Up to 100% improved drop performance: SCHOTT re-invents smartphone cover glass with Xensation® α

The international technology group SCHOTT, inventor of specialty glass and pioneer in the development of groundbreaking glass types, is bringing a new generation of smartphone cover glass to products like vivo’s upcoming flagship devices. The company’s Xensation® α (Alpha) cover glass is a novel composition with substantial improvements in drop resistance.

"The properties of our new Xensation® α cover glass truly advance the quality of cover glass and provide manufacturers with a reliable option for high-end devices,” says Dr. Lutz Klippe, Product Group Manager Cover at SCHOTT. “Drop tests in the laboratory prove that the improvement in breaking strength is tantamount to a quantum leap."

The advantages of Xensation® α at a glance:

• Significantly improved drop resistance from double the height* (also "set drop performance" or "drop performance") compared to other LAS-based premium cover glasses - especially on impact with rugged or sharp-edged, rough surfaces.
• Less susceptible to scratches than commercially available aluminosilicate (AS) and lithium aluminosilicate (LAS) cover glass types, as Knoop-diamond indenter lab tests show.
• Xensation® α combines the outstanding character of LAS glass in terms of chemical strengthening potential with the scratch performance of borosilicate glass and a strong glass network as known from glass-ceramics.

The new LABS glass innovation contains the semimetal boron in addition to industry-standard ingredients lithium and aluminum. The resulting advantages produce an extremely powerful high-end cover glass for smartphones.

SCHOTT and vivo have enjoyed a close and trusted partnership over several years. vivo’s upcoming flagship phones will be the first to feature the new Xensation® α cover glass.

Optimized for chemical strengthening

A deeper chemical strengthening augments the glass and protects it in case of drops, a result made possible by an improved ion exchange capability compared to LAS glass. Added to this are the advantages of the element boron, which also improve scratch performance.

SCHOTT first positioned an LAS glass as a cover glass on the market years ago, and today it's a standard composition in the high-end cover glass segment. The company is once again ushering in a new era with Xensation® α LABS glass. This new development was made possible by SCHOTT's global research and development network, which has unique knowledge in the field of glass and glass-ceramics.

Xensation® α is a prime example of how a traditional company like SCHOTT, which is more than 130 years old, can channel its decades of experience into original and inventive new products. Otto Schott, the company’s founder, was the first to document the addition of lithium to a glass mixture as part of his far-reaching experiments that ultimately led to the invention of specialty glass. Xensation® α builds on his discoveries.

Innovation driver in the display cover glass sector

SCHOTT introduced the Xensation® LAS glass to leading Chinese smartphone manufacturers in 2011, making it a pioneer in LAS glass production for display covers. The many years of cooperation between SCHOTT and leading smartphone manufacturers in the field of cover glass underscore that SCHOTT is a reliable supplier with fast delivery times, agile response times, and consistently high product quality. Xensation® Up., the most advanced LAS cover glass from SCHOTT, reliably protects the vivo X60 Pro and vivo X70 Pro from the challenges of everyday use. The Oppo Watch and Honor Play 5 also feature the glass.

SCHOTT's innovative strength is also underscored by its latest innovation for foldable smartphones (foldables): The flexible and chemically strengthened ultra-thin glass (UTG) Xensation® Flex enables premium smartphones with flexible screens and a display cover made of ultra-thin glass. SCHOTT, as a supplier to Samsung, is proud to enable a new device generation with folding screens.

*= This testing process, which is designed to reflect the everyday use of smartphones, uses a smartphone dummy dropped from increasing heights onto a hard surface covered in sandpaper. Xensation® α can survive drops without breaking from up to twice the maximum height as compared to LAS cover glass.

Xensation® is a registered trademark of SCHOTT AG.

Pioneering – responsibly – together

These attributes characterize SCHOTT as a manufacturer of high-tech materials based on specialty glass. Founder Otto Schott is considered its inventor and became the pioneer of an entire industry. Always opening up new markets and applications with a pioneering spirit and passion – this is what has driven the #glasslovers at SCHOTT for more than 130 years. Represented in 34 countries, the company is a highly skilled partner for high-tech industries: Healthcare, Home Appliances & Living, Consumer Electronics, Semiconductors & Datacom, Optics, Industry & Energy, Automotive, Astronomy, and Aerospace. In the fiscal year 2020, its 16,500 employees generated sales of 2.24 billion euros. With the best teams, supported by the best digital tools, the group intends to continue to grow. SCHOTT AG is owned by the Carl Zeiss Foundation, one of the oldest foundations in Germany. It uses the Group's dividends to promote science. As a foundation company, SCHOTT has anchored responsibility for employees, society and the environment deeply in its DNA. The goal is to become a climate-neutral company by 2030.