Your next smartphone screen may be made out of sapphire. Sapphire, which is currently used as armor on some military vehicles, would make phone displays that would be both scratch and crack-resistant, even when thrown on concrete.
The mineral is harder than any other on the planet, with the exception of diamond. Currently a pricey alternative (a sapphire display costs $30, while Gorilla Glass -- the current standard -- costs around $3), analysts believe that the price of sapphire displays will drop over the next few years, opening the door to make them more of standard.
According to an MIT Technology Review report, GT Advanced technologies is currently working on a way to create sapphire sheets that are thinner than a single human hair, as well as to cut the cost of manufacturing sapphire sheets.
Ultimately the company believes that it might be able to create displays that are only three or four times the cost of a Gorilla Glass display.
What do you think about the possibility of sapphire smartphone displays? Would you pay a little more for your phone if you knew the screen was virtually unbreakable? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.