For years, Corning’s Gorilla Glass’ scratch resistance on smartphones has plateaued

“Most smartphones are covered with Gorilla Glass, a glass made by Corning that’s been specifically engineered to protect against drops and other damage. But devices with that glass are still prone to scratches if you place them in the same pocket as your keys and coins. Even if you don’t, it doesn’t take long for a phone to collect all kinds of scratches just from daily use,” Shannon Liao reports for The Verge. “And if complaints about the iPhone X, Pixel 2, and other flagships from the last year are any sign, the situation has been getting worse, with modern phones scratching from the slightest mishandling.”
“So are we imagining it, or are newer versions of Gorilla Glass less scratch-proof than ever?” Liao reports. “While it’s hard to say definitively whether they’re getting worse, even Corning’s own numbers show they aren’t getting any better.”
“The reason why has to do with both market demand and glass’ natural qualities,” Liao reports. “Since glass can’t truly be both extremely drop resistant and scratch resistant, Corning and other glass makers are forced to choose which of those two qualities to prioritize. For Corning, drop resistance takes precedence.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: It’s glass. It’s going scratch and it’s going to break if mishandled.
From Day One, June 29, 2007, all of our iPhones have gone into our pockets with the rear of the device facing outward, glass toward the body, with the bottom facing up (keeps the post from getting pocket lint stuck in it).
If you’re rough with your iPhone, by all means spring for a glass protector and case.