Smartwatches are the new cool. Even though they haven’t caught on like other focused wearables, they still stand out because of their fancy displays and the many things one can do with them. However, so far, those tiny displays have either had no protection or been using protective glass covering meant for smartphones and other devices.
Take the newly announced Asus ZenWatch 3, for instance. It has Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3 protecting its delicate tiny 1.4-inch AMOLED display. Not exactly what it was meant for but gets the job done, right?
That will soon change when wearables makers like Asus and others start using Corning’s new Gorilla Glass SR+ which is made with wearables and their unique use cases in mind. According to the long-time maker of protective glass coverings, the new Gorilla Glass SR+ “significantly reduces visible scratches while delivering the toughness, optical clarity and touch sensitivity that make Gorilla Glass famous.”
The company goes ahead to make some bold claims in the statement it released following the announcement. “In lab tests, Corning Gorilla Glass SR+ demonstrated superior scratch resistance approaching that of alternative luxury cover materials, while delivering up to 70 percent better damage resistance against impacts and 25 percent better surface reflection than those alternative materials. Such step improvements in optical performance enable longer battery life and improved outdoor readability.”
Since it is not yet on any wearable, we’ll have to wait for the next few months until when the first wearables with Gorilla Glass SR+ hit the market to differentiate the usual marketing lingo from real world use results. Since Gorilla Glass SR+ is already commercially available, the wait is not likely to be long.
