My first SGP product that I ever used was back in the old days when I had my iPhone 3G. Since then we have come along way, and new products have evolved over the years, and that includes screen shields. SGP recently unveiled their new line of screen shields for the iPhone 4, and one in particular really caught my eye, named the Ultra Optics. The Ultra Optics is said to keep that anti-glare/anti-fingerprint feature of the Ultra Matte while having better LCD clarity. So, with all these gimmicky features that SGP has used, does the Ultra Optics really have what it takes to strike a fine line between crystal clear and anti-glare? Read on for the full review to find out!
SGP always gives everybody the good stuff, and thats no different with the Ultra Optics. The packaging is simple, clean, and elegant to say the least, with a black matte finish and a simple description of the product on the front and the back. You also get a pretty good amount of goodies as well. You get a set of the Ultra Optics LCD protectors, and a set of SGP dust removal stickers for when you need to remove those pesky particles during installation.
Installation is always the most stressful when it comes to screen shields. Thankfully, SGP is usually very generous when it comes to bubbles and dust, so even if you did get a few micro particles stuck under your screen that are accompanied by a huge (and rather ugly) bubble, it should squeeze right out with a smooth glide of the screen. If you follow the instructions and line up the shield carefully, you shouldnt have any dust or problems under the screen, but if you do (like I did), simply take two of the dust removal stickers that SGP provides, put one near the dust or bubble, and lift up the shield, while taking the other sticker and attaching it to the underside to remove the dust. Thats it, you should be done with the installation process.
So, the Ultra Optics has a very weird sound to it as a first impression, and unfortunately, this is one of the downsides to the screen shield. It sounds very much like vinyl, yet still retains that somewhat matte texture that anti-glare screen shields are made for. Its really a love or hate situation for everyone, some may love the sound, some may not. When it comes to screen clarity, the Retina Display does seem to appeal to the eye a bit more than the graininess of anti-glares, but I still made out micro lines that ran across the screen that still deluded the quality a little bit, so this is by no means a crystal clear screen shield.
As far as the durability and things along those lines go, its pretty fantastic. After testing out these shields for the past 3 weeks, I havent found any scratches of the sort, so thats all good. But, I will tell you right now, unlike crystal clear shields, this thing is very hard to clean, an absolutely horror in a better sense of the word. The best way that I found to go about cleaning these is spraying a dash of water (or use a moist towelette) on the screen and drying it down with a dry towel or cloth.
SGP has in fact changed their cutouts for the better, while the home button is still the same old perfectly cut circle, the FaceTime camera and the speaker opening are a different story. SGP has decided it would be best to include two separations for the camera and the speaker grill that are both perfectly cutout like the home button. Also, SGP has taken into recognition that many people like to use cases on the iPhone 4, so there is a little space on the sides, bottom, top, and corners to accommodate third party cases.
Overall, I do in fact like the SGP Ultra Optics for the iPhone 4, and while it does have a few minor downsides like the very annoying noise, the Ultra Optics provides a very nice and the precision cutouts of these shields are marvelous, screen quality is quite a bit better than grainy anti-glare screen shields, and scratches and scuffs are almost nonexistent. If you are looking for a screen shield that not only provides great protection, but also inherits a mix between the two main categories of protectors (anti-glare & crystal clear), then the SGP Ultra Optics may be for you. You can pick up the Ultra Optics for the iPhone 4 for $15.99 at the SGP online store & Cretouch. Hit up the links to get yours.
Rating: 3.5/5
SGP Ultra Optics for iPhone 4 (Product Link to SGP Store)
SGP Ultra Optics for iPhone 4 (Product Link to Cretouch)
