The Truth about Gorilla Glass and screen protectors

[Kelly Kearns]

I always use a screen protector and make the phone store put it on and there are never bubbles when they do it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Android Central Forums

 

[anon(924308)]

Silly question--could a screen protector help prevent cracking, even in a minute way?

 

[artakartel]

Silly question--could a screen protector help prevent cracking, even in a minute way?

Absolutely not. I know firsthand cause I dropped my Droid DNA Christmas Eve and cracked the glass majorly, with a screen protector on it.

 

[Michael Seel]

I've never used a screen protector with any of the eight devices I've owned with Gorilla Glass and never did any of them ever get a single scratch. A person would have to be either careless on an epic scale or intentionally destructive to somehow manage to scratch it. And even if I could somehow manage to scratch the screen, I'd rather have that than an a tacky, unsightly, screen-blurring, touch-interfering piece of plastic covering my beautiful glass screen.

But when it really comes down to it... it's a phone, not Earth's last hope for survival. When I see someone with a screen protector on their Gorilla Glass screen, I immediately lose a little respect for that person. Just being honest.

 

[bobbiek]

Has anyone used a phone for, say, two years, without a screen protector, and care to tell us how good/bad their screen looked? I know that the first scratch KILLS you! Your brand new, spotless device, now it's blemished!

But after the newness wears off... I just wonder if I'm not better off with the look, and FEEL of the naked glass, even if it does get a few minor scratches on it.

Just wondering...

I've had my phone for over 2 years and it finally cracked the screen today. It also has minimal scratches. It hasn't had a screen protector since the 2nd month of ownership.

 

[chanchan05]

Has anyone used a phone for, say, two years, without a screen protector, and care to tell us how good/bad their screen looked? I know that the first scratch KILLS you! Your brand new, spotless device, now it's blemished!

But after the newness wears off... I just wonder if I'm not better off with the look, and FEEL of the naked glass, even if it does get a few minor scratches on it.

Just wondering...

I've had my phone for over 2 years and it finally cracked the screen today. It also has minimal scratches. It hasn't had a screen protector since the 2nd month of ownership.

S3 with Gorilla Glass is is spotless. S7Edge with Gorilla Glass 5 has an unsightly scratch seen on some angles. My Galaxy S is spotless too.

Gorilla glass 3 was the toughest. It was also the most brittle. The harder something is, the easier it breaks. Gorilla Glass 5 is more shatter resist, but also softer hence scratches more.

Corning never promised unscratchable glass. That's impossible. You need a full on sapphire screen to achieve that. Glass has a Mohs hardness of around 5.5 Steel used for things like keys or pocket knives have a hardness of up to 6.5, while Gorilla Glass has a hardness ranging from 6-6.5 depending on variant according to some sites. Some sand particles have silica in them, which has a Mohs hardness of 8. So obviously it will scratch. Since GG5 is softer, I'd think it's the one with hardness of 6. So a steel key and sufficient pressure or friction can scratch it too.

 

[binba2]

Well we have transparent aluminium now, so there's hope.