Forget Gorilla Glass: new iPhone 6 will be “ok with bending and scratching”.iPhone 6 screen is made of Sapphire Crystal Display glass, a new YouTube Video suggests.
The video, which features a leaked 4.7 inch “iPhone 6” no longer sports Gorilla Glass as per the iPhone 5 – it now has a sheet of Sapphire material on the screen surface.
The highly resistant Sapphire material is also “ok with bending”, scratching, and even stabbing it with a knife, says blogger Marques Brownlee, who features in the clip putting the iPhone 6 through its paces – meaning the pervasive cracked iPhone screen may be a thing of the past
“There is no way you can break this display. I have a feeling you could drop a rock on it,” he added as he stabs it with a knife and steps on it.
The video also seems to confirm there will be an iPhone 6 with a 4.7″ screen – there was previous speculation a 5.5″ iPhone 6 ‘phablet’ was in the offing – although this still may be the case.
Sapphire crystal is also found in high-end watches and cameras. Apple use Sapphire on the camera lens for iPhone 5s.
You also won’t need a screen protector for this iPhone either, says Brownlee.
The Guardian reports Apple has entered a joint venture with US company GT Advanced to develop Sapphire glass “in industrial quantities” last year, so there could be some truth to this rumour. Professor Neil Alford of the department of materials at Imperial College told the UK paper that Apple approached him last year about using the material.
Sergio Acaci owner of iPhone Fixit Sydney which also fixes Samsung, LG and Sony phones says “85-90% of our customers have an Apple product in for repair.”
On average, 50 iPhones/iPads come in for repair daily, the majority of which are in due to cracked or damaged screens. Water damage and faulty buttons are other common faults.
iPhones are “pretty fragile” he says. Customers often go out at the weekend and drop it or the phone gets damaged by kids or a mate.
Repairs cost anything from $50 for older models to $99 or more for the latest iPhone 5s/5c, although may cost more at other repair centres.
But Acaci believes the rumoured Sapphire glass on the iPhone 6 may be stronger but not “unbreakable.”
“Even if the screen is untouchable – the inside display may be weaker – and will cost even more to repair.”
“If you think about it, a big company like Apple make lots of money from cracked screens.” If they make an unbreakable phone they stand to lose a lot of money.
The glass screen on Samsung smartphones is very strong but the inside display too is very weak, he says.
Several Apple users Smarthouse spoke to have chosen to get a new device rather than pay for the repair or kept using the cracked iPhone – if the screen is still visible – until their next upgrade.
