Sapphire and Ceramic We Pay more for Durable materials

[TheRealAlex]

Just got my Apple Watch 3 Edition it is Sapphire and Ceramic and it’s amazing.
Why can’t Apple just offer a Premium Version of the iPhone X with durable materials not a glass back or a cheap looking chrome edge.

 

[Starfyre]

I imagine it is cost and volume. Apple Watch is small, iPhone X is larger.

 

[ericwn]

Probably for the same reasons that most other manufacturers of goods with a three year lifespan don’t do it. If you want collectible technology, why not buy a special edition Leica camera?

 

[avtella]

Sapphire is harder but also more brittle than Gorilla Glass and more reflective, I think 2x as much, same with ceramic vs metal in terms of brittleness. In addition the added costs of course and lower yields at least for sapphire. What works on a small watch doesn't always work on a big phone, which has much greater mass and impact stresses. Also the overall cost to benefit ratio, and there is a certain point at which a device is too expensive where it starts hurting sales. HTC U8 has a Sapphire version, but I would assume it wouldn't fair as well in drops as the regular version, due to what I said about it being more brittle.

 

[44267547]

Sapphire is harder but also more brittle than Gorilla Glass and more reflective, I think 2x as much, same with ceramic vs metal in terms of brittleness. In addition the added costs of course and lower yields at least for sapphire. What works on a small watch doesn't always work on a big phone, which has much greater mass and impact stresses. Also the overall cost to benefit ratio, and there is a certain point at which a device is too expensive where it starts hurting sales. HTC U8 has a Sapphire version, but I would assume it wouldn't fair as well in drops as the regular version, due to what I said about it being more brittle.

Good points here. I know many have mentioned that they would like to see sapphire as a display for the iPhone in the future, but I think the reason it works for the Apple Watch, is it because it can be produced in smaller variants and it's expensive to produce sapphire as it is. So I can only imagine what the cost would be for a 5.8 inch display for an iPhone.

 

[GrindedDown]

Heck it cost Apple several billion in a failed project to try and do exactly that.