Corning, one of the most used smartphone glass brands in the world, introduced the new Gorilla Glass 7i model for mid-level Android phones. Let’s take a look at the details together.
7th generation Gorilla Glass 7i will be included in mid-segment phones
Corning introduced the 7th Generation Gorilla Glass about four years ago, but that model was designed for high-end smartphones and was a bit beyond the production budget of mid-segment devices. Therefore, the company showed love to mid-segment devices by introducing the Gorilla Glass 7i model.
Corning claims it can withstand drops of up to 1 meter on uneven surfaces like asphalt, while similar glass alternatives can only go half as high before shattering. Furthermore, the 7i is said to be twice as scratch-resistant (or better) than competing glass.
Four years ago, Corning introduced the 7th generation of Gorilla Glass, which came with a new branding called Gorilla Glass Victus. That glass was aimed at higher-end devices (but we’ve also started to see it on mid-range phones), so the company is now releasing a new glass for “value and mid-range devices.”
In other words, Gorilla Glass 7i is aimed at mid-range and more affordable phones. Why “7i” when there is no version 7? We asked Corning about this and they said that this is a 7th generation glass (like Victus) and they wanted the name to reflect that. The “i” stands for “industry-leading innovation for intermediate devices”.
With that out of the way, let’s meet Gorilla Glass 7i. Corning claims it can withstand drops of up to 1 meter (3.3 ft) on uneven surfaces like asphalt, while similar glass alternatives can only go half as high before shattering.
Furthermore, 7i is said to be twice as scratch-resistant (or better) than competing glass. The 7i formulation is designed to be suitable for a wide range of phones at different price points. It also focuses on sustainability, as these will be mass-market models.
The year is 2024 and there are still plenty of new devices using Gorilla Glass 5. For example the Nothing Phone (2a) and the Poco F2 Pro. There are even phones that use Gorilla Glass 3, such as the Pixel 8a, which dates from 2013.
They’re also much larger than the average screen size in 2016, when Gorilla Glass 5 was introduced, leading to the need for a screen to be placed between GG5 and Victus (Gorilla Glass 7).
Corning has announced that Oppo will be the first company to introduce a phone with Gorilla Glass 7i. More details will come soon from Oppo itself.
While Gorilla Glass 7i will be used in phones, it will also be suitable for smartwatches and other devices that need scratch and drop resistant glass. What do you think? Please don’t forget to share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
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