Done with screen protectors

[jmcook79]

I love matte screen protectors. I love how they resist dust, glare and fingerprints. The problem is no matter how careful I am, at least one speck of dust gets underneath. And that's using the wet method to put them on. Dry is like 10 times worse not to mention the bubbles are harder to get out.

Maybe it would be better if I lived in the city, but I don't know one person who has been able to avoid this problem in this dust hell I live in...I live in a rural area in Florida and there is so much dust and so many dirt roads around here, if you wash your car it looks like it's never been washed within a week.

Most of my friends who use screen protectors just deal with it. I can't. I obsess over the little speck and eventually re-apply the screen protector only to find another speck the next day or when I'm in the bright sunlight. I'm officially done with screen protectors!

I have a case that has a raised edge of 1/8" and I keep my phone in a pocket all by itself so unless I drop it on a rock, stick, or some other thing protruding from the ground I think I'll be ok.

 

[Rukbat]

If you;re that onsessed, bring the phone into a Best Buy (preferably where there's not so much dust) and pay them the $8 to put a Zagg protector on your phone. They'll keep doing it until they get it right. (The protector is about $25, so the process isn't cheap, but if you want it perfect ...)

 

[jmcook79]

Good idea, but I just can't justify spending $33 on a screen protector for a $100 phone. Even buying a $100 phone and a $18 case was stretching it on my budget lol. Now if it was an expensive phone, I think I would do it.

 

[pdqgp]

I was too until I found the BodyGuardZ ScreenGuardz Pure Ultra thin Tempered glass cover.

Got it at the AT&T Store since they install it and if they mess it up will replace it. 110% perfect install on my Note 3. HUGE difference with any other guard I've used. Can't tell it's even there except where it is cut around some of the sensors at the top. Perfect.

Price at $45 but worth it IMO.

Here it is on my Note 3. You can see it around speaker/ear and sensors where it's cut around them. Otherwise, you can't even tell it's there. And it's real glass so it feels just like the phone is naked.

 

[twister6]

Verizon stores usually sell 3-pack of screen protectors for $10-$12 and will install it for you free in the store. The same with Best Buy, although their selection is limited to Zagg which I highly NOT recommend.

 

[jamjr74]

Take a look at pure tek screen guards. They come with a little device that installs he screen guard perfectly. Some stores now use them.

 

[jefboyardee]

When I got my first smartphone, I though it imperative to get a screen protector first thing. Well, the Sprint store didn’t have them yet, so I waited. And I waited. Now I’ve waited over three years, but have discovered no evidence that I ever needed one. So I’ve never had one and probably never will...

 

[jtc303]

no case, no screen protector for me... hate the feel of both of them, and have never had issues without them

 

[jmcook79]

I was too until I found the BodyGuardZ ScreenGuardz Pure Ultra thin Tempered glass cover.

Got it at the AT&T Store since they install it and if they mess it up will replace it. 110% perfect install on my Note 3. HUGE difference with any other guard I've used. Can't tell it's even there except where it is cut around some of the sensors at the top. Perfect.

Price at $45 but worth it IMO.

Here it is on my Note 3. You can see it around speaker/ear and sensors where it's cut around them. Otherwise, you can't even tell it's there. And it's real glass so it feels just like the phone is naked.

Thanks for the recommendation, but since I'm extremely prone to dropping my phone, I wouldn't dream of using glass or owning a phone with a glass screen!

Verizon stores usually sell 3-pack of screen protectors for $10-$12 and will install it for you free in the store. The same with Best Buy, although their selection is limited to Zagg which I highly NOT recommend.

I doubt the Verizon store would have one for my phone since they don't sell it. It's a straight talk Samsung Centura..a low end phone which limits my options on screen protectors and cases. Do they have universal ones that they will cut for you?

Take a look at pure tek screen guards. They come with a little device that installs he screen guard perfectly. Some stores now use them.

Unfortunately, they don't make one for my phone. It sucks that if you have a low-end phone your choices are so limited!

When I got my first smartphone, I though it imperative to get a screen protector first thing. Well, the Sprint store didn’t have them yet, so I waited. And I waited. Now I’ve waited over three years, but have discovered no evidence that I ever needed one. So I’ve never had one and probably never will...

