Screen protector recommendations/discussions

[takirb]

Quick tip you (or others) might not be aware of:
3M Scotch Tape is your best friend when it comes to screen protectors.

If you stick it to a side or corner it lets you gently lift the protector without harming it. It also works really well to get dust out from under the protector too. Just lift the corner with one piece and use another to sneak under the material and pull dust fiber out on the adhesive backed tape.

If you pick at the corner using a finger nail or a tool the protector usually gets damaged and doesn't stick back down the same ever again.

It is also quite handy for removing dust from the earpiece grill. It even pulls off oil from the screen, if you carefully stick it to the glass or screen protector face without accidentally lifting protector off.

(Warning: I haven't used scotch tape with the Oleophobic coated protectors - It could have adverse effects on the coating so beware)

Never thought about that. Just tried it and it worked like a charm, thanks!

 

[PattiCakeUS]

Does the protector have a cutout for the proximity sensor? If not, do you see any adverse behavior caused by covering it?

Nope, no cutout. I was making calls earlier and I didn't see any difference at all regarding the proximity sensor. Also, after using it with this screen protector all day, I do feel a little difference but it's really smooth, and hardly shows any fingerprints at all.

 

[bupolo]

I bought the Oleophobic screen protector a few days ago and just put it on today. Looks awesome, but I have a few tiny little bubbles I can't quite push out. But they're not super noticeable, when the screen is on you can't really see them. And I'd much rather have a few teeny tiny bubbles than scratches

If feels super smooth, to me - the feel is almost the same as the naked screen. To my eye it doesn't really look like it reduces the clarity but then I don't have the eye of some of the people on this forum, others may disagree. As far as peeling - the edges are all completely smooth except the upper right corner where I removed & reapplied to try to get rid of some of those bubbles, it looks like I have a tiny air bubble there now I need to work on. I also have a TPU case on my phone so the edges are pretty well protected from getting caught on anything and peeling back off. If there's any problem, there were 2 screen protectors in the package so I'm good for quite a while.

Thanks!! Which TPU case did you go with?

 

[PattiCakeUS]

Thanks!! Which TPU case did you go with?

I have the Diztronic TPU case, I really like it!

 

[Complex757]

I bought the Oleophobic screen protector a few days ago and just put it on today. Looks awesome, but I have a few tiny little bubbles I can't quite push out. But they're not super noticeable, when the screen is on you can't really see them. And I'd much rather have a few teeny tiny bubbles than scratches

If feels super smooth, to me - the feel is almost the same as the naked screen. To my eye it doesn't really look like it reduces the clarity but then I don't have the eye of some of the people on this forum, others may disagree. As far as peeling - the edges are all completely smooth except the upper right corner where I removed & reapplied to try to get rid of some of those bubbles, it looks like I have a tiny air bubble there now I need to work on. I also have a TPU case on my phone so the edges are pretty well protected from getting caught on anything and peeling back off. If there's any problem, there were 2 screen protectors in the package so I'm good for quite a while.

This pretty much sums up my experience.

I have a bubble near the center, that didn't seem to go away. I don't think this screen is completely flat, which led to more bubbles than I had on my 3Vo. When I finished with my 3Vo I had only a couple that I was able to easily squeegee out. On this one I had a bunch that I had to keep working on until I finally gave up on that one.

I also don't notice a big difference in feel from when I was using the glass.

 

[dr g]

I have the oleophobic coming

 

[bupolo]

I have the Diztronic TPU case, I really like it!

Thanks! I take it you have not had any issues with the power button being pushed down all the time? I see a few people complaining about that on amazon, and I really don't want to have to return the case, though there are not very many options and this one appears to be the best looking, I don't want a bunch of android characters on my case

 

[i2kdave]

Thanks! I take it you have not had any issues with the power button being pushed down all the time? I see a few people complaining about that on amazon, and I really don't want to have to return the case, though there are not very many options and this one appears to be the best looking, I don't want a bunch of android characters on my case

I have this case, and haven't had any problems at all. There's an opening for the power button, so I don't know how it could get pressed by the case, unless the opening got cut in the wrong place. It's a great case, I highly recommend it.

