Gorilla Glass 5 to debut on the Galaxy Note 7 in August, the Apple iPhone 7 may follow in September

Ever since Corning announced its next generation of toughened cover for the screens of flagship phones and tablets - Gorilla Glass 5 - yesterday, we've had one thought in our mind.

Corning Gorilla glass 5 presentation

In the press release Corning stated that the "Gorilla Glass 5 is commercially available and is expected to be on product models from leading global brands later this year." Now, what are the most leading brands, and what does later in the year mean, does mid-August and September qualify?

This is when the Galaxy Note 7 and the iPhone 7are expected to hit the shelves, and the addition of the new, even tougher Corning glass at the front would be a godsend for many, given how expensive it would be to replace a curved 5.7" AMOLED display, like the one rumored to be on the Note 7. Quickly enough, a Korean publication claims that those two flagships are indeed likely to be outfitted with Gorilla Glass 5.

The somewhat clunky Google translation reads "Gorilla Glass 5 shows a debut on the market with the Galaxy Note to be released on August 7." That August 7 date is likely the launch date for Samsung's newest phablet in Korea, after the August 2 announcement, which jibes in with the reports that Samsung will have the Note 7 on pre-order almost immediately after the unveiling.

When Corning announced Gorilla Glass 4, and said it is designed to withstand face-down phone drops from about three feet on concrete or other hard surfaces, immediately afterwards it posted that the Samsung Galaxy Alpha will be the first phone to feature it. This year we don't have any such announcement yet, but let's not forget that Samsung has been investing in Corning for a while now, so it might not be by accident that Gorilla Glass 5 is announced two weeks before the Note 7 unveiling.

Fingers crossed, as this time Corning says it provides protection from direct drops from 1.6m, or more than five feet, on concrete. The S7 edgescreen replacement is nearly $300, so we can only imagine how much the Note 7 panel would cost to swap - anything to help face-down drops would be highly appreciated.

23 Jul 2016