Video purports to show flexible sapphire display cover for Apple's 'iPhone 6'

Posted:
in iPhone edited July 2014
With Apple said to be preparing a move from Corning's Gorilla Glass to an in-house sapphire solution for the display on the so-called "iPhone 6," a new part alleged to be a preproduction sapphire front panel for the device was shown off Monday in a video from Hong Kong.

A purported iPhone 6 display cover in a deformation test | Source: Nowhereelse.fr
A purported iPhone 6 display cover in a deformation test | Source: Nowhereelse.fr


The nearly four-minute-long video shows the panel compared against an iPhone 5, followed by a series of measurements and a deformation test showing the part's flexibility. The video's provenance is somewhat unclear, as French blog nowhereelse.fr simply credits an "anonymous retailer," though some frames do appear to finger a Hong Kong-based supplier.

When measured diagonally, the LCD opening comes in at approximately 4.7 inches, echoing previous rumors of the next-generation device's display size. The part also appears to feature the more rounded edges seen in previous leaks.



Deformed between two hands, the part shows a relatively high degree of flexibility. Though blogger Sonny Dickson -- who published the video independently and has accurately reported prerelease Apple hardware in the past -- claims that the part on display is made of sapphire, there is no confirmation that the material is indeed in use.

Apple is widely expected to split its next-generation iPhone lineup into two differently-sized handsets, with one 4.7-inch model and a larger, 5.5-inch "phablet" variant. Rumors that one or both may sport sapphire screen covers have intensified since the revelation that Apple invested more than $500 million in an Arizona sapphire facility, though it is possible that the company could have other uses for the material.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 34
    19831983 Posts: 1,225member
    Sapphire flexes?
  • Reply 2 of 34
    blazarblazar Posts: 270member
    Sapphire cant flex... Its hardness precluded this.

    Maybe some new composite?
  • Reply 3 of 34
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    blazar wrote: »
    Sapphire cant flex... Its hardness precluded this.

    Maybe some new composite?

    Everything flexes to some degree so that means nothing. It is a question of how and when it breaks.

    As to a composite structure that is entirely possible as a lamination of Gorila glass and Saphire would be an interesting combo. That is if there are no thermal problems with such a lamination.
  • Reply 4 of 34
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Yes people, sapphire does flex. Everything flexes below some particular thickness. Diamond flexes too. Don't believe Corning's propaganda.
  • Reply 5 of 34
    rot'napplerot'napple Posts: 1,839member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by blazar View Post



    Sapphire cant flex... Its hardness precluded this.



    Maybe some new composite?

     

    Sir Jony Ive while working with Liquid Metal and Sapphire in his lab had an accident.  The good thing is that the result was Liquid Sapphire! (drum rim shot insert here)...

  • Reply 6 of 34
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    wizard69 wrote: »
    Everything flexes to some degree so that means nothing. It is a question of how and when it breaks.

    As to a composite structure that is entirely possible as a lamination of Gorila glass and Saphire would be an interesting combo. That is if there are no thermal problems with such a lamination.

    I've been hoping, for years, that Apple would come up with a composite of alternating layers of diamond and soft, more flexable glass. Scientific studies have shown us how natural materials such a shells gain their amazing strength from many layers, held together with a gluelike substance.

    It's not impossible, as work is being done in that area, and it could cost less than people might think. I've got some samples of vapor deposition diamond samples, one about 2 cm square. They are very thin, about 3 thou., according to my measurements, but still can't be scratched by hard objects. Though, because of the thinness. I can't press too hard. It's pretty flexable too. I figure that three layers of diamond, and four of glass, would result in a very hard, on the outside facing the world, and strong, though flexable panel that could be thinner than normal.

    After all, we now coat tools with vapor deposited diamond, as well as line very high precision bearings with it. There are other uses coming on line. But I suppose something like this is still in the experimental stages.
  • Reply 7 of 34
    imagladryimagladry Posts: 105member
    Maybe it is sapphire. The amount deformation on Gorilla Glass test is much greater, even on the four inch screen.
  • Reply 8 of 34
    flaneurflaneur Posts: 4,526member
    imagladry wrote: »
    Maybe it is sapphire. The amount deformation on Gorilla Glass test is much greater, even on the four inch screen.

