Like the Apple Watch stainless steel model, the Apple Watch Ultra’s screen is covered with a sapphire cover. Since sapphire is one of the hardest known minerals, it is extremely difficult to scratch, which makes it the best choice for high-end watches.
JerryEveryThing, a foreign digital channel, tested the Apple Watch Ultra’s sapphire cover in its latest video, and compared it to Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 5 and Garmin Fenix 7 smartwatches that also use a sapphire cover.
Zack, the channel’s anchor, explained in the video that sapphire is a material with a hardness close to that of diamond. In terms of hardness testing, he used to use the Mohs scale (which measures the hardness of minerals from 1 to 10) to test for scratches, with glass having a level 6 scratch and sapphire having a level 8 or even 9 scratch.
JerryRigEverything’s tests show that the Apple Watch Ultra’s display is actually covered by real sapphire, but there are a few things to keep in mind. In testing, the Apple Watch Ultra’s sapphire cover showed minor scuffing at levels 6 and 7, and significant scratches at level 8 hardness.
The Galaxy Watch 5 had similar results, although the wear was not as pronounced at levels 6 and 7 as the Apple Watch Ultra. Zack explains that this could be due to impurities in the material or polishing issues. As for the Garmin Fenix 7, tests show it has the purest sapphire crystal of the three watches, as it shows little to no wear at levels 6 and 7.
