Apple's iPhone 6 and iPhone 5S screens will remain the under the protection of Corning's Gorilla Glass technology, a new report said, as the tech giant concluded that sapphire crystal display failed to meet its standard.

According to MacRumors, Apple had previously conducted experiments with the British firm Vertu, which specialises in the production of upscale mobile phones. Vertu, the same report said, was responsible for earlier builds of smartphones that sport sapphire displays.

The collaboration, it appears, convinced Apple that producing sapphire-laced screens for future iPhone models is not feasible.

As a result, the tech giant is sticking it out with Corning's display screen technology, convinced that volume production of iPhone 6 and iPhone 5S will be hampered by the introduction of sapphire display material into its supply chain.

Apple, according to MacRumors, "believes that Gorilla Glass offers greater strength, lower weight, less energy cost in production and lower pricing."

It looked like that Apple engineers were sold to Corning's earlier campaign "that sapphire is an inferior option for mobile displays."

The decision, however, will not entirely eliminate sapphire from Apple's iPhone environment as the material will be retained as the key camera lens covering for the iOS smartphone, paving the way for its deployment with the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 6.

Also, sapphire could still be used to blanket the planned fingerprint sensor that reportedly will be embedded with future iPhone makes, protecting the sensitive mechanism from dents and scratches, the same report said.

Apple is rumoured to unveil the iPhone 5S by September this year, coinciding with the announced rollout of the Jony Ive-redesigned iOS 7.

To follow a few months after is the phablet-size iPhone 6, which according to analysts is set for a Q1 2014 release date.