Apple Watch Sapphire Crystal Display Cover Faces Drill in Scratch Test

iPhone service and repair website iPhonefixed earlier this week got its hands on a sapphire crystal Apple Watch display cover and decided to put the 38mm part through a scratch resistance test to weigh Apple's claims of a completely scratch-resistant sapphire display.

The website ran the display cover through its test, rubbing it against a stone wall, scratching it with a coin, key, and abrasive paper, and finishing off with tapping the screen with a hammer and drilling it with a power drill. Following the tests, iPhonefixed found Apple's promise of a scratch-resistant display to be entirely accurate, with not a single scratch or scuff on the screen even after all of the site's attempts at leaving a mark.

apple watch sapphire display
Apple's promotion of the sapphire crystal display cover marketed it as a material "ideal for protecting the Retina Display" on the Apple Watch, due to it being one of the hardest transparent materials on the planet next to actual diamonds.

Though iPhonefixed was not able to test the Apple Watch Sport's Ion-X glass display cover, with the lower-end model's "aluminosilicate glass that’s especially resistant to scratches and impact," it too is likely to hold up well to abuse.

Check out the full Apple Watch sapphire display cover scratch test video by iPhonefixed right here.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
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Top Rated Comments

Jsameds Avatar
136 months ago
Rotate the camera by 5 degrees, slow the video by 40%, change the shirt and whiten the background and you have this transformation.



Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lewisd25 Avatar
136 months ago
It is nice to have some positive news for a change.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Poochi Avatar
136 months ago
People who are buying (or pre-ordered) a screen protector are idiots.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AngerDanger Avatar
136 months ago
As somebody who has anywhere from two to three drills in my pockets at a time, this is welcomed news.

^ This would actually be funny if watches were kept in pockets…
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
2457282 Avatar
136 months ago
I am happy to know that I can wear my $17k watch while working my construction job and not getting it all scratched up. :D
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
roland.g Avatar
136 months ago
And yet you know Scratchgate is coming.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)