In 2012, a German company that goes by the name SCHOTT, launched a new protection glass for smartphones. Named Xensation Cover Glass, it was a break and scratch-resistant alumino-silicate. And the company claimed that it was stronger than the popular Gorilla Glass.
SCHOTT Xensation Cover Glass might not be popular, but it is in use by a handful of smartphone brands. There is a small probability that if you have owned a OnePlus, Vivo, Fero, or Huawei/Honor smartphone, or an OPPO smartwatch, you just might have experienced Xensation Glass protection. A small chance.
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What is a smartphone cover glass?
The smartphone cover glass refers to the physical glass that shields the display screen. Its purpose is to safeguard the screen from damage in case of accidental drops. These cover glasses serve the function of protecting both the front and back panels of the smartphone, as well as the cameras.
Examples of smartphone cover glass include Gorilla Glass and Xensation Glass. There are others as well.
SCHOTT Xensation Glass vs Gorilla Glass: The Comparison
Corning’s Gorilla Glass is the most widely used protection on smartphone screens globally. As such, it has become a standard of some sort. However, SCHOTT claims that its Xensation Glass is stronger, tougher, and offers more protection than Gorilla Glass does. Those claims are difficult to verify. We would have to setup numerous controlled experiments and drop tests to do that. I have searched for any such tests and have yet to find them. At this point, it is SCHOTT’s word against Corning’s.
Xensation vs Gorilla Glass: Is Xensation Glass better than Gorilla Glass?
I do not know which is better. I do know that both brands provide protection, to varying degrees, for glass on mobile phones.
SCHOTT Xensation Cover Glass Versions
Similar to the way Gorilla Glass has different versions, year after year, Xensation Glass also gets new releases, year after year. While the brand has been producing protection glass since 2012, listed below are the different versions that have been released since 2018.
SCHOTT Xensation Alpha (α)
Xensation Alpha is a chemically strengthened lithium alumino borosilicate (LABS) cover glass. It is also said to be less susceptible to scratches. It was released in 2021 and first appeared in Vivo S12 Pro. It is also in use in Vivo V23 Pro.
SCHOTT Xensation Flex
Xensation Flex is for devices with foldable screens. It first appeared on Vivo X Fold flexible device.
SCHOTT Xensation 3D
Launched in 2018, Xensation 3D has been used in the following phones: Vivo Z1 Pro, and Vivo Z1X.
SCHOTT Xensation Up
Launched in 2019, SCHOTT Xensation Up cover glass has been the most widely used version till date. You will find it on the following smartphones: Vivo X60 Pro, Vivo X70 Pro, Oppo Watch, Honor Play 5, Vivo V23 5G, Vivo V17 Pro, NEX 3s 5G, iQOO 3 5G, and Vivo S9.
Smartphones that use SCHOTT Xensation Cover Glass
Here is a list of some smartphones that have Xensation Cover Glass protection.
- Vivo S12 Pro
- Vivo V23 Pro
- Vivo V23 5G
- Vivo X Fold
- Vivo X70 Pro
- Vivo X70
- Vivo X60
- Vivo X60 Pro
- Honor Play 5
- iQOO 3 5G
- Vivo NEX 3s 5G
- Vivo S9
- Vivo Z1 Pro
- Vivo Z1X.
- Vivo V17 Pro
- Fero Royale A1
- OnePlus Nord N20 5G
- OPPO Reno8 Z
This list is inexhaustible, as we are unable to update it with every phone model using Xensation Glass. Every year, newer models are launched.
Xensation Glass Alternatives
Of course, Xensation Glass is not the only toughened glass in use for protection smartphone screens. There are a number of others, including the popular Gorilla Glass. if you are interested in finding out more about them, head over to our article, Gorilla Glass competitors.
References
- Product Variants of Xensation (source)
Way back from the days of EPOC, Symbian, Palm, PocketPC/Windows Mobile, BlackBerry/BB10, webOS, Windows Phone, Firefox, Ubuntu Touch, to Android, iOS, and KaiOS operating systems, founder of MobilityArena, Mister Mobility, has owned a few hundred smartphones and tablets, and counting.