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Resist

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jan 15, 2008
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Seriously Apple, when are you going to give us sapphire glass screens? I'm tired of using screen protectors!
 
Why are you posting a thread on something no one has control over? Are looking for feedback or are you venting?

I do agree a saphirre screen would be an advantage, but at a premium.

Second, from my personal experience, I don't use a case or screen protector and I have never had an issue scratching my screen. Obviously your mileage may vary from user to user.
 
Sourcing tens of millions of full sized sapphire iPhone screens would not be easy nor cheap. Little pieces over the camera lens or home button are one thing, an entire screen is a lot to ask and the cost would be crazy.
 
Why are you posting a thread on something no one has control over? Are looking for feedback or are you venting?
Partly venting yes. Partly because it has been talked about in the past that Apple was going to use Sapphire glass. We have the technology, so lets start using it. Just like waterproofing, the tech for cell phones has been around for a long time, just not with Apple. Instead the iPhone 7 only gets a water resistant rating.
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Sourcing tens of millions of full sized sapphire iPhone screens would not be easy nor cheap. Little pieces over the camera lens or home button are one thing, an entire screen is a lot to ask and the cost would be crazy.
It's not as expensive as you think. The iPhone doesn't even have Gorilla Glass 2.
 
I was pretty much scratchless without a protector since the 3GS days. Until a few days ago when this happened to my 6.

AmNve.jpg


I guess there's a first time for everything.
 
The yields for the synthetic sapphire glass was bad when they tried it out last year. Do you guys not remember the Apple backed company that was supposed to manufacture them went bust last year?
Since then Apple scrapped the idea for the screen. Only camera lens and touch ID button for now!
 
The yields for the synthetic sapphire glass was bad when they tried it out last year. Do you guys not remember the Apple backed company that was supposed to manufacture them went bust last year?
Since then Apple scrapped the idea for the screen. Only camera lens and touch ID button for now!


Right the Company promised too much was Unable to meet Apples Contract and was forced out of business I think.

Doesn't the Apple Watch Display use Sapphire Glass ?
 
Right the Company promised too much was Unable to meet Apples Contract and was forced out of business I think.

Doesn't the Apple Watch Display use Sapphire Glass ?
Yeah the watch does. The issue was the synthetic sapphire for the phone screens. They were too brittle for the size and thickness specification that Apple wanted especially with the slightly curved edge.
 
It's something I'm waiting anxiously for as well.

The fact that Apple signed the deal in the first place with GT advanced - even though it didn't work out - tells me that the technology has advanced enough that it's at least close to feasible. I'd be shocked if Apple wasn't working with suppliers on bringing it to market ASAP.

Hopefully next year for iPhone X.
 
It would probably be feasible for a non 3D touch screen as less pressure would be placed on a glass.
But I'm sure they can refine the process.
 
Sapphire is too expensive, too thick, too heavy, WAY too reflective, and too brittle to compete with the latest Gorilla Glass options for smartphones.

We'd all love a magic new break-proof screen that still excels by the other measures, but sapphire doesn't cut it. Not yet anyway.
 
Sapphire is too expensive, too thick, too heavy, WAY too reflective, and too brittle to compete with the latest Gorilla Glass options for smartphones.

We'd all love a magic new break-proof screen that still excels by the other measures, but sapphire doesn't cut it. Not yet anyway.
It's synthetic sapphire. Not the real thing.
 
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It's synthetic sapphire. Not the real thing.

Similar limitations.

I have synthetic sapphire in my Apple Watch. It's perfect for the watch, but scaled up to the phone would not work. The glossiness alone is a deal-killer for a phone. It's also shatter prone, and can't be made nearly as thin as the glass. In comparison, my iPad Pro 9.7 has ion-X glass that has the lowest reflectance of any tablet, and it's great to look at. I'll take that over sapphire on a phone any day.
 
Drop your phone on the screen once and then see.
I think that's one way they've avoided the scratches on their device. Also, sapphire would be terrible to use a screen material if you dropped your phone. As others have pointed out it is more brittle than the glass compounds used for screens nowadays, so it would shatter much easier if dropped.
 
won't matter, there will still be an oleophobic coating on top that is susceptible to micro scratches anyway (spare me the perfect screen anecdotes, plenty of people with worn/scratched oleophobic coatings) so ill still use screen protectors anyway
 
Drop your phone on the screen once and then see.

I did once actually-or my cat did. She knocked it off the counter and it landed face down on a tile floor. No damage. Cases with lips around the edges really are lifesavers.
 
I'm going to tell you. I had absolutely no problem scratching the sapphire screen on my Apple Watch.

I really think the sapphire is going to be a waste of time because the phone I am using right now(Samsung S7 Edge) has only one nano scratch that you have to see in the sun. Otherwise it is flawless after no screen protector and 8 months of daily usage here in South Florida where there is an abundance of sand that could get into my pockets or anywhere else I set my phone down.
 
As others already said, Sapphire would be a terrible choice for the iPhone - it may not be as prone to scratches as the ION-X, but it's much easier to shatter completely. That said, I didn't ever manage to put one single scratch on my iPhone anyway...
 
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