Who is stronger, the gorilla or the sapphire?

Large-screen smartphones have driven the development of many new technologies, the most obvious of which is the screen material. In recent years, we have finally become familiar with Corning Gorilla Glass, and recently, sapphire glass screens have become a hot topic again. So what are the strengths of sapphire glass?

Gorilla Glass is an environmentally friendly aluminum-silicon tempered glass produced by Corning, USA. This glass has a very low surface roughness, feels smooth, has high strength, is thin and light, and is very suitable as a liquid crystal protective layer for touch screen phones. Currently, mainstream flagship phones on the market all use screens made of this material, and we are familiar with it. Sapphire glass is actually also a synthetic material. It is very wear-resistant, with a Mohs hardness of 9, second only to diamond.

Sapphire glass is usually used in thicker and smaller watches. Apple also uses sapphire glass in the protective glass of the camera. Previously, only some luxury-level mobile phones used it on the screen. Recently, some mobile phone manufacturers are preparing to use it on general consumer-level mobile phone screens. In addition, the price of sapphire glass is higher than that of chemically tempered glass, and cost is also a disadvantage of sapphire glass. ​

We conducted scratch resistance test and wear resistance test on two different materials. In the scratch resistance test, two screens were repeatedly scratched with a paper cutter, scissors, key and bottle opener; in the wear resistance test, five sands of five different coarseness and fineness were used to rub the two screens. ​

In the anti-scratch and anti-wear tests, sapphire glass performed very well, leaving no marks, but Gorilla Glass left very obvious scratches after being sanded. This also explains why the Gorilla Glass phones we usually use will have small scratches if they are placed in a bag. ​

Through several experiments, we can clearly see the difference between the two different glass materials. Gorilla glass is less resistant to wear and tear, but it is more resilient and can withstand a certain degree of impact. Sapphire glass is just the opposite. Although it is very resistant to wear and tear, it is more brittle than Gorilla glass, so you should be a little more cautious when using this material on the phone screen. ​

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.