How an Apple Rumor Sparked a Sapphire Revolution

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For years, Gorilla Glass was the toughest material a mobile device could use to protect its delicate display components. A mix of silicon dioxide, aluminum, sodium, and magnesium, Corning’s scratch-resistant composite material was the gold standard in protecting a smartphone’s display against breakage. But starting around mid-2013, a new option became visible: sapphire.

While more expensive to produce than Gorilla Glass, sapphire is significantly tougher. It’s up to three times stronger; diamond is the only material hard enough to nick it. Apple was widely rumored to be moving to sapphire displays in its mobile devices, particularly after the Cupertino company partnered with GT Advanced Technologies in the construction of a Mesa, Arizona sapphire production plant.

That arrangement didn’t pan out. Sapphire didn’t make it into the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus as reported (other than in its camera lens), and the factory was repurposed after GT Advanced filed for bankruptcy. It turns out it’s very challenging to build sapphire into larger devices like smartphones and tablets, according to DisplaySearch analyst Calvin Hseih, who I spoke with over email. First, it’s far more expensive, costing multiple dollars per square inch compared to roughly five cents per square inch for glass. It can still be chipped or cracked if dropped at the right angle. And, Hseih says, it has a lower optical transmission than glass, which necessitates greater backlight power consumption. Apple’s proposed solution to these challenges wasn’t actually a pure sapphire display cover glass, like we’d see on a watch: According to its sapphire-related patent filings, Apple’s phone displays would have a very thin sapphire layer coated or laminated onto the glass. This takes advantage of the material’s hardness without adding undue strain on battery life or making it too expensive for people to afford. But this design couldn’t be executed at a satisfactory quality level in time.

Even though sapphire never made it into the iPhone’s display, between interest in the new material and its maturation in the market, we’re now seeing sapphire on a growing number of mobile products. Huawei announced a special edition 5-inch sapphire display-touting P7 smartphone, shown off at CES, that’s currently on sale in China. And leaks of the Xiaomi Mi5 show it should be featuring sapphire on its face when it debuts this month. LG and Samsung are also rumored to be developing sapphire-fronted smartphones in the wake of Apple’s efforts.

Garmin

Like it or not, Apple is a trendsetter in the smartphone space. Following the addition of Touch ID to the iPhone 5s, a number of other smartphones including models from Samsung, HTC, and Huawei began featuring similar biometric scanners. After the iPhone became available in gold, other smartphone makers also made models available in the metallic hue. In both of these cases, as with the sapphire display, rumors of the feature pre-dated the actual release of the product, and options from multiple manufacturers were available within months of the iPhone’s release—if not sooner. The quick delivery of these features suggests that these companies weren’t waiting around to see what Apple would officially announce, but were rather acting on industry rumors and back-channel whispers of the goings on in manufacturing plants.

Sapphire is also making its way into wearables. Apple, of course, has a big stake in the space with the upcoming, sapphire-fronted Apple Watch. But the material has been a staple in mid to high-end watches for many years now, and is a staple across the watch industry. It was a natural fit then that the Apple Watch, being a fashion-minded wrist thing, would be available with the premium crystal as an option.

And of course, because of an Apple-fueled explosion of interest in smartwatches, and because the material is a natural fit for wrist-worn displays, sapphire has become the choice du jour for high-end wearables focused on durability. Garmin’s new rugged Fenix 3 GPS watch and an activity tracker called Wellograph, which is geared toward competitive athletes, are among those adding sapphire faces. In Garmin’s case, the sapphire model will command a $100 premium over the $500 base price.