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gorilla glass

B

BacklitFirefly

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 27, 2009
343
0
Sandhills Area, North Carolina
I'm seeing a lot of ads online for Corning Gorilla Glass. I just got an iPhone 4 last month, and immediately had a Zagg Invisible Shield applied to the front and back AND put on a bumper case.

Is the Gorilla Glass sufficient on its own? I mean, is it as scratch resistant as the iPad? If so, I am thinking I might not need the Zagg. I've let my cat and dog play with my iPad, and there's not a scratch on it. And I've had it since April.

I don't know...I really would like to just enjoy the glass if possible.
 
I don't have any screen protectors, and so far no scratches. The screen protector will obviously protect your phone, even in the worst of situations, the screen protector layer will rip and the phone will remain scratch free. But personally, I figure that since in a year or so I'll get a new iPhone, I might as well just enjoy this one. So I don't have a case or any kind of protection on it. It gets in the way too much, and I love the iPhone 4 design and I'd rather not cover it with anything.

As far as the iPad question goes, I don't know. I don't currently own one. But I'm sure that it's about the same, the iPad may be a bit thicker, but the scratch resistance should be about the same.
 
Just to clarify the iPhone doesn't use Gorilla Glass. It's a different type that is probably about as or almost as hard/shatter resistant.

That said, I do the same as mtnDewFTW. No protectors besides a bumper for me. It's got some fine scratches but you can only see those in direct sunlight.
 
QuarterSwede said:
Just to clarify the iPhone doesn't use Gorilla Glass. It's a different type that is probably about as or almost as hard/shatter resistant.

That said, I do the same as mtnDewFTW. No protectors besides a bumper for me. It's got some fine scratches but you can only see those in direct sunlight.
Click to expand...

"Hard" and "Shatter Resistant" are the exact opposite. I believe this is where most people get confused. If something is "Hard" it is scratch-resistant yet more prone to shattering. If it is "Soft" it is shatter-resistant but more prone to scratching. The iPhone 4 is hard, so it most likely will not scratch - yet it definitely will shatter, and in fact is not very shatter-resistant.
 
xbuddycorex said:
"Hard" and "Shatter Resistant" are the exact opposite. I believe this is where most people get confused. If something is "Hard" it is scratch-resistant yet more prone to shattering. If it is "Soft" it is shatter-resistant but more prone to scratching. The iPhone 4 is hard, so it most likely will not scratch - yet it definitely will shatter, and in fact is not very shatter-resistant.
Click to expand...

I think you got your properties messed up.

hardness is how scratch-resistant but it has no effect on how brittle something is.

How brittle something is determines how shatter resistant it is. Something can be both hard and not brittle and something else can be very soft and very brittle.
 
Ah, ok. No Gorilla Glass. I'm not sure why I thought it was used for iPhone 4 -- but yes, looking at Apple's site where the design it explained, it does seem this glass would be very scratch resistant.

Yet more prone to shattering, as xbuddy and Rodimus say.

Thanks, y'all.
 
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I'm not an engineer, but I do tear stuff up for a living.

I use a case with raised edges around the front glass (Incipio NGP) and a high quality crystal shield.

Two factors to consider:

1) The iPhone's glass may be wonderfully hard and scratch resistant, but the oliophobic coating on top isn't. Little rainbow scratches in that coating (seen in the right light but not felt) are very common indeed. A good screen shield will build up small scratches too, but they're (relatively) cheap and easy to replace.

2) The iPhone's glass panels are totally unprotected around their edges. Unlike previous generation iPhones which were designed to be protected in all but flat face-down screen impacts, the current iP4's glass panels will be the FIRST thing to hit the concrete at any angle except for almost perfect 90 degree side impact angles (where it would hit with the steel antenna band first). So IMHO, an impact resistant case that provides edge protection and some "lift" around the edges is a must. The bumper case looks better than nothing, but has only a super thin flap of rubber around the front edge of the panels to protect from flat face down impact. That's not enough for my needs, so I use the NGP.

As always, YMMV.
 
sorry truckdriversean but i believe you are incorrect in both your points

a) the coating is more like a "treatment" to the glass. It doesn't make the surface any more slick or any harder/softer it just adds a layer ( fluorinated silanes ) that react with the oils from your fingers. You can read the details here, but its pretty chemistry intensive
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/EP1555249.html
I don't know where your assumptions come from, but those mini marks on your phone aren't the coating its a scratch in the glass itself

If anything the reports says that isopropanol is a great solvent = Rubbing alcohol will KILL your oleophobic coating

b) The glass is not bare, its surrounded by a plastic outer piece.
 
