Purported 'iPhone 6' sapphire display undergoes extreme torture test in video

Posted:
in iPhone edited July 2014
Hours after a video purportedly revealed Apple's rumored sapphire crystal "iPhone 6" display on Monday, another short film hit the Web, this time putting the supposed part through a battery of torture tests that included knives, keys and extreme bending.


Source: Marques Brownlee via YouTube


Uploaded to YouTube by tech vlogger Marques Brownlee, the video mirrors today's earlier post by taking a close-up look at the purported iPhone 6 display, but goes further by attempting to scratch, bend and break the part. The display performed surprisingly well and came out of testing unscathed.

Brownlee said the component is made of sapphire crystal and came straight off Apple's assembly line in Asia, but provided little evidence to support his claims. A number of manufactured materials offer similar properties to those shown off in the video, including Corning's Gorilla Glass which Apple currently uses in its portable products. The glass maker said its next-generation Gorilla Glass 3 is more resistant to scratches, flexing and shattering than certain sapphire formulas.

Whatever it is made of, the rumored iPhone 6 component looks to be both extremely hard and adequately pliable, possibly to the point of negating the need for a screen protector.



Apple first used sapphire as a rear camera lens cover in the iPhone 5, then expanded deployment to the Touch ID fingerprint reader found in the iPhone 5s. With its superior scratch protection and clarity, sapphire is a preferred, yet more expensive, alternative to aluminosilicate glass.

After inking a $578 million deal with sapphire manufacturer GT Advanced Technologies in November, Apple has been widely rumored to be preparing larger installations -- like front panels -- in future iOS devices, starting with the next iPhone.

AppleInsider was first to report on Apple's sapphire-related patents, many of which suggest the company has been investigating sapphire covered displays for years. In regard to today's video, a particular property involving laminate construction comes to mind. The IP describes a method of laying up sapphire sheets with varying physical properties to increase surface hardness, while at the same time enhancing flexibility.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 92
    thewhitefalconthewhitefalcon Posts: 4,453member
    I've never felt the need to use a screen protector with my iPhone nor my iPad. Besides, most of them are crappy anyway.
  • Reply 2 of 92
    ingelaingela Posts: 217member
    When he put it under his shoe I thought for sure it was going to snap. Leak or not, this is great pre-advertising for Apple. This is going to be a great selling point.
  • Reply 3 of 92
    ingelaingela Posts: 217member

    The kid sounds like a pro. Sounds like he is ready for a prime time job with a TV network. The Verge or anyone that produces a lot of tech videos should snap him up with a job.

  • Reply 4 of 92
    flaneurflaneur Posts: 4,526member
    It's starting to look real and pretty damn fantastic. Ain't no way that's glass.
  • Reply 5 of 92
    flaneurflaneur Posts: 4,526member
    ingela wrote: »
    The kid sounds like a pro. Sounds like he is ready for a prime time job with a TV network. The Verge or anyone that produces a lot of tech videos should snap him up with a job.

    I think he is way too good for those gearheads at the Verge. He should have his own site, which maybe he does.
  • Reply 6 of 92
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    I wonder how this got out if genuine. If it is, I am glad I bough into GTAT a while back.
  • Reply 7 of 92
    ash471ash471 Posts: 705member

    The bend test was pretty cool.  I wish we could see a side-by-side comparison with gorilla glass. You might be surprised how flexible glass is when it's thin. 

    One thing is for sure, if Apple uses a sapphire display, it will be better than gorilla glass.  Apple doesn't use gimmicks. If the material doesn't have a real world benefit, they wouldn't use it. 

  • Reply 8 of 92
    ingelaingela Posts: 217member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ash471 View Post

     

    The bend test was pretty cool.  I wish we could see a side-by-side comparison with gorilla glass. You might be surprised how flexible glass is when it's thin. 

    One thing is for sure, if Apple uses a sapphire display, it will be better than gorilla glass.  Apple doesn't use gimmicks. If the material doesn't have a real world benefit, they wouldn't use it. 


    Yep, I agree with everything you said.

