First, assume I am an idiot. I just got my first smart phone as a gift and I purchased a case for it which I am happy with as it has a rubberized rim all around which will prevent damage when I drop it or so I hope.
This case came with a free film-type screen protector which I attempted to install. After finding some bubbles, I decided to google and found lots of instructions for installing these without bubbles. I backtracked and removed the first protective plastic layer, pressed it down onto the phone and successfully removed most bubbles. However, when I went to remove the other protective side I pulled off the sticky tag which left a thick spot of adhesive on the protector. Trying to polish this off resulted in damage to the film itself. Going back to my research, it looks like most of those in the videos consisted of 3 layers, with the film being sandwiched in between 2 protective plastic layers. Mine clearly only had 2 layers with one of the tabs attached to the film itself which is why it left the adhesive.
I then tried to research screen protectors to see how to buy a replacement and got bogged down into the film versus tempered glass debate. However, it seems hard to find the film ones in packs of less than 6 which I am not sure I need. In addition, when I try to go to the Amazon reviews, they all seemed to be lumped together so that are researching a film protector and end up with reviews of a glass protector.
Meanwhile, I have put on the case and removed it 3 x and I am worried that it will damage said case if I keep doing this.
In short, given that I have dropped the phone 3 x in the first 24 hours:
Do I need a screen protector?
Would it help to have a screen protector?
Is tempered glass better in terms of protection?
Is the glass much heavier?
Am I going to damage the case by snapping it open and closed so many times?
Am I going to damage my screen by trying to remove the bubbles in a screen protector?
Was the one I tried to put on before defective since it did not have the protective plastic layer on either side or did I do something wrong?
Should I have done something else to remove the adhesive from the film?
I haven’t used a screen protector since I had an iPhone 3GS several years ago. But when I did, I had a Zagg InvisibleShield plastic screen protector on it. And I wasn’t satisfied with how well I’d put it on there myself, so I went to a mall, where there was a guy at a cart who would do this for a small fee. Their website lists these locations here.
But note that many smartphones use Gorilla Glass or something similar so that the smartphone screen is very scratch and crack-resistant.
I haven’t bothered with screen protectors ever since Gorilla Glass became a thing. I don’t think I’ve had a visible screen scratch on any phone since my Droid Incredible.
I can’t speak specifically to the iPhone, but I’ve had smartphones since 2008. I always put a case on them, lately I’ve been using the 2-part type with softer innards (shock protection) and a hard shell. I’m not much of a dropper, but all my phones have been dropped over the 2 years I have them, probably a few times a year. I’ve never had a screen crack or scratch. I’ve heard of issues maybe if you carry the phone all the time in a pocket with keys or something. I’ve been able to sell all my phones in “like new” condition after at least 2 years of use each.
If you’re really curious, you can YouTube drop tests for your specific model.
A couple of years ago we upgraded to really nice Droid Razr Maxx phones. It wasn’t two weeks I placed my phone on the car seat, face up, to write down something. I fumbled the pencil and it dropped. A #2 pencil. Sharped. Probably five inches long. It fell no more than a foot, point down, directly on the new Gorilla Glass Droid Razr Maxx phone.
There was a loud pop. I now had a new phone with a shattered Gorilla Glass. I endured the rest of the contract with this.
When we upgraded our phones, I made sure my phones had screen protectors. (I also made sure I purchased the new phones with a specific Visa credit card. Now if my phones are ever damaged, lost or stolen, the free insurance will pay for a new replacement.)
I’m on my third iPhone, an iPhone 6, and this is the only one I’ve managed to scratch. It’s a small scratch, near the top/middle of the screen, but it was enough that I finally bought a screen protector. This is the one I got:
There are three in the pack, I’m still on the first one since I bought it in August. It was easy to install, and doesn’t cause me any grief. It won’t keep the screen from breaking, but is doing a great job at keeping me from making minute scratches on the surface.
I also highly recommend this case/wallet combo:
It looks great, it’s relatively inexpensive, the inner shell is lightweight and the wallet is just what I needed to keep the iPhone screen protected and has three slots that hold my driver’s license and most used credit card. I have a steel door, and I slap the magnetized wallet on it when I get home, and I just use the inner shell as protection inside the house.
It’s true that some are 2-layer (remove backing to install), others are 3-layer (remove backing to install, then remove front sheet). Usually, the 3-layer type has 2 tabs labeled “1” (or “remove first”) and “2”. If yours had 2 tabs, it probably did have 3 layers.
