Whitestone Dome Glass – incredible – but don’t make my mistake!

[bertsirkin]

My wife and I both have Note 8’s. I purchased 2 Whitestone Dome Glass protectors from Mobilefun and put one on last night.

First of all, this is an AMAZING protector. I had been using a wet-apply protector previously, and the difference is like night from day. It looks great and is SOOOO smooth. And fingerprints just don’t show up on it.

But, I blew the installation. I went thru all the steps, and it looked great – until I realized that the glass hadn’t properly aligned to the phone. It was too low – leaving a little space at the top, and extending a little below the screen. Apparently, the plastic trays allow you to misalign the protector. I ended up removing it (it didn’t come off easily, but is removable – and it left NO residue) and using the second glass protector intended for my wife’s phone. This time I made sure it was properly aligned.

So, it cost me $100 to protect one phone! I wrote both Mobilefun and Whitestone to see if I can purchase just the glass protector. FWIW, I later found that Amazon does sell the glass and plastic trays (without the UV light for $39).

 

[DLCPhototography]

What did you do the second time to prevent misalignment? Mine comes in a couple of days, and want to be prepared.

 

[bertsirkin]

I really didn't do anything different. The first time, the glass barely touched the plastic "tab" that holds the glass from touching the screen (you remove the tab when the liquid adhesive is centered on the screen). I thought it odd that it barely was supporting the glass, but it was doing what the instructions indicated, so I thought it was OK. The second time, without really doing anything different, the glass was better supported by the plastic "tab". Just make sure that the top of the glass is almost barely under the top-right sensor. Obviously it shouldn't cover the sensor, but it should be barely below it.

 

[DLCPhototography]

I really didn't do anything different. The first time, the glass barely touched the plastic "tab" that holds the glass from touching the screen (you remove the tab when the liquid adhesive is centered on the screen). I thought it odd that it barely was supporting the glass, but it was doing what the instructions indicated, so I thought it was OK. The second time, without really doing anything different, the glass was better supported by the plastic "tab". Just make sure that the top of the glass is almost barely under the top-right sensor. Obviously it shouldn't cover the sensor, but it should be barely below it.

Ok, so I just did mine, and everything went perfectly.

As others mentioned, preparation is key.

I had previously confirmed that the counter (in my bathroom) was absolutely level.
I ran the shower to steam up the room, and hopefully keep dust down.
I actually put on a pair of latex gloves to minimize skin oil getting on anything.
I used a flashlight to confirm that all dust specks were removed.
I used thin strips of painters tape to cover the speaker, and the whole lower edge of the phone, just in case.

I had gone through a "dry" trial, to see how the tempered glass fit on the jig, and think I saw how you might have gotten it too low the first time around. When placing the tempered glass, it is fairly easy to have the lower edge slip slightly under the edge of the jig. I saw that it had to just abut the lower edge of the jig to have proper alignment. With it in this position, there was a reasonable amount of overlap on the removable piece at the top.

So I just went through the steps, the glue came out dead-center (side to side that is), and waited 30 to 45 seconds or so to make sure it was all out. I held the lower jig while removing the cross-piece and glue container. Put the tempered glass on, again confirming the lower edge had not slipped down between the 2 pieces, and just abutted the lower edge. Did the little tilt, waited a few seconds until it was centered, and then released the top piece.

Actually, as the glue moved to the center, while tilted, it seemed to touch the glass centrally as it reached the center position, and when I saw that, I released it completely. I gave it plenty of time before moving to the next steps, and it seemed to fill all the spaces.

I'm going to wait 24 hours before putting it in my Spigen Tough Armor case, and hope that won't cause any lifting of the edges.

Pleased so far...

 

[JackdawFool]

My Spigen tough armor case comes into contact with the whitestone dome glass at the corners. I think it will lift the corners and ruin the install. I switched to the Spigen neo hybrid and it fits perfectly with the Whitestone.

I also got two of the whitestone dome glass - one for my note 8 and one for my wife. I had the same problem with the glass slipping down in between the bottom and top alignment frame when doing the first install. There is enough space there for the glass to easily slide in about 1/8 of an inch before coming in contact with a peg that is part of the top alignment frame. Argh!