 

[CYNICALifornia]

Thanks! I take it you have not had any issues with the power button being pushed down all the time? I see a few people complaining about that on amazon, and I really don't want to have to return the case, though there are not very many options and this one appears to be the best looking, I don't want a bunch of android characters on my case

My wife and I have these cases and love them. Her phone was restarting by it's self. After reading the posts on the case I removed and reinstalled her case and back cover. No issues since.

 

[PattiCakeUS]

Thanks! I take it you have not had any issues with the power button being pushed down all the time? I see a few people complaining about that on amazon, and I really don't want to have to return the case, though there are not very many options and this one appears to be the best looking, I don't want a bunch of android characters on my case

No I haven't had that issue, although I saw that it was happening to a few people. The way the opening is cut on my case, there's no way for the case to push the power button.

 

[nullspace]

This pretty much sums up my experience.

I have a bubble near the center, that didn't seem to go away. I don't think this screen is completely flat, which led to more bubbles than I had on my 3Vo. When I finished with my 3Vo I had only a couple that I was able to easily squeegee out. On this one I had a bunch that I had to keep working on until I finally gave up on that one.

I also don't notice a big difference in feel from when I was using the glass.

I have the oleophobic on too. I had no problems with bubbles. I had the Crystal on my OG Evo and I don't think this is quite as smooth/slick as the Crystal. It seems to reduce visible fingerprints from what I would see on straight glass.

 

[ironbrewer]

I tried to go cheap. Don't use Fosmon screen protectors. They don't fit.

Fosmon 3x Anti-Glare Screen Protector Film Guard for HTC Evo 4G LTE | eBay

 

[CYNICALifornia]

I tried to go cheap. Don't use Fosmon screen protectors. They don't fit.

Fosmon 3x Anti-Glare Screen Protector Film Guard for HTC Evo 4G LTE | eBay

Some things just aren't worth going cheap on. I think screen protectors are on of those things.

BTW, I'm still very happy with my Zagg HD protector.

 

[3vodroid]

So I couldn't stand the screen protector that is built into the defender.... So I went nd got the zagg HD.. Installed it this afternoon.. Amazing clear.. Fitment is cake and installation is a breeze. So far so good. Won't use the Defender's built in screen protector in any of my gadgets

 

[windsorclarenc]

I noticed a tiny hair if a scratch on my screen an got über panicked. So I need a screen protector asap. Which one is best? I'm looking for something very smooth. I use Swype a lot and friction makes it tougher to use. I think oleophobic is what I want, but I don't know really. I haven't done a ton of research so I'm not really sure what's out there.

 

[luvmynad]

I had the Zagg HD on with the Otterbox Defender but after several hours outside the screen would develop what looked like an oil slick under the screen. After removing the Defender the slick was still visible meaning that it was under the Zagg HD. I went ahead and installed the Spigen Crystal protector and everything is great. No more oil slick.
Don't get me wrong, the Zagg HD was very nice and clear, although there was still some orange peel look when held at an angle. I use Swype and it worked great and felt great. The Crystal just looks a little clearer and without the orange peel and feels great with Swype as well.
I work outside a lot in an area where the temp gets around 100 and I'm sure the temp had everything to do with the oil slick look but granted if it never developed the oil slick I would still have the Zagg HD on it. I think the high temps caused the Zagg, which is water install, to "sweat" beneath the actual phone screen and protector.

 

[SamuraiBigEd]

I had the Zagg HD on with the Otterbox Defender but after several hours outside the screen would develop what looked like an oil slick under the screen. After removing the Defender the slick was still visible meaning that it was under the Zagg HD. I went ahead and installed the Spigen Crystal protector and everything is great. No more oil slick.
Don't get me wrong, the Zagg HD was very nice and clear, although there was still some orange peel look when held at an angle. I use Swype and it worked great and felt great. The Crystal just looks a little clearer and without the orange peel and feels great with Swype as well.
I work outside a lot in an area where the temp gets around 100 and I'm sure the temp had everything to do with the oil slick look but granted if it never developed the oil slick I would still have the Zagg HD on it. I think the high temps caused the Zagg, which is water install, to "sweat" beneath the actual phone screen and protector.

