14 DAY TRIAL // Like Liquidmetal before it, sapphire crystal has been difficult to implement in Apple devices. According to DisplayMate, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel, as a new type of sapphire has been developed that might finally give Gorilla Glass a run for its money.
Following a failed partnership with GT Advanced, Apple was forced to abandon plans to equip the iPhone 6 with sapphire displays, and instead returned to its longtime partner – Corning – to employ Gorilla Glass yet again.
Recent developments, however, may prompt the California iPhone maker to revisit its original plans and install sapphire crystal screens in the next generation of iPhones. While iPhone 6S could certainly be the first to adopt the new and improved sapphire, a safer bet would be the iPhone 7 expected to roll out next year.
DisplayMate tests the most advanced sapphire yet
A noted expert in the display industry, DisplayMate President Dr. Raymond Soneira reveals in a statement offered to the media that his firm has successfully tested a new type of sapphire crystal that finally narrows the gap between the exotic material and regular, ion-strengthened glass (such as Corning’s).
Dr. Soneira tells MacRumors, “We have just lab tested an important new sapphire technology that significantly lowers the screen reflectance of sapphire to much lower than glass, turning its former major disadvantage into a major new advantage.”
That disadvantage was the material’s high reflectance. The newly-developed sapphire is far less prone to shine bright like a diamond.
Dr. Soneira explains that AR-coated sapphire is prone to scratching and ultimately cracking (because of the scratches), and that this new type of sapphire doesn’t need this add-on to reduce glare.
He declares the enhanced sapphire “number one in scratch resistance, low reflectance and performance in high ambient light,” adding that “displays using it could run with lower screen brightness and result in increased running time on battery.”