Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile

Why the iPhone 6 doesn’t have a sapphire glass screen

Jason Hahn
By

iPhone 6 iPhone 6 Plus
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Before Apple’s long-awaited announcement of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, there were rumors that they would come equipped with sapphire glass screens, which are more scratchproof than other smartphone screens. But, as we now know, the two versions of the iPhone 6 boast ion-strengthened glass screens, not sapphire screens.

Apparently, sapphire screens couldn’t pass drop tests.

Recommended Videos

While the original plan for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus called for sapphire screens, the super-hard material apparently failed to pass drop tests conducted by Apple suppliers, according to a report from VentureBeat, which cites IDC analyst Danielle Levitas. She says the drop-test failures and the high cost of sapphire glass screens may have nixed Apple’s original plans.

Related

Related: iPhone 6 Plus vs. Galaxy Note 4: The ultimate big-screen smartphone challenge

Timing may have been another reason for the absence of sapphire screens from the new iPhones. “The agreement between Apple and GT Advanced Technologies first came to light on Nov. 3, 2013, and 10 months is just not enough time to build out and qualify capacity to make tens of millions of iPhones by launch date,” according to Travis Hoium at The Motley Fool.

Sapphire crystal screens will be used for the Apple Watch, however — namely, the regular Apple Watch and the Apple Watch Edition, which sports an 18-karat gold case. The Watch Sport will come with an Ion-X glass face.

Levitas says there’s a chance Apple will include sapphire screens for future iPhones. Let the rumors begin — again.

Related: Hands-on with the iPhone 6

The first member of the iPhone family to dabble into “phablet” territory, the iPhone 6 Plus expands the size of Apple’s smartphone with a 5.5-inch screen. It sports a Retina HD display, a “new generation” of screens from Apple according to company vice president Phil Schiller. Apple’s new handset displays at a resolution of 1,920 × 1,080 pixels, 185 percent more pixels than the iPhone 5S.

Despite the larger screen on the iPhone 6 Plus, the smartphone manages to maintain a slim frame. It measures in thinner than the iPhone 5S at just 7.1mm thick (compared to 7.6mm for the 5S).

With the newer, bigger screen on the iPhone 6 Plus comes changes to the user interface. Some changes will be small, like faces on display in the messaging app or additional keyboard keys for cut, copy, and paste. Others are more noticeable, like the ability to turn the iPhone 6 Plus horizontally and get a two-pane display. The home screen can also go horizontal on the iPhone 6 Plus. The interface takes many of its cues from the iPad, making the iPhone 6 Plus the mini version of the iPad Mini.

It will be available in stores on Friday, Sept. 19.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Jason Hahn
Jason Hahn
Contributor
Jason Hahn is a part-time freelance writer based in New Jersey. He earned his master's degree in journalism at Northwestern…
3 reasons why I’ll actually use Anker’s new iPhone power bank
A person holding the Anker MagGo Power Bank.

Power banks are a necessary evil, and even if you don’t consider yourself a “power user” who's likely to drain a phone’s battery in less than a day, there will be times when one comes in handy. And when I am forced to carry one, I want it to be as helpful and versatile as possible.

I’ve been trying Anker’s MagGo Power Bank 10K -- meaning it has a 10,000mAh cell inside it -- and there are three reasons why I'm OK with it taking up valuable space in my bag.
It has a screen on it

Read more
Here’s how Apple could change your iPhone forever
An iPhone 15 Pro Max laying on its back, showing its home screen.

Over the past few months, Apple has released a steady stream of research papers detailing its work with generative AI. So far, Apple has been tight-lipped about what exactly is cooking in its research labs, while rumors circulate that Apple is in talks with Google to license its Gemini AI for iPhones.

But there have been a couple of teasers of what we can expect. In February, an Apple research paper detailed an open-source model called MLLM-Guided Image Editing (MGIE) that is capable of media editing using natural language instructions from users. Now, another research paper on Ferret UI has sent the AI community into a frenzy.

Read more
There’s a big problem with the iPhone’s Photos app
The Apple iPhone 15 Plus's gallery app.

While my primary device these days continues to be my iPhone 15 Pro, I’ve dabbled with plenty of Android phones since I’ve been here at Digital Trends. One of my favorite brands of phone has been the Google Pixel because of its strong suite of photo-editing tools and good camera hardware.

Google first added the Magic Eraser capability with the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, which is a tool I love using. Then, with the Pixel 8 series, Google added the Magic Editor, which uses generative AI to make edits that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. There are also tools like Photo Unblur, which is great for old photographs and enhancing images that were captured with low-quality sensors.

Read more