In an ideal world, everyone would take excellent care of their mobile devices and in turn, the devices would look and feel brand new eternally. In the real world however, stuff happens: dropping, tripping, spilling, throwing, bending. Thankfully, OEMs generally try to make their devices as strong as possible. When it comes to the display, Corning’s Gorilla Glass has tempered many a smartphone, and with each iteration, it has become stronger and more durable.

In a surprise announcement, Corning has informed the populace at-large that its Gorilla Glass 4 is actually out in the wild. Specifically? It can be found on the Galaxy Alpha, Samsung’s first metal-clad mobile. Oddly enough, said device released about three months ago, so it’s a bit curious Corning waited so long before officially announcing the debut of its new Glass.

Corning engineered Gorilla Glass 4 to resist the scourges of all smartphones, drops and bumps. According to the glassmaker, Gorilla 4 can resist drops up to two times better than competing products. Its increased shock resistances lets manufacturers use thinner sheets of protective glass on their devices, and reduce their profile overall. On the Galaxy Alpha, for instance, the cover glass is an amazingly thin 0.4 millimeters.

For more details, check out the press release.

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CORNING COLLABORATES WITH SAMSUNG TO SLIM THE NEW GALAXY ALPHA SMARTPHONE WITH GORILLA GLASS 4

Up to two times better performance over competitive glasses when dropped on rough surfaces

CORNING, N.Y., December 9, 2014— Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) announced today that Samsung has chosen 0.4 mm thick Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4 as the discrete touch cover glass in their sleekest smartphone ever – the Galaxy ALPHA.

Gorilla Glass 4 is Corning’s most damage-resistant cover glass to date and dramatically improves protection against cover glass damage during device drops. Corning reliability experts examined hundreds of broken devices to assess how and why cover glass breaks in actual use. They found that damage caused by sharp contact on the surface accounted for more than 70 percent of failures in the field. Then scientists developed test protocols to simulate these failures, and a product which could better withstand them – Gorilla Glass 4. Using 0.4 mm Gorilla Glass 4 cover glass allows device designers greater options for sleek and modern devices while maintaining remarkable damage resistance, like in the Galaxy ALPHA.

At less than 7 mm thick, the Galaxy ALPHA offers the distinctive design experience that consumers demand. Its slim profile and light weight, coupled with its durable Gorilla Glass 4 cover glass, make the Galaxy ALPHA a great fit for consumers who want a sophisticated look and feel without sacrificing functionality.

“Corning spends a great deal of time collaborating with Samsung to recommend solutions that will continually improve their device design and performance,” said Cliff Hund, general manager and president, Corning East Asia. “Device makers want to go thinner without sacrificing damage resistance. Samsung is not only meeting these requirements, but is on the cutting edge of smartphone design. The Galaxy ALPHA is the culmination of our close collaboration with Samsung.”

Gorilla Glass is the cover glass of choice for device manufacturers around the globe. Over 40 manufacturers have designed Gorilla Glass into a total of 1,395 product models, and have branded Gorilla Glass touch cover glass as a key selling feature. Since its launch in 2007, Gorilla Glass has been featured in more than 3 billion devices. For further information about Corning Gorilla Glass, please visit www.corninggorillaglass.com.

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