Phones are becoming so durable that many claim there is virtually no need for screen protectors. While devices can certainly take more of a beating these days, that doesn’t mean they’re indestructible. The durability of your phone screen ultimately depends on the material it was made from. A good example is Sapphire Glass, which is touted as powerful anti-scratch, but is fragile compared to the popular Gorilla Glass.
Gorilla Glass and Ceramic Shield are the go-to protective glass options for Samsung and Apple. Both types are produced by Corning and present effective overall solutions, making the Ceramic Shield vs. Gorilla Glass debate (and which one is stronger) quite difficult to settle. The company also hasn’t done a direct comparison between the two products, as it probably doesn’t want to favor favorites.
In short, both are equally effective, with Gorilla Glass being slightly more scratch resistant. Drop tests of the iPhone 17 Pro were impressive thanks to the Ceramic Shield 2. But despite its overall toughness, it started showing scratches at level 6 on the Mohs hardness scale, which matches the older Gorilla Glass Victus. In contrast, Gorilla Armor, used on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and later Ultra variants, doesn’t scratch until level 7. Even more impressive, the screen is safe from deeper abrasions up to level 8.
How strong is the ceramic shield?
Apple switched to Ceramic Shield starting with the iPhone 12. Apple and Corning claimed at the time that it offered double the strength of other protective glass. With Ceramic Shield, the secret sauce is ceramic nanocrystals embedded in the glass. Interlocking crystals deflect cracks and ionized glass reinforces the structure, helping to prevent scratches and maintain structural integrity in the event of significant damage.
In the real world, this translates to superior drop protection and superior durability, especially under heavy pressure. That said, Ceramic Shield’s scratch resistance is comparable to older versions of Gorilla Glass. According to testing by JerryRigEverything, the new Ceramic Shield 2 on the iPhone 17 Pro models is comparable to Gorilla Glass Victus. Scratches appear at level 6 on the Mohs hardness scale, with level 7 resulting in deeper abrasions. JerryRigEverything states that although the marks are present, they are barely visible on the glass.
Users echo this sentiment and are generally happy with Ceramic Shield 2 on the latest iPhones. The durability is there, but many owners point out that it’s almost impossible to avoid scratches. So, a screen protector is a necessary sacrifice to maintain a pristine appearance.
How durable is Gorilla Glass?
Gorilla Glass has been around since the beginning of smartphones and has seen countless improvements since then. Simply put, Gorilla Glass is created through ion exchange, where Corning uses molten salt at high temperatures to allow sodium ions in water to evaporate. The large potassium ions in the salt then replace the smaller ions, producing a solid outer layer. For example, Victus 2 can withstand drops of up to 2 meters (including 1 meter drops onto concrete), while its scratch resistance is comparable to Ceramic Shield. However, the new and improved Gorilla Armor now also uses ceramic material, giving it extra strength.
Drop tests of the Galaxy S24 Ultra were disappointing, likely due to the device’s square corners, which failed to prevent cracking. But they showed that the first iteration of Gorilla Armor was significantly more scratch resistant. Tests show that significant scratches appear at level 7, with deep abrasions starting at level 8 on the Mohs scale.
The next version, Gorilla Armor 2, can survive drops onto concrete from up to 2.2 meters, which is a massive jump over base Gorilla Glass. Additionally, it also retained the scratch resistance of its predecessor, making it slightly easier to declare the winner in the Ceramic Shield vs Gorilla Glass comparison. The two protective glass materials go neck and neck, except for the Gorilla’s improved scratch resistance.
