Ryan Haines / Android Authority
TL;DR
- A new rumor suggests the iPhone 17 series could have a “super-hard scratch-resistant anti-reflective” display.
- We’ve seen a variation of this display on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which features Corning Gorilla Armor that performs better on drop tests and scratch resistance and is also shockingly good at minimizing screen reflections.
One of the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s highlight features is the display. It features the new Corning Gorilla Armor, which is one of the more noticeable upgrades on the phone despite Samsung underplaying it. This new display glass is said to be not only more durable but also features a coating that reduces screen reflections massively. It appears that this new trick has caught Apple’s eyes, as the iPhone 17 could feature a similar anti-reflection coating for its display.
According to a report from MacRumors quoting a lesser-known Chinese leaker, Apple has bought specialized display coating equipment from Japan and handed it over to China’s supply chain. This coating equipment will be used on future iPhones, presumably the iPhone 17 (as it is too late for use on the iPhone 16). Thanks to this, the iPhone 17 series is expected to come with a “super-hard anti-reflective” display that is “more scratch-resistant than you think.”
Apple already uses the “Ceramic Shield” branding for its ceramic-infused display glass, which Corning makes. The Ceramic Shield on the iPhone 15 series is claimed to be “tougher than any smartphone glass,” but that was before Samsung used the Corning Gorilla Armor on the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Gorilla Armor performs better on drop tests and scratch resistance (though Corning did not disclose the product used for base measurement). The coating on it reduces reflectance by up to 75%, enhancing display readability and minimizing screen reflections.
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
As a Galaxy S24 Ultra owner, I can attest to its low-reflection properties, as using the phone under sunlight or other bright lights doesn’t cast an annoying reflection. It is shockingly glare-free, to the point that you start noticing how bad the light reflections can be on other competing devices. You no longer have to angle your phone or shade it to see what is on the display, as the bright, glare-free display does the job without assistance.
Separately, display scratch tests have revealed that the display faintly scratches at a level 7 Mohs hardness pick, which is better than the faint scratches with level 6 picks. So, the Galaxy S24 Ultra continues to perform very well on this end.
It remains to be seen if Apple can get similar results for the iPhone 17. If it can, that would push the industry forward into adopting this newer display tech more widely.
