Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S8 is still several months away. The device may not arrive until the first quarter of 2017, but rumors about the S8 have already been floating around on the web. The latest speculation is that the Galaxy S8 may sport the fifth generation Gorilla Glass. Corning announced Wednesday that its Gorilla Glass 5 has now entered production.
New Gorilla Glass improves drop performance
The next-gen glass can survive a 5.25 feet (1.6-meter) drop on a rough surface 80% of the time. It means there is still 20% chance of damage despite all the improvements in the Gorilla Glass. Notably, Corning conducted its tests in a lab where the devices were dropped face down. It is not yet clear how the new glass would hold up in real life, especially to corner drops.
John Bayne, the Gorilla Glass vice-president, said the company conducted a worldwide survey and found that about 85% smartphone owners had dropped their phones at least once in the last 12 months. In 60% instances, the drops occurred between the waist and shoulder height. So, improving the drop performance was “an important and necessary advancement.”
Galaxy S8 to be unveiled on February 27, 2017?
It is quite difficult to strengthen the glass while maintaining high-level of clarity and touch responsiveness. The first devices featuring Gorilla Glass 5 should arrive this fall. Rumors indicate that Samsung will use the same glass in the Galaxy S8. The new Galaxy S phone is also said to feature a 4K UHD screen with a display resolution of 2160 x 3840. A 4K display would dramatically enhance the virtual reality experience.
The S8 is also likely to sport a dual camera module produced in-house by Samsung’s Semco. Not much is known about the Galaxy S8 as its launch is still several months away. Samsung traditionally refreshes its Galaxy S line at the Mobile World Congress, which will next be held between February 27 and March 2, 2017 in Barcelona.
