It looks like the Apple Watch's screen is nearly indestructible

Advertisement

If you're thinking about shelling out $550 for the mid-rang Apple Watch, you can rest assured that it's going to take a lot to scratch up its screen.

Advertisement

Consumer Reports just performed a scratch test with the watch, finding that the only pick that successfully inflicted any damage on the screen was made of a material that is rated as 9 out of 10 on the Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness, a test created in 1812 by German mineralogist Frederich Mohs that characterizes the scratch resistance of various materials as relative to one another.

AppleWatchScratch

Consumer Reports

Complimentary Tech Event
Transform talent with learning that works
Capability development is critical for businesses who want to push the envelope of innovation.Discover how business leaders are strategizing around building talent capabilities and empowering employee transformation.Know More

That means it's going to take a really hard material to scratch the Apple Watch - not your keys, or a knife, or most other sharp objects. Diamond is the only material harder than sapphire, according to the scale, which is what the Apple Watch's screen is made of.

Here's what the watch looked like after Consumer Reports' test with a 9-rated pick:

Advertisement

AppleWatchScratch

Consumer Reports

The Apple Watch's sapphire screen fared better than that of the Apple Watch Sport's Ion-X glass display, which was scratched after being scraped with a 7-rated pick by Consumer Reports. The publication notes that the Watch Sport's scratch-resistance was still impressive, however.

It's not surprising to learn that the Apple Watch's screen is really resistant to scratches. A few days before Consumer Reports' test was released, YouTube reviewer Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy scraped the Apple Watch Sport with various materials. The only one that did some damage was sandpaper, which Consumer Reports says includes a material called corundum that's rated as a 9 on the Mohs Scale.

Check out the full video below.

Advertisement

NOW WATCH: 5 clever iPhone tricks only power users know about