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.