That is odd, I work in high temperatures also and haven't experienced what you are describing. The water is pushed out and the remaining moisture evaporates over the course of a day, there should be nothing to "sweat".

Did you remove the protector that comes with the Defender? Those are known to produce an oil-slick like film between the protector and screen.

 

[PattiCakeUS]

I noticed a tiny hair if a scratch on my screen an got über panicked. So I need a screen protector asap. Which one is best? I'm looking for something very smooth. I use Swype a lot and friction makes it tougher to use. I think oleophobic is what I want, but I don't know really. I haven't done a ton of research so I'm not really sure what's out there.

I use Swype too, I have the Spigen Oleophobic screen protector & it's still very smooth but I think either that or the Zagg should be good based on everything I've seen posted here. Spigen makes a couple different types, the Oleophobic one is supposed to repel fingerprints more, I guess. I'm happy with it. I think the main difference will be the Zagg is a wet application and the Spigen's are dry, so whatever your preference, you're covered

 

[luvmynad]

That is odd, I work in high temperatures also and haven't experienced what you are describing. The water is pushed out and the remaining moisture evaporates over the course of a day, there should be nothing to "sweat".

Did you remove the protector that comes with the Defender? Those are known to produce an oil-slick like film between the protector and screen.

I did read that the oil-slick look can occur between the protector and the defender screen but when I took the defender off to verify this the same oil slick was between the Zagg and phone. After an hour it would dissipate. I thought it was odd as well. I thought about the remaining moisture so I patiently waited it out but after 2 weeks it was unbearable to look at so I changed it to the Spigen.

 

[CriticalCritic]

Update: The HTC lettering on the back of my device is now uniform and no longer splotchy (see the pics on the previous page to see how the deice looked after the application of a full-body skin). It looks really good now. I highly recommend trying it out, especially if you can pic up one for cheap!

 

[bupolo]

No I haven't had that issue, although I saw that it was happening to a few people. The way the opening is cut on my case, there's no way for the case to push the power button.

Just for verification, this is the case you purchased: http://www.amazon.com/Diztronic-Fle...r=8-1&keywords=HTC+Evo+LTE+TPU+Case+Diztronic

?

 

[PattiCakeUS]

Just for verification, this is the case you purchased: http://www.amazon.com/Diztronic-Flexible-Sprint-Retail-Packaging/dp/B00851NV6G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340315214&sr=8-1&keywords=HTC+Evo+LTE+TPU+Case+Diztronic

?

Not quite. Actually this is the Diztronic case I bought
Amazon.com: Diztronic Purple GlitterFlex Flexible TPU Case for HTC Evo 4G LTE (Sprint) **Only For New 2012 LTE Model** [Diztronic Retail Packaging]: Cell Phones & Accessories

 

[dr g]

Got the Spigen SGP Steinheil Ultra Oleophobic screen protector from Amazon. This is a pretty much top-of-the-line screen protector costing $13.99 with no free shipping available. Shipping to me was another ~$4, so about $18 to my door. That's a little bit pricey for a screen protector.

Way back in the day when I got my first real high-end PDA I went the expensive protector route, a ultra clear Brando. Then through five subsequent smartphones, I've gone the cheapie protector route. Both were acceptable solutions in their own way, but I found the cheapie protectors to scratch very easily which tends to ruin the touch experience. So with this new device with such a gorgeous screen, I decided it was time to try a high-end protector again.

This is what you get in the kit -- 2 screen protectors, a microfiber cleaning cloth, a squeegee, some collateral and a sheet of "dust removal stickers." The functional parts of the kit are what you get even from the cheapie manufacturers, with the exception of the stickers.

Here is the before and after. Not a whole lot to see here, as it is difficult to photograph something that is nearly invisible:

After

There is an exposure and angle difference in these photos, but as far as clarity, the protector is effectively completely transparent. I can detect no loss of clarity from the screen. It seems to be slightly more reflective than the bare screen, which may have an anti-reflective coating on it. I think this comes with the territory of most screen protectors and is not an issue in use.

