Still scratches at level 6, with deeper grooves at level 7
Corning has introduced a new type of glass protection for camera lenses. You’re maybe familiar with them, as they are the company who is making these fancy “Gorilla Glass” protection for smartphone displays. They are well-known for their scratch resistance and toughened tempered glass. But no matter how strong it is, glass will always scratch at level 6 with deeper grooves at level 7 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness.
The company has introduced the Gorilla Glass DX and DX+ (just like that one arcade racing game) for smartphone camera lenses. It’s Gorilla Glass but for camera lenses! If you are familiar with the name, that’s because this is also the same tempered glass used for some smartwatches that gives them scratch resistance.
According to Corning, smartphone lenses have evolved over time, thus they also become bigger to fit in a bigger sensor to attract more light. If the glass is scratched, the camera is prone to ghosting, an unwanted cataract-like part of a photo. The new Gorilla Glass DX and DX+ also allows 98% of ambient light in contrast to cheap camera tempered anti-reflective glass which only let in 95%.
The company has also added that over the past few years, the number of photos taken per year globally has increased from 350 billion to 1.4 trillion and that having a great camera on a phone is one of the most crucial factors why a consumer is purchasing a phone. The company also noted that traditional anti-reflective coatings can also be scratched easily, affecting the quality of the image being captured.
“Antireflective coatings have long been used on conventional cameras to improve light capture,” said Jaymin Amin, vice president and general manager, Corning Gorilla Glass. “However, these coatings have a propensity to scratch easily, negatively impacting image quality. Corning’s Gorilla Glass composites not only provide mobile device camera lens covers with enhanced scratch resistance and durability compared to traditional coatings, but also the improved optical performance required for these devices.”
Though it is not sure which devices are going to first use this glass, a reliable leaker named IceUniverse has reported that Samsung will be the first company utilizing this, possibly the first being the Galaxy Fold 3 or the Flip 3. Keep an eye out for the Galaxy Unpacked event coming this August 11th, and we might see the glass applied onto one of the company’s smartphones!
Sources: Corning Newsroom, GizmoChina
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