I realized what had happened when the protector dropped down onto the glue. You can gingerly slide the glass up and down slightly after you pull the tab and drop the screen protector onto the phone to ensure you have the perfect placement. However in my case I struggled to retrieve the screen protector from where it slid between the two frames and too much of the glue had run off the sides of the phone before I got it back into the proper position. Was a huge mess. I should have started over, but I didn't realize the extent of the glue loss. Using the uv light produced a large number of annoying bubbles under the screen protector. The edges also were missing the proper amount of glue and looked awful. I'm usually really good at applying these things - but wow, I totally botched this one.

When doing my wife's, I applied a slight amount of pressure at the bottom and the top of the top alignment frame. This prevents the screen protector from siding into that gap between the frames. That install was flawless. If you do this, make certain to hold the top part of the frame down to keep the entire tray from pivoting forward (as it's designed to do when you are distributing the glue.)

I bought a third one and redid my botched install the other day. Using the same method I now have a flawless one too.

The whitestone really is pretty much perfect and I highly recommend it. The fit and feel is amazing. I tried five or six different protectors and hated them all (zagg glass and film, spigen neo flex, and a few strange brands from Amazon.) I only wish the whitestone extended a miniscule amount further along the curve of the screen on the left and right edges and/or the hard edges of the glass were tapered rather than being a ridge. This might make it more likely to interfere with some cases, but if the edges were tapered I think it would actually fit under the edges of more cases nicely. As it is now, it is still very good, but there is a tiny amount of light reflection from the screen bouncing off the edges of the protector (presents as a very thin line of reflected light beyond the left and right edges of the screen.)

For those that are asking about removal: My flawed protector was on for about a week. I was able to carefully lift it off without damaging it (very slow, careful pressure lifting from one edge of the screen.) The glue almost entirely stayed on the back of the protector and was tacky like most any other screen protector with adhesive. Only a tiny part of slightly sticky adhesive remained on the phone screen and that came off easily with one of the provided alcohol wipes.

Wish I didn't botch the one install and spend $135 on screen protectors, but I do feel the end result at least was worth it.

 

[NeoGrandizer]

I had gone through a "dry" trial, to see how the tempered glass fit on the jig...

I did the dry fit too to see what i needed to do. I also laid out the equipment within the planned small workspace I had prepared. Everything within hand reach with minimal movement. And the UV light placement as I didn't have my external battery with me.

Bottom line is did some prep work and take your time. Don't rush the install and you'll do fine.

I only hate the final cleaning and the fumes from the adhesive. It gave me a headache. The excess spill off adhesive was a mess to get off and trying to be careful not to spread/smear the gunk over the buttons and other areas of the phone.

 

[DLCPhototography]

Interesting: others have mentioned the smell, but I didn't notice anything at all in that regard. Maybe I'm 'hard of smelling'!!

I also had essentially no excess glue around the edges, virtually nothing to clean up. Certainly nothing at the bottom, perhaps just a tiny bit along the side edges. Perhaps the amount of glue in each container isn't precisely the same from one unit to another.

Regarding the Spigen Tough Armor: that's what I have, and I'll be putting it back on this afternoon. Theoretically, if the install is 'perfect,' then there shouldn't be any lifting of the edges, according to 'Gravx's' videos. Guess I'll see...

The other thing about the Tough Armor is that I find the buttons fairly stiff, and difficult to find and press. This is especially true of the power button. Do others find the same, or is mine perhaps poorly made?

 

[bertsirkin]

Interesting: others have mentioned the smell, but I didn't notice anything at all in that regard. Maybe I'm 'hard of smelling'!!

FWIW, the smell really bothered me. I did this process 3 times, and did it in front of an open window the 2nd and 3rd times.

 

[bertsirkin]

Thank you so much for your detailed feedback!
We will see what we can do about the instructions so there are no confusion.
I'm sorry about the misalignment and we will try and help you through the site you contacted us as soon as possible.

I emailed Whitestone and MobileFun - MobileFun offered me $5 off another kit, but Whitestone never responded. I even PM'd Whitestone_Korea (above) regarding their cryptic message, but never heard from him either.

I ended up buying a kit from Amazon that was less expensive and didn't include the UV light.

Both phones are great now, but it was a very expensive process (3 kits for 2 phones).