I'm too clumsy not to have one. Even with a TPU case with a small raised lip, I somehow managed to scratch my last phone's screen all up.

no case, no screen protector for me... hate the feel of both of them, and have never had issues without them

I'm much to clumsy for that lol.


What really pisses me off is that I installed my wife's PERFECTLY the first time! Not only that but her TPU case doesn't even cause the edges to get bubbles which is why I switched to a hybrid silicone/hard case. Just my luck lol, hers has been perfect with no problems for weeks and I've went through 2 already.

 

[jmcook79]

After I have had a chance to calm down, I've decided to give it one more chance. I use the wet method to install because I can NEVER get all the air bubbles out otherwise. It just dawned on me that when I put my wife's on I used a spray bottle with distilled water and a drop of soap, similar to Zagg, etc. When I put mine on I used 91% alcohol because I read that it's safer because it evaporates quicker. Does anyone think that maybe the alcohol interfered with the silicone adhesive? I think silicone adhesive is just another word for static cling but I'm not really sure.

 

[pdqgp]

Thanks for the recommendation, but since I'm extremely prone to dropping my phone, I wouldn't dream of using glass or owning a phone with a glass screen!

The fact that it's tempered glass is exactly why you WANT to use it if you drop it. Go into an AT&T store and see if they will Demo it for you. The people at our store all have company phones and showed me and several others live by slamming an S3 on the counter shattering the glass.

The glass fragmented all to pieces and simply peeled off like a car window with tint on it. The screen under was fine as the impact was taken by the top layer.

 

[jmcook79]

Is far as I can tell they don't even make one for my phone, the tempered glass protectors seem to be made only for the high end phones.

 

[jmcook79]

Well now I'm convinced that I don't even need a screen protector and here's how I came to this conclusion.

My phone started turning on by itself in the middle of the night. I normally charge before bed and then turn it off. Twice it woke me up in the middle of the night with a text message or a Facebook notification. I think it may be because I got it a little too wet when I tried installing multiple screen protectors using the wet method. I bought a 2 year accident protection plan for $9 when I bought the phone, which covers accidents including drops, water damage, cracked screens, etc. for the full two years and hardware issues, malfunctions, etc for the 2nd year after the manufactures warranty runs out. Don't worry I'm getting to the screen protector part

I didn't want to go the manufacturer warranty route because with the protection plan, I get a Walmart e-gift card 24 hours after I drop it off at a UPS location and mail it back to them. This only applies to devices $100 and under. My solution was to just call the replacement plan number and tell them I got it wet and dropped it and now it's coming on by itself. So after I got my new Centura and before I shipped the old one off I decided to do a test to see how easily the screen scratches (told you I would finally get to the relevant part lol).

First I tried a credit card, as hard as I could and there were no scratches. Then I tried a penny, starting light and ending up scraping very hard. Still no scratches. Then a quarter. Still no scratches. Then I tried sand. Still no scratches. Last I tried a rock. FINALLY I got some fine hairline scratches that I can only see under a flashlight! The back of the phone was a different story. Even the penny caused scratches on the first try.

I don't know what kind of plastic they use for the screen, but for a $99 phone I am very impressed. The only way I could see my new phone getting scratched is if I dropped it on pavement and it slides screen down. I keep it in a pocket by itself anyway and my case has a raised bezel that is 1/8" above the screen so that even eliminates the possibility of scratching it If I drop it. Unless I drop it directly on a rock.

Sorry for such a long winded post, but I am just amazed by this. My last phone was a Samsung R355C and it was scratched very badly within the first 6 months I owned it. I only paid $20 for it refurbished and sometimes I kept change in the same pocket and I also dropped it dozens of times. I only had a very thin TPU case though so the screen still touched the ground If I dropped it hard enough. Since I could easily find a replacement for $20-$35 refurbished, I just didn't baby it.

With this phone I do and always will baby it so I no longer fear scratches. I think dealing with more lint and fingerprints is more than worth the frustration that screen protectors have caused me! I will keep the case though, because the back scratches VERY easy and I like having the extra shock protection to prevent internal damage as well as the extra thickness and grip it provides.

UPDATE
It appears the Centura has a glass screen after all, although it's probably not gorilla glass. This explains why keys, etc. wouldn't scratch the screen.