New Display Material Could Mean Scratch-Free Phones

2013-03-26 35

A new display material could mean scratch-free phones.

Sapphire might become the material used to replace smartphone screens.

Diamonds are the only natural mineral that is harder than sapphire, a crystal form of aluminum oxide that is also scratch resistant.

Currently, smartphones like the iPhone, use Gorilla Glass to protect the screen, but the iPhone 5 just started using sapphire to protect the camera lens.

Gorilla Glass screens only cost 3 dollars to manufacture, while a screen size piece of sapphire that is three times harder would be around 30 dollars.

The cost of sapphire is expected to go down, so the future of durable smartphones might include sapphire screen protection.

Eric Virey, an analyst for the market research firm Yole Développement said: “I’m convinced that some will start testing the water and release some high-end smartphones using sapphire in 2013.”

Although sapphire is heavier than Gorilla Glass, a thinner layer of it might be used to cut down on weight.

GT Advanced Technologies in New Hampshire, is in the process of coming up with a way to make sapphire pieces that are thinner than a human hair.