The quality of the product is high, the material seems to be harder than most cheapie protectors and the cuts are sharp. The fitment is a touch on the small size, with about a half-milimeter clearance on all sides. You can see on the image above that it is visible if you are looking for it. My TPU case does not completely cover up the gap. Doesn't really bother me, most protectors I have used over the years have about this much size tolerance.

A word about installation. Mostly straightforward, the microfiber cloth was a good quality and did a good job of cleaning the screen, which is worth noting because sometimes cheapie protectors come with pretty crappy, small patches of microfiber that don't work all that well. A tip: Also clean the cover's protective film surfaces well before installation, they are often a source of dust falling on your screen during the process.

The squeegee was useless IMO, which is usually how I feel about squeegees. Does anyone know of a technique that uses them? I just use the microfiber cloth and my fingers to press out bubbles.

I want to give a special mention to the "dust removal stickers." If you have done a lot of screen protector installation you may know about the "tape trick" where you can remove pieces of dust from beneath the protector with scotch tape.

I have never had a huge amount of luck with that technique, as I always seem to mess up the edge or corner of the protector lifting it again, though I have been able to remove most dust. The stickers Spigen SGP provides seemed at first blush to be a throw-in that would not be useful. Until I used them.

These stickers appear to have a specially selected adhesive to work with the Steinheil protectors. The technique is you use two stickers, stick one to the top of the protector, which allows you to lift the corner or edge without damaging it, then slide the other underneath to remove the dust. I was able to remove several pieces of dust both large and small with relative ease. The stickers can lift the protector when it still has the protective film on it, if you have not started to peel that film, and it can also lift the bare protector. This is surprising and very effective.

As a result, I was able to achieve what I consider to be the very best installation I have ever had. I'm forever having a small part of the corner or edge a little roughed up or a tiny piece of lint somewhere. This time thanks to the stickers, it was completely flawless in those regards. I put the protector on very slightly off center, but not enough to bother me.

The oleophobic surface works quite well as advertised. At first it has a slightly tacky feel, think brand-new lexan or acrylic. However with some use, the finger oils seem to smooth out the friction, but they do not leave detectable marks. Even a heavily smudged screen looks mostly clear when turned on, you can even wipe away areas of heavy oil buildup with a bare finger and the screen turns clear again. A microfiber cloth clears off the oil when desired.

Overall I am very impressed with this protector in initial use. It works as advertised and the quality is top-notch. It comes with 2 protectors so the price is effectively halved vs. other high end protectors that may only come with one. We'll see how the oleophobic coating holds up over time and how well the surface resists scratching.

 

[CriticalCritic]

The squeegee was useless IMO, which is usually how I feel about squeegees. Does anyone know of a technique that uses them? I just use the microfiber cloth and my fingers to press out bubbles.

I still use the squeegee that I got with an Invisible Shield protector a couple years ago. It's the best one I've ever used (not a card, but rather, a firm hard thick rubber wedge). I suggest slightly wetting the surface when using the squeegee.

Also, instead of swiping across trying to push bubbles at an acute angle, instead I try to use a 45 degree obtuse angle with the card (think the angle of the blades in the razor you use when shaving). I find that this creates a bit more leverage to force the bubbles to move, instead of the squeegee simply swiping over them (again, I am using a very firm rubber squeegee that will not damage my screen protector). I have always ended up with great results since using this method!

 

[Complex757]

I still use the squeegee that I got with an Invisible Shield protector a couple years ago. It's the best one I've ever used (not a card, but rather, a firm hard thick rubber wedge). I suggest slightly wetting the surface when using the squeegee.

Also, instead of swiping across trying to push bubbles at an acute angle, instead I try to use a 45 degree obtuse angle with the card (think the angle of the blades in the razor you use when shaving). I find that this creates a bit more leverage to force the bubbles to move, instead of the squeegee simply swiping over them (again, I am using a very firm rubber squeegee that will not damage my screen protector). I have always ended up with great results since using this method!

Steinheil's don't require water