Could Apple have already lined up the sapphire supplier for the iPhone 6s?

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Could this be our first look at the iPhone 6s's sapphire display? Photo: Desay
Could this be our first look at the iPhone 6s's sapphire display? Photo: Desay

Due to its failed relationship with GT Advanced, Apple missed out on releasing the iPhone 6 with the rock hard, all sapphire display that was initially rumored.

But what about the iPhone 6s? It’s still unknown, but an Apple supplier, Desay, has just announced their own smartphone with an “unbreakable” sapphire display.

Called the Magical Mirror X5, the phone features a quad-core processor, a 5-inch display, and a 13 megapixel camera. It’s about the same thickness as Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus at just 6.95mm thick.

So what does this mean for a sapphire display in the iPhone 6? Desay has been a member of Apple’s supply chain since 2014.

Here’s what the Wall Street Journal says about sapphire in smartphones:

Sapphire has become a popular topic in smartphone industry after Apple and GT Advanced Technologies announced in 2013 a $1 billion plan to build an Arizona factory to produce sapphire. But Apple hasn’t used the super hard sapphire in its latest iPhone 6 as GT failed to mass produce the material and has filed for bankruptcy.

In an effort to differentiate their products in an increasingly crowded smartphone market, some phone vendors have adopted sapphire screens in their smartphones since last year, including Japan-based Kyocera ‘s Brigadier and China-based Huawei’s Ascend P7 sapphire edition.

If Desay can make sapphire displays for their own smartphones, why not Apple? Perhaps by the time the iPhone 6s comes around, Desay will be in the same position GT Advanced was once in. Only time will tell.

Source: Wall Street Journal

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