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Earlier this month, a video surfaced showing the incredible scratch resistance of the sapphire crystal display cover used in the stainless steel and Edition Apple Watches, and now another video claims to show the scratch resistance of the Ion-X glass display cover used in the Apple Watch Sport.

The video, from Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy, uses Ion-X glass covers sourced from Sonny Dickson, who has acquired parts from various pre-release devices in the past. The glass covers in the video are said to be the same Ion-X covers used in the Apple Watch Sport.

Hilsenteger subjects the Ion-X glass to a key, a knife, steel wool, and several different sandpapers to try to damage it (skip to 2:30 to get to the scratch testing portion of the video).

While a key, a knife, and steel wool don't do any damage to the glass, Hilsenteger is able to scratch the glass quite significantly with sandpaper, suggesting that while it will stand up to day to day wear and tear, it's still possible to scratch the Ion-X glass under extreme conditions.

When the sapphire display cover of the more expensive watches is subjected to sandpaper, as in the video we saw earlier this month, it does not scratch due to the sapphire's greater hardness. Sapphire's scratch resistance is why it's used by many high-end watch manufacturers to protect watch faces as it's second only to diamond when it comes to scratch resistance on the Mohs scale.

Sapphire display covers are only offered in the higher-end Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition models, presumably due to the high price of sapphire. The Apple Watch Sport, Apple's most affordable watch, has a lower price tag in part because it uses less expensive materials -- Ion-X glass instead of sapphire crystal and aluminum instead of stainless steel or gold.

The Apple Watch sport is priced more affordably than the other available Apple Watches, starting at a price of $349 compared to the $549 entry-level stainless steel watch and the $10,000 entry-level Edition watch.

Article Link: Apple Watch Sport's Ion-X Glass Display Cover Subjected to Scratch Test in New Video
 

Locoboof

macrumors 65816
Jun 8, 2008
1,177
158
Bay Area,Cali
This isn't good!
AnrVj0j.gif


Just kidding.... All you sport soon to be owners will be fine. Take this with a grain of salt.
 
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sirscottness

macrumors newbie
Apr 21, 2015
2
0
It makes me unreasonably angry that the guy placed his YouTube link right overtop of the area where you dismiss ads.
 

teknikal90

macrumors 68040
Jan 28, 2008
3,382
1,943
Vancouver, BC
ok how is this at all bad?????? scraping sandpaper on your watch is akin to running your watch through on a concrete floor
not a common scenario at all.
 

uid15

Suspended
Mar 9, 2015
1,186
637
Ah, right... it's Lou, "back to front cap kid" yeah.... whatever....

Here's a nice amount of salt to take with the claims in this video

Epsom-salt.jpg
 

Waxhead138

macrumors 6502
May 18, 2012
473
546
Watergate was a Hotel Damn It!

I wish people realized that Watergate was the name of the hotel that the robbery took place in under Nixon's watch, and an event that had nothing to do with water at all.

Maybe then we'd gate less -gate this and -gate that stuff.

Edit: Yeah Yeah I get it, Watergate is synonymous with scandal.
 
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Trent0341

macrumors 6502
Jun 3, 2007
406
95
This isn't good!

This should be no surprise whatsoever as it is the exact same glass as the current iPhone. My phone has done fine with no screen protector and I have to think that the pocket is a much worse place than the wrist for sand paper like grit to cause damage.

The screen will be fine...
 

WilliamG

macrumors G4
Mar 29, 2008
10,007
3,894
Seattle
ok how is this at all bad?????? scraping sandpaper on your watch is akin to running your watch through on a concrete floor
not a common scenario at all.

Um, I've bashed my watch against concrete walls/pillars by mistake when I've brushed against them in garages etc. So yeah, actually it can be a common scenario.

I'm glad I ordered the SS model.
 

Locoboof

macrumors 65816
Jun 8, 2008
1,177
158
Bay Area,Cali
This should be no surprise whatsoever as it is the exact same glass as the current iPhone. My phone has done fine with no screen protector and I have to think that the pocket is a much worse place than the wrist for sand paper like grit to cause damage.

The screen will be fine...

Yeah,was being silly....... I think so too. I just know some people will be freaking out.
 

uid15

Suspended
Mar 9, 2015
1,186
637
Cap kid calls this "steel wool" in his video - any idiot can see IT IS NOT, that is a plastic based abrasive pad. What a pleb. Look at how the strands are formed - THAT IS NOT STEEL WOOL.

Doh >_<
 

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RogerWilco

macrumors 6502a
Jul 29, 2011
824
1,361
Twenty years ago I owned a thin, chic watch with a sapphire crystal. I too thought it was scratchproof until one day the watch face met a door handle as I was entering a building. It left a large ugly scratch across the face, so apparently the finish coating on the door hardware was tougher than sapphire. These "ion-X glass" (what?) faces will get beat up in no time -- great for the cottage industries that will spring up to replace them. ;)
 

pietrociao

macrumors member
Jan 28, 2013
47
12
I'm no expert, is a concrete wall as strong as the sandpaper he used? Would it scratch if I bump my wrist against a wall? I see that as more likely to happen.
 

RogerWilco

macrumors 6502a
Jul 29, 2011
824
1,361
Cap kid calls this "steel wool" in his video - any idiot can see IT IS NOT, that is a plastic based abrasive pad. What a pleb. Look at how the strands are formed - THAT IS NOT STEEL WOOL.

Doh >_<

Yeah that's a non-woven abrasive pad. The silicon carbide versions will definitely scratch glass and sapphire. Steel wool would be much gentler.
 

uid15

Suspended
Mar 9, 2015
1,186
637
This bloke is CLUELESS about material science. What a plank.

Also coming up: Lou is able to prove these digitisers are GENUINE...


Not.
 
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