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Sapphire is September's birthstone, the traditional gift to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the wedding, but also a kind of material is often linked with luxury and hard. You can find its presence in jewelry, watches among the camera lens and advanced. Sapphire is also one of the world's hardest substance, and therefore the level of military goods (such as aviation displays and even missiles) is an ideal material. Therefore, when the next generation iPhone will use the sapphire screen message out, many people are full of expectations. However, many mobile phone manufacturers are not optimistic about this. 

 

Earlier this week, the well-known blog author Marques Brownlee via YouTube allegedly shows the next generation iPhone sapphire screen. Although only until the product is released we will know the true authenticity of the message, but Apple will use this material in the next-generation flagship phone which statement is not so hard to believe: at the end of last year, Apple announced the production and industry-leading Sapphire Manufacturers GT Advanced Technologies to achieve cooperation between the two sides will set up a production plant in Arizona. According to technology website 9to5Mac broke the news that the new equipment which included bilateral cooperation agreement is sufficient to produce about 1-2 one hundred million iPhone screen size every year. 

 

The reason why manufacturers want to use a sapphire screen, largely because of the tenacity of this material. Degree of toughness is 4 times the sapphire glass. Currently, most of the smart phone's screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass, although this material has been effective against a hard object to scratch, but you want to scratch sapphire, you need to find a Mohs hardness of 9 or more substances . Mohs hardness is a hardness of minerals rating system, the maximum value is 10, which is the hardness of the diamond, and Gorilla Glass 7. 

 

The smartphone screen is not a concept from sapphire glass replaced only recently. This material has been used to protect the iPhone 5s camera and Home button (because Touch ID sensor), and some luxury mobile phone brand - such as Vertu, Savelli and TAG - existing products have also been used on a sapphire screen. These phones are so expensive is not without reason: the production of sapphire is a time-intensive work, production is limited and costly. For example, the cost of sapphire material camera lens cover is 2.6 times that of glass material. If the phone display is larger, the cost gap between the two is even greater. GT Advanced representatives have done in the last year, this estimate: Gorilla Glass panels cost about $ 3 (about 18 yuan), while the sapphire at $ 20 (about 120 yuan) or so. 

 

Author Sapphire screen contacted many issues on behalf of major mobile phone manufacturers, although most companies have studied and analyzed the possibility of using sapphire, but their attitude to this material to cold than I expected. "Sapphire's cost and supply have not reached the level we want," Ken Hong LG International Relations Director, said, "This material durability and scratch resistance is indeed very attractive, but Gorilla Glass will not be replaced soon . "

 

In fact, many of the problems as well as sapphire. This material is heavier than Gorilla Glass, transparency is lower than the glass, unless the manufacturer added a special coating to increase transparency, otherwise it will be more difficult to see the screen content (even adding special coatings, transparent glass-like and probably will not Okay). In addition, and I talked to every one of representatives said that although the sapphire high durability, but it is not indestructible. In fact, the larger the screen size, it will become more brittle. "Sapphire hardness is too high, can not afford to bend," one from the top manufacturers, but on behalf of anonymity said, "When increasing the size, sapphire screen more easily damaged in the drop test them." 

 

Another representative responded this way:. "In the cost-benefit analysis which I doubt (sapphire) is meaningless unless there is some perceived marketing advantage," although there are potential drawbacks, but Apple uses this material purpose apparently it is for marketing. Sapphire's reputation is good, if the iPhone's screen can reach and those sapphire luxury watches, necklaces, earrings or the same level, but the price does not increase the competition among Apple had a great way to highlight their own. 

 

Even if the other mobile phone manufacturers want to use a sapphire screen, because the supply is very limited, and they may be difficult to get enough inventory - while Apple has solved this problem. "Apple spent money in exchange for his amazing early commitment of key components," Jackdaw Research principal analyst Jan Dawson said, "In addition to Samsung, basically every vendor can not do it." In other words, only the strength of the company was strong enough to be able to get enough of sapphire production. 

 

But this does not mean that the sapphire become mainstream in the future, but they may appear in different forms. With the emergence of more and more smart watches, manufacturers may have to start thinking about their own products which use sapphire screen after screen size and number of the watch needs to be much smaller than a smart phone, so it will not cost so high. Then as supply increases and productivity improvement, mobile phone manufacturers may also have a greater opportunity to try sapphire. 

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