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iPhone 11 Pro Sapphire Glass, how much would that increase the price $ ?

T

TheRealAlex

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Sep 2, 2015
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We have all heard of Sapphire glass and it was discussed before for use in the Apple Watch on the most expensive models. Apple even invested in a synthetic Sapphire Glass company and they went under since they Over promised and under Delivered.

But what if we could get 6.8” sheets of Sapphire Glass for use in a future iPhone 12 Pro Max or iPhone 13 Ultra one day.

How much Money would that costs ? Even as an Option to the end consumer ? Or to Apple on a volume basis ?

if prices for phones are already $1,400 looking at you Note 20 Ultra 5G. What’s an Extra $100 ?

or Who cares ? Since many just buy a new phone each year any ways.
 
I don't think it was abandoned just due to cost and is probably only marginally more expensive than the latest gorilla glass. While sapphire is much more scratch resistant than glass (a desirable property in a phone screen) it is also more brittle than glass and therefore more likely than glass to shatter if dropped on a hard surface.
 
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How much would it cost Apple, or how much could Apple charge for it?

The math is complex. Tougher glass means fewer broken displays, but some people never break their displays, others seemingly do it on a regular basis. Worth it to the never-break group is very different than worth it for the reguarly-break group.

Would a sapphire display make AppleCare+ coverage unnecessary? No. There are other ways to break an iPhone (would the rear glass also be sapphire). On the other hand, sapphire would also make replacement displays more expensive. Since sapphire wouldn't eliminate all breakage, and would increase the repair cost for those that do break...

Like I said, the math is hard. It's going to be more a matter of salesmanship than a matter of math.
 
ApfelKuchen said:
How much would it cost Apple, or how much could Apple charge for it?

The math is complex. Tougher glass means fewer broken displays, but some people never break their displays, others seemingly do it on a regular basis. Worth it to the never-break group is very different than worth it for the reguarly-break group.

Would a sapphire display make AppleCare+ coverage unnecessary? No. There are other ways to break an iPhone (would the rear glass also be sapphire). On the other hand, sapphire would also make replacement displays more expensive. Since sapphire wouldn't eliminate all breakage, and would increase the repair cost for those that do break...

Like I said, the math is hard. It's going to be more a matter of salesmanship than a matter of math.
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Sapphire wouldn’t stop screens breaking, it would prevent scratches in a lot of instances. It’s brittle when dropped as it’s much harder than normal glass so people would still be smashing displays.
 
For an phone display, sapphire is a horrible choice, nor economical. It makes more sense for small batches like an Apple Watch display, but from a standpoint of a 5.5 inch display or larger, it poses to many obvious vulnerabilities.
 
I’ve seen the new Gorilla Glass victus video which can survive 10 six feet drops. So the only real use for Sapphire glass would be to prevent hairline scratches. Don’t think it would be worth it as you would still need a screen protector To protect thr oleophonic coating
 
It would be expensive. It may be more scratch resistant, but it would shatter more easily. I would rather have them use that new gorilla glass victus. That glass seem to have struck the right balance between scratch and shatter resistance. It looks to be a good upgrade over previous versions.
 
The-Real-Deal82 said:
Sapphire wouldn’t stop screens breaking, it would prevent scratches in a lot of instances. It’s brittle when dropped as it’s much harder than normal glass so people would still be smashing displays.
Click to expand...
Where did I say that it would stop them from breaking? I said there would be less breakage. One of the key reasons for less breakage is that scratches are points of weakness that leave the material susceptible to later breakage.

As to "brittleness" - this has taken on near-meme dimensions in the debates over sapphire displays. It's an over-simplification. Brittleness is defined more by the lack of plasticity under stress than by the presence of hardness ("It's harder so it must be more brittle" is an assumption that may not hold water). Ironically glass is often used as an example of a brittle material. Further, properties like brittleness can be addressed and mitigated in a variety of ways. Back when Apple's sapphire displays were in the news there were very credible reports that the sapphire would be used in a glass/sapphire composite.

The engineering justification for using a higher-cost material is that the benefits outweigh the cost. So even if sapphire is more brittle than glass under certain conditions, as long as its use significantly improves overall durability that use may be justified. Considering the money Apple invested in that project, they clearly believed the use of sapphire would turn out to be beneficial.

From Apple's perspective, a reduction in display breakage reduces Apple's costs for accidental damage claims under AppleCare+. Scratch- and break-resistance also improves customers' satisfaction and their willingness to pay a higher price - the overall impression of a premium product. On the down side, a significantly higher product price (and cost of replacement displays) can generate negative publicity. Just as with water resistance, the person whose product was damaged despite its tougher build doesn't care how much damage others may have avoided. "Water resistance didn't work for me, so it's worthless."
 
bushman4 said:
I’ve seen the new Gorilla Glass victus video which can survive 10 six feet drops. So the only real use for Sapphire glass would be to prevent hairline scratches. Don’t think it would be worth it as you would still need a screen protector To protect thr oleophonic coating
Click to expand...

I’d refute the Bolded:

As an Apple Watch stainless owner, I’ve never had a hairline scratch on the sapphire display. There’s different grades of sapphire, but generally, when sapphire is damage, it’s where you can feel it with your finger nail, not where you can visibly just see it under sunlight.

The Oleophobic coating can scratch, which could be misconstrued as a ‘hairline scratch‘ on the display, but it should eventually wear off where it’s not visible anymore.
 
i actually prefer easier to scratch than total cracking from fall, at least then one can always use a screen protector to eliminate the easier to scratch issue.
 
So the majority of people, posting say Nah to Sapphire glass. You are better off paying for Apple Care Plus than luxury glass.
 
TheRealAlex said:
So the majority of people, posting say Nah to Sapphire glass. You are better off paying for Apple Care Plus than luxury glass.
Click to expand...

The majority isn’t interested in higher prices and more shattered screens, Mo it’s likely.
 
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