Smartphone buyers started accepting “ugly” looking camera modules at some point in 2019. Cameras like this take surprisingly good pictures, which justified designs with three or six round eyes.
And in 2020, more serious social problems started to preoccupy everyone. It's no longer the time to resent a camera bump the size of a postage stamp.
To consumers, these were just clunky camera modules. But glassmaker Corning saw an opportunity there. Corning is best known these days for the tempered glass Gorilla Glass, which is used in almost every high-end smartphone.
Corning noticed that the cameras of the latest smartphones are prone to scratches due to the large surface area of the lens module and the protrusions on the lens. Once a lens has a certain amount of scratches, it starts to affect the quality of your photos. Actually, there was a glass that overcomes such a problem.
Both optical performance and durability
On July 22 (US time), Corning announced a new Gorilla Glass optimized for smartphone camera lenses.
The latest glass composites, Gorilla Glass DX and Gorilla Glass DX+, technically already existed. Corning rolled out the glass for smartwatch faces in July 2018, touting its "enhanced optical clarity, sunlight readability, exceptional durability and scratch resistance." I've been doing it.
However, Gorilla Glass DX and DX+ had to be improved to be marketed for smartphones. To get a level of scratch resistance without compromising photo and video quality, we needed to sell durability while maximizing optical clarity.
"We are realizing that some devices need to handle light better," said Scott Forrester, vice president of marketing and innovation for Corning's Gorilla Glass division. talk. “As smartphone camera systems become more sophisticated, the lens protruding from the camera is more prone to scratches. As a manufacturer, we can’t use anti-reflection film, so we have to do something with what we have now. ’, so most of them use glass.”
Samsung first?
Forrester explains why the properties of this new glass composite are better suited to smartphone camera lenses.
First, the normal cover lens has an anti-reflection coating. This reduces glare, but only 95% of the light reaches the camera's sensor.
By contrast, the new Gorilla Glass DX and DX+ for smartphone lenses are said to allow the camera to capture 98% of the light while maintaining the same scratch resistance as standard Gorilla Glass. In addition, DX+ is said to be scratch resistant similar to sapphire glass. Sapphire glass is a man-made material known for its durability, clarity and cost-effectiveness, and is used in a wide variety of gadgets.
Corning declined to say which smartphones will soon adopt Gorilla Glass DX or DX+. He also declined to comment on the nature of the partnership with Apple.
