To demonstrate just how far phone displays have come in a few years, Savage goes to town on this older smartphone by scratching it up with a key.
Next up is a simulated drop test on the same phone.
For consistency's sake the MythBusters drop a weight onto the phone rather than throwing it on the ground. Corning says this simulates a 1 meter drop.
Down comes the steel ball...
And the display is totally destroyed. We've all known someone with a cracked phone like this one.
Next the MythBusters took a key to an Android smartphone with the same Gorilla Glass as the latest iPhones. As you can see, they were not able to scratch it.
They subjected the Android phone to the same drop test. Hopefully this isn't someone's phone!
But the phone looks good as new!
Then the MythBusters compare Gorilla Glass to the kind of glass found in your windows, windshields, and bottles. This is a normal windshield.
Corning is developing a Gorilla Glass reinforced windshield. Here they are shooting an airgun at it.
Here's the damage on the normal windshield. The impact shatters the glass all the way through, creating a hole on the other side.
And here's that impact in slow motion, from a different angle.
Here's how the Gorilla Glass fared. Not only is there less damage, but the ball didn't even fully breach the windshield. (Gorilla Glass isn't bulletproof, and could be broken if they fired something at a higher velocity.)
And finally, a side-by-side comparison. Don't try and shoot your iPhone, but it's made of some pretty strong stuff!
Now that you've seen what your iPhone is made of, check out the fabulous life of its legendary designer
