A rumored sapphire iPhone 6 display that appeared online in 2014
Corning announced today that it is preparing to ship a new type of glass that can withstand scratches almost as well as sapphire while providing superior drop protection. The glass is the result of “Project Phire,” which aimed to create a more scratch-resistant glass to rival sapphire.
The announcement comes shortly after the company debuted Gorilla Glass 4, which is expected to be included on many new smartphone models this year. However, Project Phire could give even Gorilla Glass a run for its money, if it can live up to Corning’s claims.
Last year Apple was rumored to be working on a sapphire display for the iPhone 6 along with GT Advanced Technologies. That deal came to an end when mismanagement on GT’s end resulted in damaged sapphire, delayed shipments, and serious funding problems.
Whether Corning’s new endeavor will actually lead to more durable smartphones has yet to be seen. The company has made big promises for its latest product, but thus far hasn’t actually demonstrated Project Phire’s capabilities publicly.
Corning plans to ship Project Phire “later this year,” though an exact timeframe hasn’t been given.
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It’ll be interesting to see whether Apple adopts this tech, creates their own or does both – use this, until they perfect their own full sapphire display.
That’d be nice… since the iPhone 6 is a scratch magnet. I went 2 full years without so much as a scuff on my iPhone 5. 3 months with my iPhone 6 and theres scratches all over it. Same with other people I know.
That’s odd. My iPhone 5 and 6 are both scratch-free, and I jam them into pockets or bags and owned them since the first day they were released.
Maybe you got a weaker piece of glass? Or you started to keep your 6 in a bag of diamonds?
Doesn’t need to be diamonds. Sand corns are just as hard/harder than glass/gorilla glass. You can carve your keys all you want in to gorilla glass, and it won’t scratch, but take a itsy bitsy corn of sand, and it will very likely have a trail of scratch behind it…physics.
I’ve been rougher on my iPhone 6 than I ever was with my iPhonee 4S and I don’t have any scratches. Sucks to be you.
It’s not like the glass they use in the 6 is weaker, perhaps you are handling it differently than your other phone
In theory, only a harder material would scratch it. Do you have any diamond rings or other material harder than this ion-strengthen glass used by the iPhone 6 nearby?
The iPhone 5s glass is Gorilla Glass. The iPhone 6 is not Gorilla Glass. Oops!
First they said sapphire wasn’t good enough now they’re competing against it by trying to make it sound like there’s sapphire technology in Gorilla Glass. Geeeee…
The good news is, Apple device displays might continue to be made in America despite GT going belly up. Instead of courting Foxconn to make sapphire displays, they can just continue to deal with Corning. Maybe Apple can convince Corning to make straight-up sapphire displays too.
I would be VERY surprised if this Project Phire or even Gorilla Glass 4 meets next years iPhone (6s). We’ll really have to wait until iPhone 7.
Blah blah blah, let’s see it. Claims are worth exactly 0, not even enough to pay the parking meter.