Corning announces “Gorilla Glass SR+” product for wearable devices

Back in 2015, Corning announced that it was working on “Project Phire”, a new material that combines the strength of Gorilla Glass with the scratch-resistance of sapphire. On tuesday, the company announced that the result of that project is ready to launch.

Now called “Gorilla Glass SR+,” Corning’s latest product is a composite material for wearable devices. It’s been designed to cut down on visible scratches while continuing to deliver all of the features of the original Gorilla Glass.

Gorilla Glass SR+ apparently offers scratch resistance similar to sapphire with 70 percent better damage resistance against impacts and 25 percent better surface reflection. Corning says these optical improvements enable better battery life and improved outdoor readability.

Corning is a long-time Apple Supplier, and its Gorilla Glass products have been used in the iPhone and the iPad for several years. For its wearable device, the Apple Watch, Apple currently uses Ion-X glass for the Sport model and sapphire glass for the stainless steel and Edition models.

It’s unknown as to whether Apple will use Corning’s newest product for its next-gen Apple Watch, although this is thought to be a possibility. Corning says Gorilla Glass SR+ is now commercially available and is expected to be in products from “leading global brands” starting later this year.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via MacRumors