Apple has developed their own Ion-X Glass for the lower-end WATCH. It isn’t likely to replace gorilla glass anytime soon, though. Same with Sapphire, which has advantages but also disadvantages over gorilla glass.
Gorilla glass is currently on its third generation, so it has become much better - but it’s still glass, ie the same component. As such, it too has advantages over sapphire.
Both glasses have their advantages and disadvantages. The Ion x glass from Apple has the advantage that it is simply much more flexible than the sapphire. Tests show that the ion x glass can withstand 2.5 times more weight in a bend than the sapphire. If you drop an Apple Watch with Ion x glass, the display does not crack quite as fast as an Apple Watch with sapphire.
The Ion X glass also has the advantage of being much lighter and cheaper. That’s why Apple uses it in the cheap Apple Watch sports variant.
The big drawback with the Ion X glass is, unfortunately, that it is easier to scratch. It is scratch resistance to keys or coins though. The sapphire has the advantage that it is very difficult to scratch.
Sapphire has a 9 in degree of hardness, which is directly below the diamond with the degree of 10. It is therefore about 25% stronger than the ion x glass, as far as this point is concerned.
Unfortunately the sapphire is much more expensive and is not as flexible as the Ion x glass. In other words, it will shatter easier and will break quicker when bent. If you weigh it, you will notice that it is 67% heavier.
So, it’s a question of which compromise will you make?
Apple wanted to address the cost by their deal with GT Advanced Technologies, but didn’t count on them being crooks and defrauding them.
