At this point, we can just about assume Apple’s next iPhone will have a sapphire screen. Foxconn has apparently been producing small batches of iPhones with sapphire displays, and Apple CEO Tim Cook has admitted that its plant in Mesa, Arizona will be making sapphire glass. Last week, 9to5Mac uncovered evidence that this plant will begin operating as soon as this month. But what is so special about these sapphire screens? Apparently not even a concrete block can damage sapphire.
A video uncovered by 9to5Mac shows just how scratch-proof an iPhone with a sapphire screen would be. In the video, a concrete block is dragged across an iPhone with a sapphire screen protector. Not only does the iPhone come away unscathed, it managed to actually scrape some concrete of the block.
The sapphire crystal screen protector comes from a company called Aero-Gear. According to its website, it “was founded by the owner of an aerospace display company to provide the quality and performance of aerospace grade products to the consumer electronics market.”
Sapphire is one of the hardest materials in the world, second only to diamond. This is useful for precious jewelry, but as this video shows, sapphire could be a huge selling point for Apple’s next iPhone. People routinely drop their iPhones, and despite Apple’s claims about the strength of its screens, they often end up getting cracked.
Check out the video below:
