wearables

BY Rajesh Pandey

Published 31 Aug 2016

Corning Gorilla Glass SR

A year and a half ago, Corning showed off Project Phire which combined the strength of sapphire and the durability of Gorilla Glass into one. Today, the results of Project Phire have bore fruit in the form of Gorilla Glass SR+.

Made for wearables, Corning says that Gorilla Glass SR+ is 70 percent tougher against impacts and has 25 percent better surface reflection than alternative luxury cover materials. While not scratch proof, the glass does reduce visible scratches whilst maintaining optical clarity and touch sensitivity.

“In early 2015, Corning launched Project Phire with the goal of engineering glass-based solutions with the scratch resistance approaching luxury cover materials, combined with the superior damage resistance of Gorilla Glass,” said Scott Forester, director, innovation products, Corning Gorilla Glass. “Corning Gorilla Glass SR+ delivers a superior combination of properties that is not available in any other material today – it is in a class of its own.”

Displays on wearables are more prone to scratches and the usual variant of Gorilla Glass that Corning offers does not provide enough protection against such scraps and dings. For now, Corning will only be offering Gorilla Glass SR+ for wearables, with no mention of whether this technology will ever come to the protective glass it offers for smartphones and other devices or not.

Corning says that Gorilla Glass SR+ is already commercially available and will be used on products “from leading brands” that will debut later this year.