So the iPhone 6 will come with a sapphire glass display which is not only said to be impervious to scratches, but also highly durable compared to the current glass panels being used. But how tough exactly is it? Some guys have demonstrated its sturdiness with the usual scratch tests and now, some of them have taken things to the next level.
Marques Brownlee who’s a renowned creator of tech videos on YouTube has managed to inflict damage to the sapphire glass display on the iPhone 6. While in the previous video he used the standard tools such as a knife and keys, this test will involve a tougher material – Sandpaper.
According to Mohs scale of relative hardness, a material with a higher rating can be used to cut one with a lower rating, but not the other way around. A sheet of garnet sandpaper and emery sandpaper with a rating of around 7 and 8, respectively, were used in the test and neither of them should be capable of damaging sapphire that’s rated at 9. But the outcome wasn’t as expected as the panel was easily scratched.
Also see: iPhone 6 leaks hint at 13MP Sony camera, 1810mAh battery, improved Touch ID
This brings up the conclusion that the glass panel isn’t made from pure sapphire. The same test was used on the Touch ID home button on the iPhone 5S which is coated with said material and there wasn’t even the slightest sign of scuff marks (check the video below for to see it with your own eyes).
The iPhone 6’s display will without a doubt be stronger than the iPhone 5S’ and the widely adopted Gorilla Glass 3. Creating such a large sheet of pure sapphire for each unit will be tough for Apple, not to mention very expensive. And there are some reports doing the rounds suggesting that only select models will arrive with the highly durably glass panel.
As a bonus, the above video shows the total destruction of the iPhone 6’s alleged sapphire glass display. The panels used are said to be legitimate, but we really won’t know for sure until the real device goes official.