High-end smartphones are both expensive and – typically – fragile, which isn’t a great combination. But the Samsung Galaxy S23 series looks set to take steps to solve that, as these phones will be the first to use Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
This is Corning’s latest super-strong cover glass, and while the tech itself was revealed late last year, the company has now confirmed that “Samsung’s next Galaxy flagship smartphones” will be the first to use it. While the Samsung Galaxy S23 series isn’t mentioned by name, the phones are set to land on February 1 – so Corning can’t really be talking about anything else.
The wording also suggests – but doesn’t outright confirm – that all three upcoming models will use Gorilla Glass Victus 2, so you can likely expect it on the S23, the Galaxy S23 Plus, and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. A leak also pointed to Gorilla Glass Victus 2 being used by all three phones, so that’s looking very likely.
This new generation of Gorilla Glass is designed to offer improved drop protection on rough surfaces like concrete while having just as much scratch resistance as the original Gorilla Glass Victus.
Interestingly, there’s no comparison given here to Gorilla Glass Victus Plus, which is used in the Samsung Galaxy S22 series, but presumably Victus 2 is also an upgrade on that.
Gorilla Glass Victus 2 is also designed with sustainability in mind, as it contains an average of 22% pre-consumer recycled content, which is nice to know. But the most reassuring thing about Victus 2 is simply that it’s more likely to survive a drop onto concrete – which according to Corning is the world’s most abundant engineered material.
Analysis: the first of many Victus 2 phones
You won’t have to wait long to get a phone with Gorilla Glass Victus 2, since the Samsung Galaxy S23 series is being announced on February 1 and reportedly shipping on February 17. But these will probably just be the first of many phones to use Victus 2.
Other than iPhones, which use Ceramic Shield technology (also made by Corning), almost every high-end phone includes Gorilla Glass of some kind.
So with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 now being available we’d expect that it'll be the cover glass of choice for most high-end handsets this year. Going by past form, that’s likely to include the Sony Xperia 1 V, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, and others.
The OnePlus 11 and Xiaomi 13 presumably don’t use it since they’re already out in China, so Samsung wouldn’t be the first if they did, but their successors and the Xiaomi 13 Ultra might well.