I always use protectors. Better safe than sorry.
I much prefer the tampered glass kind. They don’t get scratched or worn very easily. And they are smooth (slippery). Plastic films have more friction. Weight difference is negligible.
[ul]
[li]Buy a glass protector, don’t bother with the plastic ones.[/li][li]Take your phone down to your local carrier’s store and have them put it on.[/li][/ul]
The glass ones not only offer better protection but more importantly, they don’t show greasy finger wipe marks as badly as plastic ones do. You can buy one at the store but even if you buy one elsewhere they should still put it on for you. If you don’t buy it there they won’t guarantee it will be perfect (i.e. bubbles etc.) but I promise you they’ll do a better job than you will (they put these things on all the time). The ones in the store will probably by more expensive. ZAGG brand ones cost like $25 and come with a lifetime guarantee. However you can buy glass ones on Amazon for like $6.
Let’s clear something up: if you get the film screen protectors, you will need a pack of 6 over a year or two. The screen protectors themselves scratch, and take on a haze where you touch them most often. So you’ll want a spare to swap it out when that happens. How soon that will be depends on how much you use your phone, but I never got more than 3 months out of a film screen protector (although I use phones with a hard tipped stylus, so that may scratch them faster than your finger does.)
I accidentally ordered a tempered glass one, and I’m never going back. It’s very easy to install with no bubbles, and my last one outlived my phone. This makes it cheaper over the lifetime of the phone, because I don’t need to replace it! I still use a hard stylus, and not even one scratch mark or hazy spot with over a year of hard use.
I found it quite easy to install by myself, and I cursed the film ones every time. Contrary to advertising, I have *not *found them to be less smudgy with oils than the film ones, but they’re not any worse, either, and they clean up the same with a lens wipe. I’m also the person who always has a hazy drinking glass because of fingerprints, though, so I may have uncommonly oily fingers.
Another vote for the glass ones. Always buy at least 2 as it’s a one shot deal and I have found that the first one always seemed to mess up somehow. I got 4 at a time direct from china for about $6.
It does add some to the phone, I can feel the circle around the home button but it does not bother me. It is very clear, as long as you don’t fiddle with it and try to slip a finger nail under it just to test it.
It saves the phone screen from the micro scratches I seem to get over time, and glass just is better overall then plastic. I don’t know how well it would protect against a major impact, I have seen a photo of the cracked iPh screen under the not cracked tempered glass screen, so anything is possible.
I used plastic ones on my iPhone 5 and 6. I never had to replace the one on the 5 the entire 3 years I owned it. I personally like the tiny bit of friction it provides and I’ve never had a problem with hazing or scratching. What I don’t understand is why people don’t buy a case and then walk around with a device with a broken screen for months.
Case? Definitely. If you don’t mind the extra bulk I recommend Otterbox.
Protective films? Waste of time, IMO. As noted above they scratch more easily than the glass itself. I can’t honestly say whether the glass protectors are any good as I’ve never used one; but I’ve never needed one either. My Galaxy S1 was replaced two years ago with my S4 mini, and it didn’t have a mark on the front. My S4 Mini is still going strong after daily use including quadding and other off road pursuits, and lives in my pocket with my keys and other accouterments and it’s fine too.
I have an Samsung S-5 I use an otterbox commuter case(it’s the least bulky one) I use tempered glass protectors.
My phones are likely to suffer abuse, I work on construction sites and I climb into man holes and crawl spaces. My phone is usually in my back pocket, if it’s too bulky there it gets thrown in my tool bag.
I have not broken a screen since I went to tempered glass. I have broken multiple tempered glass protectors. Buying them online they are really cheap. A store wanted 40 bucks for one this week when I’d broken mine and wanted an immediate replacement, I told them no thanks I’ll take my chances waiting. They had a great promotion and they’d charge $80 and replace them free for the life of the phone… If I buy $80 dollars worth of protectors in the life of a phone I really need to go back to a flip phone.
I use the plastic film protectors, and they tend to get a bit scratched up when I accidentally put my phone in my pocket with my keys. I don’t know if the keys would scratch the screen if the film wasn’t there.
But I find that the main benefit is the way that your phone screen seems really bright and clear when you put a brand new protector on
I use a “matte” anti-glare screen protector just so I can see it better in the car and in other high-glare situations, not because I’m afraid of scratching or otherwise damaging the screen.
