Apple Watch Sapphire Display Costs $27 to Manufacture, NPD DisplaySearch Says

When Apple announced the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, everyone was expecting the “sapphire display” keyword, which did indeed finally arrive, but instead as a feature of the eagerly awaited Apple Watch. Now, if you look at the Apple Watch page, you will notice that the company had decided to use two types of display: the Watch and Edition versions have a sapphire crystal display, while the Sport version has an ion-X glass display. But how much will the sapphire display cost to manufacture? NPD DisplaySearch analysts have a hint (via GforGames).

The market research firm believes Apple will use an AMOLED display with the Watch (in line with previous reports), and the expected resolution is QVGA (240 × 320 pixels) for both 38 mm and 42 mm models.

Although the Apple Watch will not arrive until early 2015, the NPD Display analysts have quickly estimated how much Apple will spend on the device’s display. According to their forecast, the sapphire glass display will cost Apple roughly $27.41 per unit.

The figure is based on the following components: display module estimated at $7.86, touch panel with sapphire glass, at $19.55.

What’s interesting, though, is that Apple is currently spending $45 on a 4.7-inch display and $52.50 on a 5.5-inch display (which, by the way, has a new ‘feature’ – it bends).