Gorilla Glass is a glass used in portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, media players, laptops, tablets, etc. Its strength is increased through chemical procedures and atomic configurations. Gorilla Glass 3 and 5 are two of the generations of the gorilla glass series, having unique characteristics and features.
Key Takeaways
- Gorilla Glass 5 provides better drop protection and scratch resistance than Gorilla Glass 3.
- Gorilla Glass 3 focuses on damage resistance and durability, with improved scratch resistance compared to its predecessor.
- Gorilla Glass 3 and 5 are used in various consumer electronics, such as smartphones and tablets, to protect their displays.
Gorilla Glass 3 vs Gorilla Glass 5
The difference between Gorilla Glass 3 and Gorilla Glass 5 is that Gorilla Glass 3 is more scratch-resistant than its other generations, also with the competitor’s Al-Si glasses, while Gorilla Glass 5 is more resistant to shattering.
The strength of Gorilla Glass 3 is achieved through chemical procedures as well as fabricating its atomic structure. It is also famous for retaining its strength even after usage. It is mainly made of an alkali-aluminosilicate glass sheet.
Gorilla Glass 3 maintains Native Damage Resistance, abbreviation NDR, which made the glass resist even more deep scratches than before.
Gorilla Glass 5 was released in the year 2016. It was manufactured keeping in mind that it gives better drop resistance. It is indeed 4 times more strong than earlier creations.
During the lab testing, this glass 5 was dropped from a height of 1.6 meters, and it survived.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Gorilla Glass 3 | Gorilla Glass 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Optical | Refractive Index (590nm) Core Glass 1.50 Compression Layer 1.51 Photo-elastic Constant 31.9nm/cm/MPa Transmission @0.7mm Thickness ≥91.5% | Refractive Index (590nm) Core Glass 1.50 Compression Layer 1.51 Photo-elastic Constant 30.2nm/cm/MPa Transmission @0.8mm Thickness ≥90.5% |
| Chemical Durability | Less weight loss when exposed to different chemical environments. | More weight loss when exposed to different chemical environments. |
| Density | 2.39g/cmᶟ | 2.43g/cmᶟ |
| Fracture Toughness | 0.66 MPa m⁰·⁵ | 0.69 MPa m⁰·⁵ |
| Physical | Resistant to scratch | Resistant to drop |
What is Gorilla Glass 3?
The third generation of the Gorilla Glass series is famous for its ever-promising scratch resistance. The glass is made of alkali-aluminosilicate material.
GG3 was released in 2013 and was launched with Galaxy S4, Moto G, and Moto X. Other than mobile screens, and it is also used in portable electronic devices.
The unique feature of GG3 is that not only is it chemically strengthened, but before that, the atomic configuration is done so the glass is built-in strong.
Other unique features that GG3 has are high resistance to damage from any sharp contact, retained strength after usage, and excellent surface quality.
The thickness of GG3 is standard, which is 0.4mm – 2.0mm.
According to a lab test, the GG3 and Soda Lime (with IOX) were tested in the same conditions for their damage resistance. Both were subjected to a critical load until the cracks appeared. Soda lime could resist the crack until a 1000g load, while GG3 was seen to initiate cracks at around 15,000g load.
While during the Knoop Diamond Scratch Test, GG3 was put under a 7-newton load and had very minimal visible scratches as compared to another Al-Si glass which was put under only a 4-newton load.
What is Gorilla Glass 5?
The fifth generation of the Gorilla Glass series brought a higher expectation of drop resistance than before, which also proved to be one.
According to research, GG5 can resist dropping damage even from a height of 1.6 meters, while other competitor Al-Si glasses failed even at 0.8 meters.
GG5 was released in 2016 and was set up in Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Moto G 5G. In the same year, Corning’s first wearable product was launched with the name Gorilla Glass SR+.
GG5 is used in smartphones, smart home devices, cameras, smart watches, Notebook PCs, and tablets.
GG5 was compared to a known Al-Si glass during a Drop Test Performance. Both were dropped on 180 grit sandpaper while the thickness of both glasses was 0.8mm. Competitive Al-Si glass broke when dropped from a height of 1 meter, while the GG5 underwent the failure at 3 meters height.
The scratch resistance of competitive Al-Si glass and GG5 was tested with Knoop Diamond Scratch Test. Both products were put under a 4-newton load, and GG5 had visibly much less, very fine scratches as compared to the other product.
GG5 has improved optical properties, for example, a transmission rate of ≥90.5% at 0.8mm thickness.
Main Differences Between Gorilla Glass 3 and 5
- Gorilla Glass 3 has better scratch resistance as compared to Gorilla Glass 5, proven by lab tests, including Knoop Diamond Scratch Test.
- Gorilla Glass 5 is tested for its drop resistance and surely outperforms it as compared to Gorilla Glass 3.
- The fracture toughness of GG5, having thinner glass, is better than GG3, along with better results when exposed to sharp contacts.
- The chemical durability of Gorilla Glass 5 is better as compared to that of Gorilla Glass 3.
- The thickness of GG3 ranges from 0.4mm – 2.0mm, while the thickness of GG5 ranges from 0.4mm – 1.2mm, which is thinner than the previous versions without risking the strength.
I’ve put so much effort writing this blog post to provide value to you. It’ll be very helpful for me, if you consider sharing it on social media or with your friends/family. SHARING IS ♥️