  • Reply 9 of 92
    suddenly newtonsuddenly newton Posts: 13,819member
    I thought these were coming out of Apple's sapphire plant in Arizona??? Why are these so-called sapphire panel leaks coming from Apple's assembly line in Asia?
  • Reply 10 of 92
    flaneurflaneur Posts: 4,526member
    ash471 wrote: »
    The bend test was pretty cool.  I wish we could see a side-by-side comparison with gorilla glass. You might be surprised how flexible glass is when it's thin. 
    One thing is for sure, if Apple uses a sapphire display, it will be better than gorilla glass.  Apple doesn't use gimmicks. If the material doesn't have a real world benefit, they wouldn't use it. 

    Your first point, what looks real to me is the material's stiffness, its resistance to bending. I would expect GG to bend more at that thinness.

    Your second point is true and worth pointing out. Also, they don't get credit in the stupid tech meme sphere for pushing the boundaries on materials over and over again.
  • Reply 11 of 92
    mejsricmejsric Posts: 152member
    So Marques Brownlee is an Apple Fanboy now??? Coz his G+ Post is so ridiculous of hating iPhone.
  • Reply 12 of 92
    I thought these were coming out of Apple's sapphire plant in Arizona??? Why are these so-called sapphire panel leaks coming from Apple's assembly line in Asia?

    Well, it could be they're in Asia for assembly; might be easier to snag a sample from there than anywhere else? Who knows? I'm just guessing, obviously.

    If this thing truly is a sample from the next iPhone model, Wow! :)
  • Reply 13 of 92
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Ingela View Post

     

    The kid sounds like a pro. Sounds like he is ready for a prime time job with a TV network. The Verge or anyone that produces a lot of tech videos should snap him up with a job.


     

    Leo Laporte from the TWiT Network has tried to hire him. He's doing very well on his own.

  • Reply 14 of 92
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Mejsric View Post



    So Marques Brownlee is an Apple Fanboy now??? Coz his G+ Post is so ridiculous of hating iPhone.

     

    This is the real deal. Marques has gotten other solid inside info before.

  • Reply 15 of 92
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post



    I thought these were coming out of Apple's sapphire plant in Arizona??? Why are these so-called sapphire panel leaks coming from Apple's assembly line in Asia?

     

    Made in Arizona, assembled in Asia.

  • Reply 16 of 92
    This dude needs to do a moss hardness test. Scratching a key and knife to it tells us this display is harder than the key and the knife... and nothing else. The iphone 5 would also pass that.
  • Reply 17 of 92
    Apple edges away from the other phone makes a little bit more with this ... and it isn't like the other guys can just go buy Sapphire on the open market in any quantity. In many little ways Apple is doing the right thing in differentiating the iPhone and all the other iDevices.

    I can't wait to see the new stuff in a couple months... the iOS8 with some games and other programs implementing Metal and Swift along with the App Extensions ought to be like the iDevices were totally reinvented! Life will really suck for Apple-haters. 8-)
  • Reply 18 of 92
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ClementineOrange View Post



    This dude needs to do a moss hardness test. Scratching a key and knife to it tells us this display is harder than the key and the knife... and nothing else. The iphone 5 would also pass that.

     

    What about that extreme flexing of the glass panel?

  • Reply 19 of 92
    I thought these were coming out of Apple's sapphire plant in Arizona??? Why are these so-called sapphire panel leaks coming from Apple's assembly line in Asia?

    Made in Arizona, assembled stolen in Asia.

    Fixed that for ya...
  • Reply 20 of 92
    imemberimember Posts: 247member
    This is the same guy who said ios 8 copied android and said nothing about android l (lollipop or nobody gives a !!!!, this is not Apple it means nothing) copied ios 7 because they copied ios 7 so much that they should it call it ios 7 rip instead of android r j I o or l, Android added widgets first? android it souldnt even exist!
    Now back to topic that one is fake, phablet and ugly design that doesn't sound like apple at all, Apple is more interested to make us the perfect gadget made from diamond (sapphire) and titanium 2 (liquid metal) by AI (foxbot) easy to handle instead of uncomfortable mini tablet phone
    Shamesung was the one who started those fake rumors about iPhone 6 phablet to advertise is phablets
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