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The iPhone 6’s reported sapphire display already has Corning nervous

Published Jul 15th, 2014 6:45PM EDT
Gorilla Glass Vs. Sapphire

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For a long time, Corning’s proprietary Gorilla Glass has been the go-to material that manufacturers use for smartphone displays thanks to its remarkable durability and toughness. However, with Apple reportedly using a sapphire display for its upcoming iPhone 6, Corning is at risk for potentially losing some significant business, particularly if Samsung again decides to be a “fast follower” and switch to sapphire for its future flagship smartphones.

With this in mind, we found it interesting that Corning has launched a preemptive strike against the iPhone 6’s reported sapphire display, even though we don’t know for absolute certain yet whether it will have such a display or not. In a new video posted on its website, Corning does a pressure test comparing a sapphire display to a Gorilla Glass display and shows that Gorilla Glass can withstand more than twice as much force as a sapphire display without breaking.

While the video is certainly interesting, it’s also a bit surprising to see Corning react this early to a product that may not even end up featuring a sapphire display. We should also point out that the video depicts a generic sapphire display and that we don’t know what, if any, special tricks Apple and its manufacturing partners might use to make the iPhone 6’s possible sapphire display more durable than the one shown in the video.

Be sure to check out the full video below.

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.