Kunlun Glass changes smartphone future

First smartphone to obtain SGS five-star glass drop resistance certification

The Huawei Mate50 Pro, recently launched in South Africa, introduced a range of futuristic features, from its symmetrical Space Ring camera design to the Ultra Aperture XMAGE camera. But the one that is likely to make the biggest impact on smartphone design in future is its introduction of Huawei Kunlun Glass display.

Surveys reveal that half of the industry’s after-sales maintenance cases are related to cracked or broken screens. A simple crack on the glass is often enough to warrant a repair, or result in the replacement of the entire screen, middle frame and even the battery. In response, Huawei engineers created Kunlun Glass to help resolve this pain point by developing an “invincible glass”.

In developing Kunlun Glass, the engineers were inspired by the robust features of reinforced concrete structures. Further research revealed that, after adding a strengthening layer, the load-bearing walls of traditional buildings could maintain a stable structure even if the surface was damaged.

To apply the same technique to smartphone screens, they figured out a way of introducing a large number of nanocrystals into the glass, forming a dense supporting structure that would improve the resistance. As a result, the Kunlun Glass coating consists of 10 quadrillion nanocrystals, made possible by composite ion strengthening, 24-hour nanocrystal growth at high temperatures, a 108-step micro-crystalline matrix material, panel processing techniques, and 1 600℃ platinum smelting technology, which boosts the durability of the glass.

The fruits of their research and development can now be experienced  on the Mate50 Pro, Its drop resistance has increased 10 times over the previous smartphone hardened glass standard, Gorilla Glass. As a result, the Huawei Mate50 Pro has become the first smartphone to obtain five-star glass drop resistance certification from Switzerland’s SGS.

The road taken towards the development of Kunlun Glass was neither simple nor smooth, says Huawei. The team was met with repeated setbacks during the research and development process, including challenges related to strengthening the type, number, and size of the nanocrystals. Eventually, the team mastered the formula to control the type, quantity and size distribution of crystals inside  Kunlun Glass, as well as solving the ceramic’s material strength and optical matching issues.

The result: the Huawei Mate 50 Pro boasts four standout innovations:

* In aesthetic innovation, its symmetrical camera Space Ring Design incorporates an intricate, eye-catching Clous de Paris step-patterned embossing design.

* In camera innovation, the XMAGE camera’s Ultra Aperture offers deeply pleasing colour reproduction and lighting effects. 

* A Low Battery Emergency Mode allows for more power to be drawn from the battery, safely and without harming it, when the battery reaches 1%Na charge.\

* And, of course, Kunlun Glass means fewer tears and more robust use of the handset.

The Huawei Mate50 Pro is priced at R24,999 for the 256GB and R26,999 for the 512GB edition, and can be purchased at the Huawei online store here or selected retail stores.