HTC U Ultra sapphire edition features the strongest display ever on a phone

The HTC U Ultra left a lot to be desired when it was released earlier this year. It compromises too much while lagging way behind what the LG G6 and Samsung Galaxy S8 offer. In the wake of that reception, HTC announced it was releasing a special edition of the U Ultra with a sapphire display. Popular YouTuber JerryRigEverything got his hands on one and decided to test out how durable it really is… and holy smoke, it’s the strongest display ever on a smartphone.

JerryRigEverything tested out the display with his usual Mohs pick scale to see just how durable the sapphire is. He began the test quite skeptical. It’s really difficult to produce sapphire because they’re grown in large furnaces, and turning it into displays is an arduous process. This is why the company Apple was working with to develop sapphire displays went out of business.

Most phones using Gorilla Glass top out at a level 6, including the iPhone 7 and Galaxy S8, but the the U Ultra went all the way up to level 8. That’s a sign that it is in fact real sapphire. It’s impressive HTC succeeded where Apple failed, though it should be noted that Apple was thinking about doing this for all iPhone displays, which number in the hundreds of millions. HTC is only doing this for a limited number of U Ultras that will be incredibly expensive.

It’s crazy expensive and hard to come by

The price of the HTC U Ultra sapphire edition is about $949, roughly $200 more than the original price of the regular U Ultra before it was discounted. Unfortunately, it’s not being sold in the U.S., which means you’ll have to buy an international version if you want to get your hands on the phone.