A new video allegedly showing the purported iPhone 6's display in a sandpaper scratch tests suggests that it may not be sapphire after all.
Apple's iPhone 6 is one of the most highly-anticipated devices of this year and a slew of leaks have tried to paint a picture of what to expect, boosting anticipation ahead of the big launch.
Not too long ago, well-known YouTube user Marques Brownlee posted a couple of videos showing the alleged front panel of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6. Brownlee tested the purported panel's durability by scratching it with a bunch of keys and even stabbing it (see image above), proving how resilient it could be. All signs pointed to an extra-durable sapphire glass display cover for the next-generation iPhone 6.
In a new video, however, the purported iPhone 6 picks a fight with some sandpaper, a bow and arrow, and the more rigorous scratch tests reveal that its display may not be made of sapphire glass after all. Brownlee, along with Joe Rogan and YouTube users Unbox Therapy, Austin Evans and Jonathan Morrison (TLD), subjected the panel to some collaborative torture tests. The testers use two different types of sandpaper in this video and cite the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, which goes from 1 to 10. The Gorilla Glass display of the iPhone 5S ranks a 6.8 on this scale, while sapphire crystal (used for the iPhone 5S's Touch ID home button) ranks at 9. The two sandpapers in this test are garnet, which ranks a solid 7 on the Mohs scale, and emery, rated just above 8.
Both types of sandpaper managed to scratch the purported iPhone 6's front panel in these tests, but they nonetheless showed higher resistance for this panel compared to Gorilla Glass. It's worth pointing out that the sapphire Touch ID home button on the iPhone 5S did not present any scratch marks from the sandpaper, which indicated that the purported front panel of the iPhone 6 is made of some material other than sapphire crystal. It may be a new generation of Gorilla Glass, or some hybrid display slightly coated in sapphire, but it does not show the same resistance as the iPhone 5S's sapphire home button.
On the other hand, this doesn't necessarily mean that sapphire glass is out of the question for the next-generation iPhone 6. Recent reports suggested that Apple may in fact use a sapphire display only for the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 model, as high costs and limited supply would not allow the company to launch both models with this type of display. Other rumors, meanwhile, claimed that Apple would use sapphire glass for both iPhone 6 models, as well as its upcoming iWatch.
It all remains unclear at this point, and all information currently available is based solely on leaks and speculation. As always in such cases, it's highly advisable to take everything with a grain of salt for now. That said, check out the video below to see the purported front panel of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 subjected to a rough sandpaper scratch test.
