What's that on your phone? Gorilla Glass 2? Psh, I guess that's alright for 2012, but Corning is about to make 2013 one whole digit more durable with Gorilla Glass 3. As is the tradition, Corning will be on hand at CES with Gorilla Glass 3 samples for the assembled press to beat up as a demonstration of its durability. How durable is it? Corning thinks it's pretty alright.
Corning's new strengthened glass has been tweaked at the molecular level to slow the spread of cracks and make scratches less visible. Corning calls this property Native Damage Resistance (NDR). Corning claims NDR will make devices three times more resistant to scratches, while offering a 40% reduction in visible scratches. So if your phone takes a nasty little tumble, the damage should remain localized rather than spreading out in the form of device-spanning cracks. Damaged sheets of Gorilla Glass 3 will also retain 50% more strength, which can be the difference between a visual nuisance, and a junked device.
Gorilla Glass 3 should make its way into the manufacturer supply chain later this year. In the mean time, look upon your Gorilla Glass 2 screen and weep for its comparative weakness.