Motorola recently announced its new Droid Turbo 2 smartphone, and the company says the screen won't shatter.
The Droid Turbo line, which is a Verizon exclusive, is normally known for a battery life that's longer than almost any smartphone.
So far, it's the only smartphone that claims to have a shatterproof screen. Most other smartphone makers only claim that their phones have durable displays, but they're reluctant to claim that they are shatter-proof.
"There's a fundamental flaw in the design of smartphones, and that's that it has a large piece of glass on the front of it," said Motorola vice-president of engineering Jason Wojack in a video.
The display is made with Motorola's 5-layer technology called "Moto ShatterShield," and it covers all aspects of a broken screen, like the touchscreen itself, as well as the protective glass that rests on top.
The first layer of protection comes from the Droid Turbo 2's aluminum chassis to give the phone a strong frame. That's standard on many premium smartphones these days, including the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus.
Then, the phone's AMOLED display itself is actually flexible, which lets it flex upon impact and absorb shock better than a rigid display. It also has two touch layers (the part of the screen that detects your fingers) for redundancy in case one fails after a nasty drop.
On top of the touch layer is what Motorola calls the "interior lens," which apparently won't shatter. And on top of the interior lens is the exterior lens, which is designed to protect the screen from the normal wear and tear, like light scratches or scuffing.
There is some fine print to that guarantee. Under the warranty, you're covered for four years from a shattered screen, but scratches or other damage to the outer protective lens isn't covered. That raises some suspicions, as Motorola doesn't specify that the outer lens is shatterproof. It only makes that claim for the inner lens.
Basically, the Droid Turbo 2's screen is probably much less likely to crack than most other phones in normal situations, but don't expect it to survive ridiculous situations, like dropping it off a 50-foot cliff with jagged rocks at the bottom.
You'll be able to customize and design your own Droid Turbo 2 with Motorola's Moto Maker online tool, where you can add color accents around the phone and chose different materials for the back, including leather and nylon.
