iPhone 6 Sapphire Screen Is Not Indestructible: New Sandpaper Test Reveals Weakness [VIDEO]

Earlier this month, we revealed pricing for the iPhone 6 5.5-inch model could begin at $965. No doubt, the latest iPhone is going to be the hottest, most talked about, smartphone when it comes out later in September. So far, Macheads and tech nerds have been talking about the Sapphire screen non-stop. In our previous story, we shared a video that suggests the new iPhone Sapphire screen is near indestructible.

In a stress test demonstration by YouTuber Marques Brownlee,e, the iPhone 6 was completely unfazed by extreme massive torque flexing. Impact testing via hard stabs to the screen with a hunting knife did not leave a mark on the screen either. Given the astonishing demonstration of this durable material, we wanted to see more phones use Sapphire Crystal in the future.

However, a new iPhone 6 stress test video from Marques Brownlee reveals that the sapphire display isn't as invincible as we once thought. In the latest test, Marques Brownlee put the Sapphire crystal's Mohs Scale material hardness rating to the test. Materials are rated from 1-10, 10 being the hardest. Gorilla Glass used on the iPhone 5S is rated at a respectable 6.8. Sapphire crystal, a strong mineral only second to diamond, is rated at a 9.0. Marques Brownlee compared the resilience of the two phones by putting them under Garnet sandpaper and Emory sandpaper trials. Garnet possesses a 7.0 Mohs hardness rating. Emory is rated at 8.0. Theoretically, if the iPhone 6 panel is a pure Sapphire crystal screen, then it should be completely safe.

However, in practice, the Phone 6 failed both the Garnet sandpaper and Emory sandpaper tests. That said, the new iPhone 6 Sapphire screen did at least withstand the sandpaper much better and took less damage than the iPhone 5S. In fact, Marques Brownlee even noticed that the sandpaper produced a different sound when it rubbed against the surface of the iPhone 6, which clearly proves that the new iPhone 6 uses a different material than the Gorilla Glass on the iPhone 5S.

So, is Apple false advertising for claiming that the iPhone 6 screen is made of Sapphire? Maybe not, as the screen is likely still a Sapphire-hybrid material. What's more, a pure sapphire screen will likely cost a lot more money to produce. What's more, hard materials may also be extremely brittle. a modified-sapphire may be the best compromise between scratch resistance and enough flexibility to avoid chipping and fracture cracks.

“That actually makes sense," said Marques Brownlee. "Using a massive panel of pure sapphire for the front of a phone would be a little bit stupid. It would be, first of all, much more expensive, and it also wouldn’t be able to bend like it did. Believe it or not, you actually need your phone to be able to flex a little bit. So pure sapphire is still best in small parts like the Touch ID cover over the home button and the glass over the back of the iPhone 5S camera,” Brownlee says in the video.

On the shatter-resistance front, Joe Rogan shared a video of the iPhone Sapphire display coming face-to-face with a competition bow and arrow. Spoiler: the iPhone 6 doesn't stand a chance. Check out the great new iPhone 6 stress tests in the videos below: