Corning announced the protective glass, which is comparable with sapphire

Corning company is developing a new protective coating screens of mobile devices, which combines the strength of Gorilla Glass and a scratch-resistant sapphire glass. The new material, codenamed Project Phire, presented the group's president Corning Glass Technologies (CGT) James Klappin investors at a meeting in New York.

"Last year, we stated that the resistance to scratches sapphire is very high, but drops it is not as good - said Klappin - So we created a product that is resistant to the same injuries and falls, as Gorilla Glass 4, and its tsarapoustoychivye quality approach to sapphire. "

Corning, recall, is the market leader in protective glasses. His Gorilla Glass, reinforced by chemical treatment is used to protect all types of display devices - smartphones, tablets, laptops and other products. Manufacturer collaborates with 33 major brands, including Apple, Acer, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, HTC, LG, Samsung, Motorola. Gorilla Glass protects from bumps products such as iPhone 6/6 Plus, as well as the Galaxy Note 4 and Edge.

In November last year, Corning announced the 4th generation of Gorilla Glass. Increased strength of the glass twice, and in 80% of cases it does not break with meter drop on hard surfaces such as tile, asphalt or concrete floor. Gorilla Glass protects the screen is 4 units, scheduled for release this year.

In the past, Corning repeatedly criticized sapphire crystal. The company says that such material "about 10 times more expensive. It is nearly 1.6 times heavier. It is unfavorable for the environment. In its production goes up to 100 times more energy than glass. It transmits less light which results in a ... to a dark image on the screen, or to reduce the 'life' of the battery. It still may crack, despite the resistance to scratching. "

The company was forced to undertake the development of alternative sapphire, when one of its most important customers, Apple, has invested tens of millions of dollars in the construction of a plant for the production of sapphire glass. However, last year the partner Apple, GT Advanced Technologies, suddenly filed for bankruptcy, and the project had to be abandoned.