 

[felloffthetruck]

I'll pass on gluing a protector to the face of my device. :-\

 

[bertsirkin]

I'll pass on gluing a protector to the face of my device. :-\

It's certainly your choice, but I've already removed one (because of a bad install) and it comes off clean, with absolutely no residue. I have the Whitestone on 2 Note 8's now, and I can't imagine a better screen protector.

 

[jrham]

I'll pass on gluing a protector to the face of my device. :-\

Absolutely nothing to be afraid of, I've done this myself to a v20 as well as my Note and nothing is permanent. Whitestone just made a super convenient kit that takes most of the trial and error out of it.

 

[chazglenn3]

I didn't even notice a smell when I installed my Whitestone Dome. It went on perfectly. No adhesive leaked out. Best glass protector on the market.

 

[Faded03cobra198p]

Thank you so much for your detailed feedback!
We will see what we can do about the instructions so there are no confusion.
I'm sorry about the misalignment and we will try and help you through the site you contacted us as soon as possible.

I had a misalignment issue with mine as well. Fortunetely, I saw it and was able to adjust it. The alignment tray is definitely a issue. However, my install other than me having to correct was perfect. It is a great product, but a tedious install. .

 

[Dusty Morrow]

Posted this in the other whitestone thread, just trying to get some feedback. thank you...

Hey everyone! I came across something today that is really annoying. While i can be a bit OCD, I just hate that I am having this issue seeing as this protector cost as much as it does. My Whitestone Dome glass has been on my phone for a week. It was a perfect install with no issues whatsoever. Today i noticed a line on the let side of the phone close to the edge. It isn't exactly on the edge but close to it. There appears to be some time of residue or something, it is basically just a cloudy looking line (for lack of better words). I have done nothing to my phone; for example, it has not been dropped, been exposed to any extreme temperatures, nothing at all! The only thing i can think of is i took a shower this morning and my phone was on the counter. Maybe the hot steam made it's way through the air pockets? Has anyone else experienced any issue like this? Will it go away eventually? I am so sad lol:/

 

[bialy]

Do any physical brick-n-mortar stores carry whitestone dome ?

 

[BBSeattle]

I as well experienced the same residue issue after a few days. My install was perfect and like many you really couldn't tell there was a protector on. My first concerns (understand first that I have border line, crippling OCD) came up a few days after the install. I noticed dust/debris collecting on the edges. The dust on the sides weren't bad because it was hard to see unless you were looking. It was the crap collecting at the top, on the edge right by the camera lens and sensors. Tried wiping but it only made it worse. I then started to notice the "residue" which turns out to be the glue sandwiched between the protector and the screen. It remains somewhat sticky and attracts all kinds of garbage. After twitching for a few days I finally had to take it off....whew...
As mentioned, OCD... I saw a friend's phone that also had the Whitestone and his also had the residue and garbage but he could care less.
To each his own.

 

[chas1723]

I installed the Dome protector today. Seems to have worked fine. I watched a couple of videos prior to installation. That helped imensly. I am glad I used tape to cover the buttons, Mic and speaker as some of the adhesive ran out from under the protector. The Dome barely fits with my Spigen Tough Armour case. Hopefully it will work as advertised.

I can also see where the cutout at the top can attract dust. Hopefully it will not be too bad. The one thing they should do to make the product better is to put a rounded taper on the edge.

 

[BBSeattle]

I agree, a tapered edge would have gone a long way!

I installed the Dome protector today. Seems to have worked fine. I watched a couple of videos prior to installation. That helped imensly. I am glad I used tape to cover the buttons, Mic and speaker as some of the adhesive ran out from under the protector. The Dome barely fits with my Spigen Tough Armour case. Hopefully it will work as advertised.

I can also see where the cutout at the top can attract dust. Hopefully it will not be too bad. The one thing they should do to make the product better is to put a rounded taper on the edge.

 

[Risley88]

I didn't even notice a smell when I installed my Whitestone Dome. It went on perfectly. No adhesive leaked out. Best glass protector on the market.

Mine leaked out on one side, what a mess. Plus the glass had two fine hairline scratches in it. I removed it and will go without. I'm very careful with my devices so I'm not too worried. Glad your install went well, wished mine did.