This is a review of Otterbox Alpha Glass tempered glass screen protector for Galaxy Note 4. http://www.otterbox.com/Alpha-Glass...xy-Note-4/sam38-galaxy-note-4,default,pd.html , and on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/OtterBox-Clearly-Protected-Protector-Samsung/dp/B00OY7QZKO/ , though currently out of stock.
Before I start my review, let me answer the obvious question on a tip of every Note 4 user tong - yes, there is halo effect
Unfortunately, Galaxy Note 4 was cursed with a curved edge screen, and now we are stuck with not being able to have any tempered glass screen protector that sticks to the edges of the display. I already tested about half a dozen of brand name and no brand tempered glass protectors, and they all have an issue of not being able to stick to the edges even of the visible portion of the display. So why have I decided to review Alpha Glass anyway? In my opinion it offers a few bonuses that make it stand out from other glass protectors. Here is what I found.
Arrived in a slim box, it's definitely has a nice presentation typical for most of the Otterbox products. Though it says made for Otterbox cases, you have to realize this is a universal screen protector that's going to work with every case. Due to Note 4 handicap of curved screen, everybody trims down their screen protectors for N4 to cover only the visible portion of the display, thus you going to have plenty of margin to work with any protective case. Also, though having a typical 9H hardness rating, it's a thin glass that should work even with Defender case and its built-in screen protector. And just like with any other tempered glass protectors, you have anti-shatter and scratch protection, transparent touch screen sensitivity, and ultra clarity.
Included with a screen protector are a cleaning alcohol wipe, cleaning cloth, and a set of instructions. I'm sure a lot of you have experience with screen protector installation, but just as a reminder - make sure to work in a well lit area, dust free surface, wash your hands with soap before application, wipe your display with alcohol pad and let it dry for a second, and don't hover over with your t-shirt during installation (keep in mind that your cloth has plenty of dust specks).
One thing that made Alpha Glass install stand out from everything else was a yellow tint protective film on top of it. Typically screen protectors come with two protective film covers where you remove one from a "sticky" side first to apply to the screen, and then remove the outer one after the installation. Otterbox used a yellow color film on the later one which makes it VERY HELPFUL in alignment of the glass during installation. This is important because glass is pre-cut to cover only the visible part of the display and if you are OCD about your installation like I am - this will guide you in a perfect alignment.
Installation was a breeze and literally took me a few seconds. Of course, right away I noticed a halo effect around the edges. As a matter of fact, it's very noticeable and even wider than in some other screen protectors. But at the same time, I found Otterbox Alpha Glass to feel smoother to the touch and glide than any other protectors I looked at in the past. Also, I felt like colors on the screen were more vibrant with this glass protector, definitely very high level of clarity and transparency. Furthermore, all the cutouts were perfect and the edges were rounded and smooth.
Overall, unfortunately I haven't come across a perfect glass protector for Note 4 and most likely never will (just being realistic when it comes to Note 4, but would like to be proven wrong). The only way to have a perfect fitment is to have a flat screen and a flat glass on top of it. But since we don't have this luxury, you just have to go through different available options to see which one will suite you better. One definite advantage of Alpha Glass is an assisted installation with its colored protective film, a very smooth touch surface, and a bar none tech support and warranty where Otterbox always stands behind their product.
Here are the pictures.
After install.
Before I start my review, let me answer the obvious question on a tip of every Note 4 user tong - yes, there is halo effect
Unfortunately, Galaxy Note 4 was cursed with a curved edge screen, and now we are stuck with not being able to have any tempered glass screen protector that sticks to the edges of the display. I already tested about half a dozen of brand name and no brand tempered glass protectors, and they all have an issue of not being able to stick to the edges even of the visible portion of the display. So why have I decided to review Alpha Glass anyway? In my opinion it offers a few bonuses that make it stand out from other glass protectors. Here is what I found.Arrived in a slim box, it's definitely has a nice presentation typical for most of the Otterbox products. Though it says made for Otterbox cases, you have to realize this is a universal screen protector that's going to work with every case. Due to Note 4 handicap of curved screen, everybody trims down their screen protectors for N4 to cover only the visible portion of the display, thus you going to have plenty of margin to work with any protective case. Also, though having a typical 9H hardness rating, it's a thin glass that should work even with Defender case and its built-in screen protector. And just like with any other tempered glass protectors, you have anti-shatter and scratch protection, transparent touch screen sensitivity, and ultra clarity.
Included with a screen protector are a cleaning alcohol wipe, cleaning cloth, and a set of instructions. I'm sure a lot of you have experience with screen protector installation, but just as a reminder - make sure to work in a well lit area, dust free surface, wash your hands with soap before application, wipe your display with alcohol pad and let it dry for a second, and don't hover over with your t-shirt during installation (keep in mind that your cloth has plenty of dust specks).
One thing that made Alpha Glass install stand out from everything else was a yellow tint protective film on top of it. Typically screen protectors come with two protective film covers where you remove one from a "sticky" side first to apply to the screen, and then remove the outer one after the installation. Otterbox used a yellow color film on the later one which makes it VERY HELPFUL in alignment of the glass during installation. This is important because glass is pre-cut to cover only the visible part of the display and if you are OCD about your installation like I am - this will guide you in a perfect alignment.
Installation was a breeze and literally took me a few seconds. Of course, right away I noticed a halo effect around the edges. As a matter of fact, it's very noticeable and even wider than in some other screen protectors. But at the same time, I found Otterbox Alpha Glass to feel smoother to the touch and glide than any other protectors I looked at in the past. Also, I felt like colors on the screen were more vibrant with this glass protector, definitely very high level of clarity and transparency. Furthermore, all the cutouts were perfect and the edges were rounded and smooth.
Overall, unfortunately I haven't come across a perfect glass protector for Note 4 and most likely never will (just being realistic when it comes to Note 4, but would like to be proven wrong). The only way to have a perfect fitment is to have a flat screen and a flat glass on top of it. But since we don't have this luxury, you just have to go through different available options to see which one will suite you better. One definite advantage of Alpha Glass is an assisted installation with its colored protective film, a very smooth touch surface, and a bar none tech support and warranty where Otterbox always stands behind their product.
Here are the pictures.
After install.
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