Corning's New Project Phire Glass Approaches the Scratch Resistance of Sapphire

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Posted February 7, 2015 at 8:59am by iClarified

Corning has announced the development of Project Phire glass, a Gorilla Glass-like composite which approaches the scratch resistance of sapphire, reports CNET.

The new glass was announced at an investor meeting on Friday by Corning executive James Clappin. It will go on sale later this year.

"We told you last year that sapphire was great for scratch performance but didn't fare well when dropped," said Clappin, president of Corning Glass Technologies. "So, we created a product that offers the same superior damage resistance and drop performance of Gorilla Glass 4 with scratch resistance that approaches sapphire."

Corning is working hard to ensure that its customers don't switch to sapphire crystal. Apple, its most important customer, nearly made the switch; however, its deal with GT Advanced to produce the sapphire crystal material came to disastrous end after the company filed for bankruptcy.

The near hit to its business spurred Corning to secretly work on a display cover that's both highly damage-resistant and scratch-resistant, bringing together the strengths of Gorilla Glass and sapphire crystal.

Hopefully we'll get more information and see some demonstrations of Project Phire in the near future. Please follow iClarified on Twitter, Facebook, or RSS for updates.

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Corning's New Project Phire Glass Approaches the Scratch Resistance of Sapphire

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Tech Jedi - February 7, 2015 at 11:29pm

I'll believe it when I see it. I haven't seen a pure sapphire screen and I haven't seen a phire screen either. So BS to both.

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PaladinLV - February 7, 2015 at 6:48pm

"Approaching" is a generalist term which holds absolutely no value in the real world. If something was ZERO and now it is ONE it is approaching TEN.

tng - February 7, 2015 at 5:50pm

Corning announce but it's not proving anything..it's just marketing...

NoGoodNick - February 7, 2015 at 5:17pm

And thankfully, Corning knows how to handle budgeting and upscaling, so when they get a huge contract, they don't stumble over their own feet. Here's hoping Corning succeeds where GT Sapphire failed spectacularly.

Yazavac - February 7, 2015 at 1:38pm

iPhone 6 is s**t regarding scratches, honestly I dont see any spectacular improvement over iPhone 3G. Mine is 2 monts old and it is full of those small lines on the screen, none of them is deep but they can be seen when the screen is off.

Vic - February 7, 2015 at 3:18pm

This happens to every screen lol.

NoGoodNick - February 7, 2015 at 5:22pm

Apple's been trying to address it for some time. Unfortunately, none of the available technologies is capable of scaling the production up to a level which Apple requires. It's relatively easy to produce enough material for a 50,000 or 100,000 run, but it's another when dealing with Apple's volumes and quality demands. As for your screen, I suggest you buy a case. I've had my 6+ since it first came out, and I've yet to get a single scratch on the screen. Some covers look cute, while others offer protection.

gamerscul9870 - February 7, 2015 at 12:20pm

Remember the test between sapphire and gorilla glass in strength and gorilla glass winning, well now we don't have to worry about that because this article now proves that there will be a stronger sapphire-like screen that has better strength than sapphire itself.