The Kyocera Duraforce Ultra is tested for sapphire-enhanced durability in a new JerryRigEverything video

Most Android phones that undergo the famous JerryRigEverything testing process succumb to the classic "scratches at a level 6, with deeper grooves at a level 7" stage. However, Kyocera touts the Duraforce Ultra as one that can overcome this test of scratch-resistance due to display protection augmented with genuine sapphire. JerryRigEverything's Zach Nelson set out to verify these claims in a new YouTube video.

The vlogger did indeed seem to verify that the Duraforce Ultra's display could indeed withstand Mohs hardness picks of a level 7 or below. It did incur scratches at a level 8, which might indicate the presence of protection beyond the usual Gorilla Glass level. Nelson then broke an extra tool out: an HDE Diamond Selector II, apparently rated to validate the quality of carbon crystals, supposed sapphire included.

The new Kyocera phone's display elicited the same feedback from this device as the stone in a wedding ring, whereas that of Nelson's daily driver, a Samsung Galaxy Note 10+, did not. The rest of the JerryRigEverything video was devoted to an interesting outline of how a block (or boule) of sapphire is produced in the lab, along with an example of one to show alongside a phone that seemingly has material in common with it.

The apparently super-rugged Kyocera Duraforce Ultra is also 5G thanks to its Snapdragon 765G processor, has 6GB of RAM and dual rear cameras in a Black Shark 3-esque housing rated to work underwater. It is not available on platforms such as Amazon (although the "diamond-testing" tool is); however, it is offered via Verizon, starting at about US$40 with a monthly plan.