The Samsung Galaxy S23 could be the toughest mainstream phone yet
>
High-end smartphones are both expensive and – usually – fragile, which is not a good combination. But the Samsung Galaxy S23 series seems to be taking steps to solve that, as these phones will be the first to use Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
This is Corning’s latest super-tough cover glass, and while the technology itself was unveiled 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 will be out on February 1 – so Corning can’t really talk about anything else.
The wording also suggests – but doesn’t quite confirm – that all three upcoming models will use Gorilla Glass Victus 2, so you can probably expect it on the S23, the Galaxy S23 Plus and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. A leak also hinted that Gorilla Glass Victus 2 will be used by all three phones, so that looks very likely.
This new generation of Gorilla Glass is designed to provide enhanced drop protection on rough surfaces such as concrete while being just as scratch resistant as the original Gorilla Glass Victus.
Interestingly, no comparison is given here to Gorilla Glass Victus Plus, which is used in the Samsung Galaxy S22 series, but presumably Victus 2 is also an upgrade from 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 has a higher chance of surviving a fall onto concrete – the most common engineering material in the world, according to Corning.
Analysis: The first of many Victus 2 phones
You won’t have to wait long to get a phone with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 as the Samsung Galaxy S23 series will be announced on February 1 and reportedly shipping on February 17. But these will probably be the first of many phones to use Victus 2.
Aside from iPhones, which use Ceramic Shield technology (also made by Corning), almost every high-end phone includes Gorilla Glass.
So with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 now available, we’d expect it to be the cover glass of choice for most high-end handsets this year. In the past, those are likely to be 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 as they’re already available in China, so Samsung wouldn’t be the first if they did, but their successors and the Xiaomi 13 Ultra might be.