Foxconn completes prototypes for sapphire iPhones

It was first rumored back in 2012 that Apple would opt for sapphire covered displays for the next generation iPhone, but that hasn’t materialized up till now. All iPhones since then, including the latest flagship, tout Corning’s Gorilla Glass. There’s chatter once again of Apple testing out sapphire covered iPhones, a new report coming in from Taiwan claims that Foxconn has actually manufactured 100 prototype units of an iPhone with a sapphire covered display.

Apple manufacturing partner Foxconn is said to have successfully assembled at least 100 prototype next-generation iPhone units with sapphire-covered displays, according to a new report. The testing is said to have taken place at a Foxconn-owned factory in the Longhua district of Shenzhen, a major manufacturing city in mainland China’s Guangdong province. Taiwanese newspaper Apple Daily was the first to report the news on Friday. Despite the low number of assembled units, the test reportedly marks a major milestone for Foxconn. Working with sapphire, rather than Corning’s softer Gorilla Glass, is said to markedly increase the complexity of the devices’ manufacturing process.