Gorilla Glass 5 is not all it's cracked up to be (pun intended)

[Jad Morffier]

This morning as I was getting out of my car my Note7 slipped out of my jacket pocket and hit the tarmac.

I was only half way out of the car when it happened so it wasn't even from a great height.
After all the experiments showing the screen is very easy to scratch, and now this little drop just a couple of feet from the ground, I'm calling BS on GG5.

I've never cracked a screen on any smartphone I've ever had. I've had a HTC P4350, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 5, iPhone 6 Plus and a Galaxy Note 4, not a crack on any of them. And I've dropped them all from greater heights with just as hard surfaces.

HOT TIP: Take extra care of your Note7 GG5 people. It is no way near as strong as they are making it out to be.

 

[Laura Knotek]

I'm sorry that your screen broke. However, Gorilla Glass is meant to protect against scratches not drops.

 

[Jad Morffier]

Who told you that?

https://youtu.be/WU_UEhdVAjE

 

[Lobwedgephil]

Any drop on the side these phones break. Good thing you have a free replacement coming.

 

[Jad Morffier]

Hehe yes timing was perfect.

 

[clg82]

Not one time in that video did I see them purposely drop the test object onto it's corner where it is most vulnerable. No matter how tough the glass it's all in the marketing, if it would have fallen flat instead of onto it's very delicate corner than i think that you would have made out better.....unfortunately for you it didn't .....so now you'll have to replace it......

 

[team420]

Does touch still work?

If so... don't complain... It cracked cuz u dropped it, that's what glass does. If not, yeah, I'd be upset

 

[Jad Morffier]

As I stated all my other smartphones I've dropped like this and not had a problem. And in what reality do people drop their phones dead flat most of the time anyway hehe.

 

[jj2339]

Did you have a case on, or was it naked? Yes I worry about this, I've dropped muy iPhone 6 many times with no case and had no issue, concerned about a phone totally wrapped in glass. Probably will live it's whole life in a case.... So then what's the point of the glass??

 

[Jad Morffier]

Did you have a case on, or was it naked? Yes I worry about this, I've dropped muy iPhone 6 many times with no case and had no issue, concerned about a phone totally wrapped in glass. Probably will live it's whole life in a case.... So then what's the point of the glass??

Exactly. The hype about the new Gorilla Glass, plus the waterproofing, and the bend tests people have been doing on YouTube, I thought yep this might be my first phone to go naked with.

Nope.

I hate cases in general so I usually buy the thinest case possible, so as not to ruin the design. This time round I think I will get a nice leather sleeve. It will stay in there when I'm not using it naked.

 

[1213 1213]

I think the curved display messes with the science behind why it is supposed to be more drop resistant.

 

[oditius]

As I stated all my other smartphones I've dropped like this and not had a problem. And in what reality do people drop their phones dead flat most of the time anyway hehe.

You know, I dropped one like that and nothing. But from then on, mine has always gone inside a case. Normally a clear soft plastic one. But glass is glass, when I was a kid a salesman sold my mom a set of unbreakable glasses. Well, it was only a couple days later he came back with a few replacements. A week later he had to return. My mom demanded he take them back and refund her money. He just refunded her money and told her if any break, just toss it. We kids wasn't trying to break it, but on a hot day with a glass of cold milk, drop the cup and it will break. LoL Don't trust any of the hype, you will be disappointed. Sorry it happened and hopefully they will exchange it.

 

[Ev C]

What sucks is that this phone is so beautiful that you don't want it in the case, but you almost have to because it's only a matter of time before we you crack it. It defeats the purpose of the design.

 

[donm527]

Time really will tell and show people just how brittle this phone is... more so than the average phone i believe. If because of the curve, instead of an 80% survival rate we are looking at %50?? You're gonna see a ton of people rocking a Note 7 with cracks on the corner and the resale value of this $900 at... low.

Who told you that?

https://youtu.be/WU_UEhdVAjE

 

[Kelly Kearns]

The corner of the phone has always been the most vulnerable. The only screen I have ever broken was a drop that hit on the corner.

Now with a raised screen and exposed corner, that corner is even more vulnerable.

 

[donm527]

What sucks is that this phone is so beautiful that you don't want it in the case, but you almost have to because it's only a matter of time before we you crack it. It defeats the purpose of the design.

There have been a few posts already where screen cracked and it DID have a case... for certain my coworker I know had one. That's what's raising the flag for me how much more weaker these glass screen may be. Only two weeks and look at the reports... lucky to those who haven't dropped it yet but I wanna her more replays to these threads where people say "I was lucky and dropped my phone from two feet no problems" to support the 80% claim then read "it's glass! What did you expect??" Accidents happen... small drops happen. Views change when it happens to you lol.

 

[Kelly Kearns]

There have been a few posts already where screen cracked and it DID have a case... for certain my coworker I know had one. That's what's raising the flag for me how much more weaker these glass screen may be. Only two weeks and look at the reports... lucky to those who haven't dropped it yet but I wanna her more replays to these threads where people say "I was lucky and dropped my phone from two feet no problems" to support the 80% claim then read "it's glass! What did you expect??" Accidents happen... small drops happen. Views change when it happens to you lol.

It isn't the glass is weaker, the case doesn't protect the raised screen. There is no lip there to protect the corner from hitting.

 

[donm527]

there are that have raised edges including corner cases... allows you to lay phone face down to avoid scratching too. Some have posted mil-spec cases too. Guess that's showing that those mil-spec, drop certified cases are all,bunk lol.

It isn't the glass is weaker, the case doesn't protect the raised screen. There is no lip there to protect the corner from hitting.

 

[Kelly Kearns]

I haven't seen a picture of a phone case that covers the edges that has caused a broken screen so I can't speak to that specifically.

Most cases aren't going to cover edges.

Also Gorilla glass protects in two ways.. First is facedown drops. The issue with the Note 7, again the exposed corners. I have Corning cookware and as thick as it is, some with corners, if you drop it on the right surface, it is done.

Second it protects by preventing scratches. Scratches on glass make it very weak and easy to crack without even dropping it.

Now I doubt most of what we are seeing as scratches on the Note 7, is actually scratches. I believe it is transfer material and it will look just like a scratch, but it won't weaken the glass.

Anything can be broken, you can break a diamond by knocking your hand on the side of a desk, etc. I have done it, many women have done it. What you won't do is scratch the diamond, which then makes it even more vulnerable to break easily.

Even a phone without raised corners, in a case, can crack if the phone hits right on the corner. On regular phones that corner is the physical phone. With the Note 7 that corner is the phone and exposed glass, even in a case.

 

[donm527]

That's cool. It just comes down to... I expect my phones to be a little more robust than this. I can on,y go from my experiences and I have had a full glass phone before... iPhone 4s... and know or at least feel how durable it should be. I've seen many a shattered 4s myself. Time will tell if, because of an all glass design, this is the most delicate phone ever made. Certainly one of the prettiest.