Screen protector. Yes or No?

[Rule9]

everyone's scenario is different. I've gone without for 2 years w/o incident. Never can recall a time I've had sand or grit of any kind getting into my pockets though, and I have taken my phones on tropical vacations. I'm extra careful during those though

 

[Gunrack]

Get you a few grains of sand and rub it on your screen and see what happens. If it doesn't scratch it, I'll never tell anyone to buy a screen protector again.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Android Central Forums

You must live by a beach. I'm not saying they aren't necessary for some. The glass is very durable but glass on glass is probably the toughest test.

 

[mistyisland]

I don't use a screen protector. I got an Otterbox Defender for my One, and hated it. It was heavy, and I couldn't get a proper feel for the screen. I was constantly checking and unchecking boxes by mistake, and finally just took it off. Now I just have a "vertical flip case" that keeps the screen protected when it's not in use. Way better.

 

[AZDROIDX]

I personally never use one, but my wife just got the HTC one and managed to get a scratch on her screen within a week. Not sure how, but she did. I say that if you are very cautious and aware that the screen is not indestructible then go bare. If you work in a place where mishaps can occur then get a "good" screen protector. My suggestion is a Spigen protector. Something You Want | Home | SPIGEN SGP They make their protectors from the same tech as Gorilla glass. Very thin and almost unnoticeable.

I mentioned in another post how my daughter put like 2 or 3 scratches on the her One within a week too. We ordered a protector from Amazon, Siniomi or whatever it's called. That thing is taking a beating with her nails. I'll be investing in Ghost Armor, it's thinner than other protectors and doesn't have the orange peel affect of the Zagg and have been using them since my Storm1 days. Be adding it to my DNA too, that got a scratch too recently and the Sionomi wasn't great on that either. I put a kit on my son's N4 for Amazon and that has been great, don't remember brand but wasn't available for One or DNA.

 

[aknightl]

Ideally, I would use my phone without anything on it (no case, no screen protector,...) but even long after I ditched the case (and accepted all the dents and scratches that come with doing so), the screen protectors I will continue to stick with. Turning point? My phone's screen was gashed by an out-of-place piece of damaged metal in the suitcase it was stored in. I had a cheap generic screen protector on it though... but while peeling that back, I still expected that the gash went through it. A big surprise but no, not a mark on the screen itself. I'm pretty adamant about the screen protectors now. Still haven't gotten chummy with the cases yet though .
It's a shame though because one can't help thinking that the feels of some phones (buttery smooth screens) were made to be used like that and it takes away from the experience. But on the flip side, there are some phones with screens that have major "drag" (friction?) and a screen protector actually improves upon the experience in that case.


***EDITED TO ADD***: I would personally not opt for a "permanent screen protector" to be applied though. Haven't had one myself but have seen them being done in malls. I like slapping on a new, smooth, scratch-free (or gash-free!) surface.

 

[mrbootcrm]

Ideally, I would use my phone without anything on it (no case, no screen protector,...) but even long after I ditched the case (and accepted all the dents and scratches that come with doing so), the screen protectors I will continue to stick with. Turning point? My phone's screen was gashed by an out-of-place piece of damaged metal in the suitcase it was stored in. I had a cheap generic screen protector on it though... but while peeling that back, I still expected that the gash went through it. A big surprise but no, not a mark on the screen itself. I'm pretty adamant about the screen protectors now. Still haven't gotten chummy with the cases yet though .
It's a shame though because one can't help thinking that the feels of some phones (buttery smooth screens) were made to be used like that and it takes away from the experience. But on the flip side, there are some phones with screens that have major "drag" (friction?) and a screen protector actually improves upon the experience in that case.


***EDITED TO ADD***: I would personally not opt for a "permanent screen protector" to be applied though. Haven't had one myself but have seen them being done in malls. I like slapping on a new, smooth, scratch-free (or gash-free!) surface.

Well yeah, the screen wasn't scratched because the metal was likely not hard enough to scratch glass. Don't assume that just because the plastic protector got scratched that the glass screen would have also. That isn't how things get scratched.

 

[tooter123]

You must live by a beach. I'm not saying they aren't necessary for some. The glass is very durable but glass on glass is probably the toughest test.

No, I don't live on a beach but, I get some kind of sand like stuff in the pockets of my pants. I'm sure it happens when they are washed.

 

[mcantu]

i think HTC puts a scratch/fingerprint resistant coating on their screens, while Samsung does not. my old HTC Hero had not the tiniest scratch after 2 years of use and fingerprints and smudges come off very easily. on my Nexus S 4G, there are about a dozen tiny curved scratches that match the motion of my thumb and its a fingerprint magnet. looking my friends phones, the trend seems to have continued with the newer models...

 

[mayconvert]

no screen protector, no case.
I keep my phone is a pocket by itself. Never had a screen scratch in the past (I was using iPhones then) but I would hope with all the hype of Gorilla glass 3, it should be better than whatever is on the iPhone 5.

I have always found screen protectors a scam to get peoples money. or people who don't care that they have a $650 computer in their pocket, and aren't careful.

 

[mrbootcrm]

no screen protector, no case.
I keep my phone is a pocket by itself. Never had a screen scratch in the past (I was using iPhones then) but I would hope with all the hype of Gorilla glass 3, it should be better than whatever is on the iPhone 5.

I have always found screen protectors a scam to get peoples money. or people who don't care that they have a $650 computer in their pocket, and aren't careful.

For high end phones with decent glass I do consider it a scam. "look how the screen protector kept your phone from getting scratches, just replace it immediately" "no no, all those scratches on the protector would be in your phone right now had you not had it on " my last two phones were the OG EVO and the EVO 3D. Neither of them were cased or screen protected and both of them saw pretty rough times. Neither of them had a single scratch in the screen. How much money did I save by not using a screen protector? A lot more than I supposedly would have saved had I used them and replaced them when scratched.

 

[joshwithachance]

i think HTC puts a scratch/fingerprint resistant coating on their screens, while Samsung does not. my old HTC Hero had not the tiniest scratch after 2 years of use and fingerprints and smudges come off very easily. on my Nexus S 4G, there are about a dozen tiny curved scratches that match the motion of my thumb and its a fingerprint magnet. looking my friends phones, the trend seems to have continued with the newer models...

They definitely must because my Note is micro-scratched till no end, while my HTC One has absolutely no imperfections on the screen with the same type of usage.

 

[badbrad17]

No, we're talking about a cell phone, not a Ferrrari. I've tried using them in the past and dealing with the poorer user experience, bubbles and so on is not worth dealing with.

Some of the newer ones are much better at adhering to your screen. No bubbles.

Sent from my Nexus 4

 

[Michael Scott8]

put phone in ziplock bag, then in your pocket. voila! protected.