Corning, the maker of the Gorilla Glass found in smartphones such as Apple’s iPhones and the recently launched Samsung Galaxy S10 is reportedly working on an “ultrathin, bendable glass” for foldable phones.
Tech companies such as Samsung and Huawei have unveiled their foldable smartphones such as the Galaxy Fold and Mate X but the new devices are leaning on plastic polymers instead of glass.
According to a report by wired.com, Corning is developing a flexible glass that is 0.1 millimeters thick and can bend to a 5 millimeter radius.
To be able to come up with a damage resistant glass while keeping it thin and bendable, Corning is combining the elements of its flexible Willow glass and its Gorilla Glass, which gets its strength from an ion-exchange process.
John Bayne, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Corning Gorilla Glass said: “We have glasses we’ve sampled to customers, and they’re functional, but they’re not quite meeting all the requirements. People either want better performance against a drop event or a tighter bend radius. We can give them one or the other; the key is to give them both.”
According to Bayne, he expects the foldable glass to be ready once foldable smartphones become mainstream.
(Photo source: cnbc.com/ wired.com)