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Rodimus Prime said:
I think you got your properties messed up.

hardness is how scratch-resistant but it has no effect on how brittle something is.

How brittle something is determines how shatter resistant it is. Something can be both hard and not brittle and something else can be very soft and very brittle.
Click to expand...
Semantics. The back of the iPhone shatters easily and was (IMHO) a poor choice of materials. Usually, because the front glass can be expected to break, you let the back (and sides) take the brunt of the abuse. Not so with the iPhone 4: The back can shatter as easily as the front, almost mandating a bumper (which is inexcusable).

I'm really not sure what Apple was thinking on this one. They say it's because it let's the antenna work better, but the antenna is on the outside of the phone (which is another issue) and, either way, the reception is no better than the old design and you have a more fragile phone because of a design decision.
 
I baby my iPhones, and my launch day IP4 has a nice large scratch on the front of it. Seeing as how I am always very aware of what is in my pockets, the only thing I can think is the rivit on my jeans did it when I was sliding it in and out of my pocket.

I'm calling malarky on Apple's purported "invincibility" of this glass.
 
Well, I removed the invisible shield this morning, but I'm keeping the bumper on. I am enjoying the glass much more than I did the shield. I'll just be very careful with it, and accept the possibility that I might get a scratch here or there. The glass is just too beautiful to mute with plastic (for me, anyway.) I'm like that with my iPad, too.
 
ulbador said:
I baby my iPhones, and my launch day IP4 has a nice large scratch on the front of it. Seeing as how I am always very aware of what is in my pockets, the only thing I can think is the rivit on my jeans did it when I was sliding it in and out of my pocket.

I'm calling malarky on Apple's purported "invincibility" of this glass.
Click to expand...

Please show me where Apple claimed the screen was invincible.
 
BacklitFirefly said:
Ah, ok. No Gorilla Glass. I'm not sure why I thought it was used for iPhone 4 --
Click to expand...
Most likely because it was rumored to be Gorilla Glass.

TruckdriverSean said:
A good screen shield will build up small scratches too, but they're (relatively) cheap and easy to replace.
Click to expand...
And kill the sharpness of the retina display. I can't stand them.

Also, "shatter resistant" was probably a poor choice of words. I didn't mean to create drama. My point was that it has similar properties to Gorilla Glass.
 
BacklitFirefly said:
I've let my cat and dog play with my iPad, and there's not a scratch on it. And I've had it since April.
Click to expand...

LOL - What are their Angry Bird high scores?

While nothing native to the dog or cat is a problem I would be worried about sand and grit on their paws (between the toes and under the nails). I have a hardwood floor and is difficult to keep grit off it from shoes, the pets, whatever... That will definitely scratch the glass. I dropped a towel I was using to wipe off an aquarium and put a tiny little scratch in it from what I assume was one little bit of sand.

Or I'm a slob and you won't have any problems. :)

I should add my wife has always rocked her iPhones naked (and her iPad) and has never had a scratch. The phones rattle around in her purse with all her other treasures. I'm surprised every time I use it that it doesn't look like privacy glass in a bathroom window.
 
Corning® Gorilla® Glass is currently featured on hundreds of product models, but due to customer agreements, we can only include a sampling here.
Click to expand...
It is Gorilla, just neither Corning nor Apple have publicized it.
 
I have never used a screen shield on any of my phones, but my friend had an extra one from her Droid Incredible package that fits just perfect on the iPhone. There were some minor scratches from the previous owner, but they could only be seen in direct sunlight or when you REALLY looked for them in house lighting. The protector doesn't feel as amazing as the screen, obviously, but the piece of mind and higher resell value come June make it more than worth the small investment in my opinion:)
 
The back glass is more prone to scratches than the front glass...I think the rear glass is regular old glass while the front is some sort of specialty glass
 
Apple and Corning never claimed that the iPhone 4 uses gorilla glass, why keep arguing this unsubstantiated claims ?
 
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I reached out to Corning to ask if Apple uses their Gorilla Glass in their products but instead was told that some companies want to keep their specs private and that I should instead ask Apple themselves. Weirdly enough, Corning uses a MacBook in their site to advertise their product with a gorrila using it..
 
Infraggable Kru said:
Apple and Corning never claimed that the iPhone 4 uses gorilla glass, why keep arguing this unsubstantiated claims ?
Click to expand...


I am pretty sure that Apple did reference Gorilla glass on its site when the IP4 was released.

Certainly, a number of other sites (tear down, etc) have said its Gorilla glass.

You're the only person I have seen who said its not.
 
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