Debate about whether the iPhone 6 will sport a display made of sapphire glass continues. Now a new video and some patents owned by Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) suggest that the company has indeed improved the screen and made it nearly unbreakable.
Video demonstrates strength of iPhone 6 screen
Recently there was another video that showed what the poster claimed was the iPhone 6’s display being stabbed by a knife and otherwise standing up to immense abuse. This new video comes from the same YouTube user, Marques Brownlee, who puts it to the test with an arrow and a couple different kinds of sandpaper.
It indicates that sandpaper is likely to scratch the display, although it still stands up better than the display on the iPhone 5S display. Brownlee explained that the problem with testing the alleged iPhone 6 display with a knife is that metal is comparatively soft, despite its ability to scratch a person’s skin and draw blood.
iPhone 6 scratched by sandpaper, but not knives
He went on to explain the Mohs Scale, which rates hardness of materials. He said his metal knife rated at 5.5 on the scale, which means it wouldn’t even be able to scratch Gorilla Glass, which is at 6.8. He said sapphire is the second hardest naturally occurring material, coming in at 9. Because the sandpaper was able to scratch the alleged iPhone 6 display, he said he thinks it is made of a blended material made of traditional glass and sapphire crystal.
When it comes to the arrow, however, the alleged iPhone 6 display shatters. Here’s the full video:
Apple’s patents back up sapphire iPhone 6 display
Meanwhile The Guardian has uncovered a series of patents that suggest Apple could include a sapphire display in the iPhone 6. Currently, the company only uses the material to cover its Touch ID fingerprint scanner.
An expert the newspaper spoke to said the iPhone 6 display could indeed be made of a sapphire and glass blend. Professor Neil Alford of Imperial College London said Apple consulted him about sapphire displays approximately 18 months ago. However, he said the only way to know for sure if the screen is made of a blend to “smash the thing up” and “stick it under a microsocope.”
