Apple claims that their special engineered glass is the same type of glass used in the windshields of helicopters and high-speed trains. Chemically strengthened to be 20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than plastic, ultradurable and more scratch resistant than ever.
While this new glass that encases both the front and back of the iPhone is more resistant to ‘wear and tear’ damage, it has been shown to be more susceptible to crack should it be dropped.
A new report by iFixYouri suggests that although Apple claims the iPhone 4 glass is incredibly strong, it shatters very easily. iFixYouri notes that 95% of glass shattering is caused by shock and sudden impact rather than bending. They decided to put the glass to the test.
“We have a full iPhone 4(minus the circuit board), here at our shop and decided to do a little drop test. This drop was performed from 3.5 ft up. Mind you that these parts ARE original Apple parts. Laser etched and all. The iPhone 4 did survive 2 drops, as expected, but on the 3rd drop there was a loud POP, and yet again, shattered glass.”
The site believes that the new design has a flaw which contributes to this easy shattering. On the new iPhone, the glass basically sits on top of the aluminum frame. On the old iPhone, it was recessed and protected by a chrome bezel. Note that the back of the iPhone 4 is prone to similar damage, as it’s made from the same glass material, though it is housed flush within the frame.
Should your screen break I wish you all good luck in fixing it. The space between the glass and the touch technology are extremely close. This means that it wouldn’t be very easy to repair a broken screen glass cover, and would require replacement of the whole screen.
Also, you would think that if Apple really belived this glass to be tough then their warrenty would cover it. Howver it does not. Which means you will have to either pay for your replacement phone (Apple usually replaces the whole device with a refurbished model), or take it to an independent repair shop (which in turn would void your warranty, if the place is not approved by Apple).
