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Journalism of Courage
Despite the massive improvement in terms of scratch resistance and strength over the last decade, the display is still in a state where it remains the most susceptible part of a smartphone. In fact, according to a report by OnsiteGo – a smartphone after-sale service provider – 71 per cent of smartphone repairs are related to the display. Perhaps, this is why brands are directing their money and efforts into enhancing the durability of the display, essentially, the glass that protects the display.
And, when brands achieve something exceptional, they will never shy away from showing off that technology to the world, which includes the famous “crack the walnut” challenge by Honor Tech or hammering a nail into a piece of wood using the Xiaomi 14 Pro as a hammer by social media influencers.
Xiaomi is using an in-house Longjing glass, also known as Dragon Crystal Glass, to protect the OLED screen on its latest flagship smartphone, the Xiaomi 14 Pro. Please note that previous Xiaomi flagship smartphones used to feature Corning Gorilla Glass. During the launch, the company claimed that the Longjing glass is more durable and scratch-resistant compared to regular smartphone glass and is said to be 10 times more reinforced than typical reinforced glass.
According to a report by Sparrowsnews, the Dragon Crystal Glass on the Xiaomi 14 Pro has a Vickers hardness (HV0.025) of 860 (higher the better) based on Vickers hardness reference material, which is higher than the 2nd generation Huawei Kunlun (830), Apple Ceramic Shield (814), and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (670).
As per the data shared by the company, it has achieved this strength with unique glass chemistry, which consists of various raw materials such as lithium oxide, silicon dioxide, aluminium oxide, zirconium oxide, phosphorus pentoxide, and sodium oxide in an unspecified proportion by heating these materials to more than 1600°C temperature.
This advanced chemistry has helped Xiaomi create a glass with crystals measuring at 25 nm with an interlocking mechanism, along with a double ion exchange process that enhances strength while maintaining high transparency.
On paper, Xiaomi Dragon Crystal Glass does seem to have an upper hand over all the other major smartphone glass brands, and those nail-hammering videos do support some of Xiaomi’s claims. Right now, the Xiaomi 14 Pro is limited to China, and it will be interesting to see if the new glass tech on these phones can finally make a phone that can be used without tempered glass or a screen protector.
With these demonstrations, brands are clearly showing off the damage resistance of their smartphone glass. However, please note that if you happen to crack the screen of your smartphone by mimicking these stunts, get ready to pay a hefty charge to get it replaced unless you have comprehensive insurance.