    That's right. I seem to remember a "U" shape with that bendable Gorilla Glass.
  • Reply 9 of 34
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member

    Certainly nothing fake about that video

  • Reply 10 of 34
    flaneurflaneur Posts: 4,526member
    melgross wrote: »
    I've been hoping, for years, that Apple would come up with a composite of alternating layers of diamond and soft, more flexable glass. Scientific studies have shown us how natural materials such a shells gain their amazing strength from many layers, held together with a gluelike substance.

    It's not impossible, as work is being done in that area, and it could cost less than people might think. I've got some samples of vapor deposition diamond samples, one about 2 cm square. They are very thin, about 3 thou., according to my measurements, but still can't be scratched by hard objects. Though, because of the thinness. I can't press too hard. It's pretty flexable too. I figure that three layers of diamond, and four of glass, would result in a very hard, on the outside facing the world, and strong, though flexable panel that could be thinner than normal.

    After all, we now coat tools with vapor deposited diamond, as well as line very high precision bearings with it. There are other uses coming on line. But I suppose something like this is still in the experimental stages.

    New word, for me, regarding diamond vapor films in Wikipedia: lipophilia. Normally, touchscreens want to be lipophobic, of course.

    Very interesting field. I wasn't aware of it. Carbon rocks! My favorite element.
  • Reply 11 of 34
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    imagladry wrote: »
    Maybe it is sapphire. The amount deformation on Gorilla Glass test is much greater, even on the four inch screen.
    flaneur wrote: »
    That's right. I seem to remember a "U" shape with that bendable Gorilla Glass.

    It's definitely bending less than GG2 but we don't know if it's multiple substrates and the thickness seems to be much higher than which the thinnest possible GG2 as we've seen previously.


    400 400 400 400
  • Reply 12 of 34
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post

    Certainly nothing fake about that video



    Nothing proven in it, either. It’s a real video, at least.

  • Reply 13 of 34
    knowitallknowitall Posts: 1,648member
    Must be a fake, one telltale test for sapphire is missing.
  • Reply 14 of 34
    flaneurflaneur Posts: 4,526member
    mstone wrote: »
    Certainly nothing fake about that video

    Looks to be the real thing. Also, it seems that the material is rather stiff, more that what I would think Corning glass would be at that thinness.

    If it's sapphire, this would be a big deal if they plan to make millions of them.
  • Reply 15 of 34
    flaneurflaneur Posts: 4,526member
    [quote name="SolipsismX" url="/t/181243/video-purports-to-show-flexible-sapphire-display-cover-for-apples-iphone-6#post_2560469"]

    It's definitely bending less than GG2 but we don't know if it's multiple substrates and the thickness seems to be much higher than which the thinnest possible GG2 as we've seen previously.[/QUOTE]

    Thanks for digging that up.
  • Reply 16 of 34
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Originally Posted by knowitall View Post

    Must be a fake, one telltale test for sapphire is missing.



    Whether women go gaga for it?

  • Reply 17 of 34
    imagladryimagladry Posts: 105member

    Doesn't point further to it being sapphire? I seem to remember Corning marketing push stating the GG2 was thiner that sapphire.

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post







    It's definitely bending less than GG2 but we don't know if it's multiple substrates and the thickness seems to be much higher than which the thinnest possible GG2 as we've seen previously.





    CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v62), quality = 100

  • Reply 18 of 34
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,310moderator
    flaneur wrote: »
    mstone wrote: »
    Certainly nothing fake about that video

    Looks to be the real thing.

    Nah, it's a fake front plate. The proximity sensor is larger than the front camera, unlike current models and the camera is too high up and not in a symmetric location. They might have switched the camera and sensor positions but I doubt it. This still seems like one of those Goophone parts.
  • Reply 19 of 34
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,043member
    There is nothing in the video that anyone can say with any certainty the material is Sapphire. This could be any type of glass available on the market.

    It is pure speculation at this point by anyone but apple to say what you are seeing in the video.

    it does appear from the video the person is trying to bend the glass more than it is willing to bend, thus showing it does bend, and even if try and to get it to yield any further it will not break, which in itself is interesting.

    Most glass of rigid material when it hits they yield point and you stress it further it break/shatters.

    The plot just thickens at this point.
  • Reply 20 of 34
    constable odoconstable odo Posts: 1,041member

    Sapphire flexes?!!!  But... but... but Corning said the sapphire Apple intended to use would snap like a brittle twig if someone blew on it.  What gives?  Apple supposedly can't build indestructable iPhones without Gorilla Glass 3 because Corning knows everything about display glass.  Besides, who can bend an iPhone like that?  The Hulk, Superman, The Thing?  But they probably won't be using iPhones anyway.

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