two weeks ago, Corning announced Gorilla Glass 6—the next version of Gorilla Glass. It succeeds Gorilla Glass 5, which was launched in 2016. According to Corning, Gorilla Glass 6 is up to two times better than Gorilla Glass 5 with respect to shatter resistance, while scratch resistance is at the same level as its predecessor. At the time of the announcement, the company stated that it would be made available in the market in the next several months. Now, Corning has announced that OPPO will be the first mobile device manufacturer to use Gorilla Glass 6.

Corning had earlier stated that Gorilla Glass 6 is the company’s most durable cover glass yet. To improve cover glass performance, the company’s scientists developed and engineered “an entirely new material” to address the challenge of multiple drops, and the company states that in lab tests, Gorilla Glass 6 survived 15 drops from 1 meter onto rough surfaces. Competitive glass compositions such as soda-lime and aluminosilicate did not survive the first drop under the same test conditions.

Corning notes that OPPO was one of the leading adopters of Gorilla Glass 5, using it across a broad range of its portfolio. The recently launched OPPO R15 and the OPPO Find X also have Gorilla Glass 5. We know that OPPO is developing two phones due to launch in the near future: the OPPO F9 / OPPO F9 Pro and the OPPO R17. (A comprehensive list of upcoming smartphones by major vendors can be viewed here.) The OPPO F9 Pro was recently teased by the company with a new notch design and VOOC charging. The OPPO F series is the company’s mainstream mid-range series, while the OPPO R series are upper mid-range/pseudo-flagship smartphones.

Therefore, it’s logical to assume that either the OPPO R17 or the OPPO F9 Pro will be the first smartphone to have Gorilla Glass 6. The cover glass is due for release in the next few weeks. As of now, not much is known about the specifications of both OPPO devices. The OPPO R17 will be the successor of the OPPO R15, while the OPPO F9 / F9 Pro will be the successor of the OPPO F7.

“We are excited to have OPPO adopt Gorilla Glass 6,” said John Bayne, vice president and general manager, Corning Gorilla Glass. “OPPO’s new flagship model will provide consumers, who depend on their smartphone for every interaction in their digital lives, increased protection against multiple drops.”

“OPPO and Corning have always maintained a close working relationship, which has enabled a superior user experience for consumers through multiple versions of OPPO smartphones,” said Andy Wu, vice president, OPPO. “We are excited to be the first to adopt Gorilla Glass 6 on our upcoming smartphone […].”

Source: xda-developers