Samsung To Use Corning's New Ultra-thin Gorilla Glass In Next-gen Phone

Samsung Electronics Co. agreed to start using a new ultra-thin Corning Inc. Gorilla Glass in its newest-generation smartphone, the Galaxy Alpha. The glass, at just 0.4 millimeters thick, is the fourth-generation Gorilla Glass offered by Corning, bringing the total size of the Alpha to 7 mm. Corning says the new glass is the most damage-resistant cover glass in its pipeline, capable of dramatically improving screen protection when devices are dropped. The Alpha was initially announced in August with Corning's third-generation Gorilla Glass. Strong and thin screens have become an increasingly important feature for smartphone manufacturers. Consumers were disappointed when Apple Inc. bypassed GT Advanced Technologies' ultra-tough Sapphire glass in its new iPhone 6 this past September due to a production disagreement. Despite a broader selloff in the tech sector, shares of Samsung were up 2.5% recently. Those of Corning fell 1.7% premarket.