Corning’s Gorilla Glass is widely used as screen cover for today’s phones but a tougher competition is about to emerge. Sapphire is tougher and more scratch-resistant than Gorilla Glass but is held back because of the cost of production. But it looks like that problem is solved, at least partly.
Technology Review published a piece last year about manufactured sapphire for use on mobile gadgets. On the said article, Eric Virey, an analyst for the market research firm Yole Développement, stated that “Gorilla Glass display costs less than $3, while a sapphire display would cost about $30.”
In less than a year, it looks like the $30 cost has gone down. Apple recently announced that their OEM partner Foxconn Technology has succeeded in creating a hundred prototypes of the iPhone 6 equipped with “sapphire substrate surface protective screen”. If everything goes smoothly, we could be looking at a new iPhone with a bigger and tougher display.
It should be noted though that Apple is already using sapphire crystals on their iPhones prior to this development. The rear-facing cameras on iPhones have sapphire covers, which is tougher and more scratch-resistant than Corning’s Gorilla Glass. The same material is also used as the cover for the iPhone 5s’ Touch ID sensor.
With talks of Apple going into the mobile-payment niche, the use of manufactured sapphire on future mobile devices could be a key factor. Apple’s fingerprint scanning technology coupled with a tough and scratch resistant Touch ID sensor cover could lead to an easier and more secure payment process for users.