glass screen protectors -- how do they work?

[milwaukeephil]

I've seen comments around the web that say the tempered glass screen protectors sucked for the S7E. Nobody really says why, though.

There are a few for the S8+ on Amazon that look like they're contoured like the phone's screen. Should I be wary?

Thanks!

 

[SpookDroid]

Tempered glass screen protectors are just an extra sheet of glass over your phone. This makes the protector break first and usually instead of your screen. With curved screens, however, things are a little trickier as the curved glass tech isn't really widely available/cost effective for these applications. Ergo, curved tempered glass protectors are usually not curved enough, too fragile, and won't usually stick properly to your curved screen (edges won't be protected, won't stick at the edges and show 'halos', etc.)

 

[flyingkytez]

I've seen comments around the web that say the tempered glass screen protectors sucked for the S7E. Nobody really says why, though.

There are a few for the S8+ on Amazon that look like they're contoured like the phone's screen. Should I be wary?

Thanks!

The full screen glass protectors usually have an adhesive under where the bezels are, and no adhesive under the glass that covers the actual screen portion. The glass isn't actually on the screen but floating on top, causing a rainbow effect. The only screen protector that will work the best is the wet install film protector. However they have been improving the tempered glass tech and now have glass that can stick on the curves using hybrid glass/plastic technology or a very strong adhesive.

 

[zipro]

The main problem is that glass screen protectors only stick to the curved parts of the screen. Because large parts of the screen are without adhesive, there's a small gap between the screen protector and the glass. That reduces touch sensitivity so much that the phone becomes annoying to use. I've literally tried dozens of glass screen protectors on the S6 EDGE and the S7e and every single one of them sucked for that reason.

Another problem is that while 0.3mm doesn't sound like much, the screen protector still sticks out at the edges. If you put a case on or put the phone in the Gear VR, the protector will usually just lift and /or pop off.

My advice: get one of those dry apply TPU ones or a wet apply one. The latter tend to stick better but are hard to put on without looking crappy. And of course, anything made of plastic will grease up and build up an oily film fast, making it necessary to clean the screen several times a day.