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Review: SGP Ultra Fine Anti-Fingerprint

N

nd4speed

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 27, 2010
76
0
This review is for SGP's new product: the Ultra Fine Anti-Fingerprint SP (still in beta). Those that own the SGP Oleophobic SP know that it's virtually indistinguishable from the glass it's designed to protect. I'm providing pictures of it to provide contrast between it and SGP's new product.

First let's get the Oleo shots out of the way:
1oli.jpg

2oly.jpg


Now for the Ultra Fine Anti-Fingerprint. The packaging is standard fare for SGP and is very tastefully done.
1afh.jpg


Immediately after installing (which was a snap btw), it's obvious this is designed for that segment of the market with zero tolerance for fingerprints. You won't ever see smudges or prints, just this sheen. The cutouts for this film were also standard SGP, absolutely perfect.
2afx.jpg

3afg.jpg

4afy.jpg


Seeing as how SGP already has an Anti-Fingerprint SP, this product seems targeted at those that want "more". Exactly what that "more" is isn't clear (no pun intended). It could be added clarity (presumably to take advantage of the new class of high res screens like Retina), or possibly more contrast, or less drag. Fortunately I had a spare PS Anti-Glare (not the "HD") that I had for my old 3GS (I just slapped this on my iP4 for this test). Comparing the PS Anti-Glare and SGP Ultra Fine Anti-fingerprint, I notice the SGP has significantly less drag. The grain pattern on the SGP is noticably more even (perhaps even "tighter"), possibly owing to a better chemical process.

Clarity comparison
It's no surprise that the Oleo is significantly clearer than the "Anti" products. Still, for some this reduction in clarity is going to be well worth it for never having to be concerned with smudges and prints. The differences become harder to discern among the two "Anti" products. Given this, I'm not so sure now whether the PS "HD" is significantly better than it's predecessor. Hopefully someone will put that to the test soon.

Power Support Anti-Glare
psag.jpg

SGP Ultra Fine Anti-Fingerprint
sgpulaf.jpg

SGP Oleophobic
sgpol.jpg


Overall my impressions are, the quality of the SGP Ultra Fine Anti-Fingerprint is fantastic. If you're looking for an Anti-Fingerprint/Glare film, you'd be really hard pressed to do better than this.

That said I'm still going back to my Oleo as a matter of personal preference. To me the glossy appearance of glass is worth the diminished capability to resist prints.
 
Good review and great pics. I'm with you, the oleo still looks better despite the fingerprints. It's a worthwhile tradeoff.
 
Excellent review. After going from a PowerSupport Crystal to an SGP Ultra Oleophobic I can say that from the crystal shields to the oleophobic there is 0 clarity reduction.

But I'm with you, the clarity reduction from the oleophobic to the anti finger print is just too much for me.
 
The closeup shots don't seem to show that significant of a difference. Maybe it's a little too close? lol.

Is there a chance you can do a more conventional side-by-side shot with both phones on a white webpage? I'm wondering how this compares with the PS Anti-Glare HD from previous user reviews.
 
I have the oleo clear on and just wipe with my shirt after I use the phone. On all prior iPhones, I always used the PS anti glares, the resistance to oils and the anti glare made it an easy choice, despite the loss of fine detail.

But the retina display is just so freakishly good, anything that reduces clarity is no longer acceptable to me. :)
 
Dex4788 said:
The closeup shots don't seem to show that significant of a difference. Maybe it's a little too close? lol.

Is there a chance you can do a more conventional side-by-side shot with both phones on a white webpage? I'm wondering how this compares with the PS Anti-Glare HD from previous user reviews.
Click to expand...

This.
 
Dex4788 said:
The closeup shots don't seem to show that significant of a difference. Maybe it's a little too close? lol.

Is there a chance you can do a more conventional side-by-side shot with both phones on a white webpage? I'm wondering how this compares with the PS Anti-Glare HD from previous user reviews.
Click to expand...

I couldn't tell any difference in clarity between the PS Anti-Glare and the SGP Ultra Fine Anti-Fingerprint at all. For all intents and purposes they are the same from a visual perspective. Where they differ most is in the textural feel and drag (and not by very much).

If you mean the difference between the SGP Oleo and the SGP UF Anti-Fingerprint, I can definitely see the difference. In the Oleo I can clearly see the dark space between pixels, whereas in both the Anti-Glares it's much lighter. Now granted, at normal magnification it'll be much harder to tell, but you'll still be able to see it. I did this with one phone so I can't do a side to side unfortunately.

If someone is willing to take the time to do a side by side with the PS HD and this film (with close up shots please), I'll mail one to you, just PM me (US only please).
 
I just installed my SGP Oleophobic, and all I can say is wow! I was using a cheap iFrogz matte one, which I'm sure isn't quite as good as the PS or SGP versions, but the difference is just amazing. The display looks so much crisper, it's definitely worth dealing with the glare/fingerprints to me. It's so clear and smooth, it really looks like the iPhone's own glass. I doubt anyone who didn't know or look VERY closely would be able to tell I even have one on. No issues with it not sticking around the home button/speaker, either, and the cutouts are spot-on. I ordered it awhile back so i got the older version without the camera cutout, which I actually prefer. It makes the protector less noticeable, and it's so clear I really can't see it having any negative effect at all. We'll see how it holds up over time, but as of now I am a very happy customer. I used PS anti-glare on my old Touch and was happy with it, but with the Retina display it seems like a crime to degrade it at all.
 
SGP Oleophobic appears to be the most clear but could just be camera shake at that focus.
 
ntrigue said:
SGP Oleophobic appears to be the most clear but could just be camera shake at that focus.
Click to expand...

Good observation. I should have explained my methodology; at first I did handhold the macro shots, but when I saw the similarity between the SGP ultra fine and the PS anti-glare, I had to go back and reshoot all the macro shots on a tripod with a 2 second timer delay to make sure (the result of that is what's posted and confirmed what I saw in the first set of handheld shots).

I'm confident that I would need much better lenses to tell the clarity difference between those two films. I'm also sure the Oleo is clearer than the other two (especially at high magnification). The film used in the "anti" products is probably very clear, but it's the chemical coating (which is clearly visible on the surface of the film) that is attributing to the softer appearance.

Hitteam offered to test my spare film against the Power Support HD. Thanks.
 
Anyone with an SGP Oleo using a bumper? Will a bumper push up the edges of Either the sgp or ps? My bumper is pushing up my bse.
 
asr10 user said:
Anyone with an SGP Oleo using a bumper? Will a bumper push up the edges of Either the sgp or ps? My bumper is pushing up my bse.
Click to expand...

I have the SGP Oleophobic on my phone with a bumper and I have had zero issues with this combination. Everything looks and fits really well.
 
Great review and pictures. Yes, I also would like to see a good comparison, like this thread, against the PS Anti Glare HD.
 
people always want more, lol

Overall great review.. and great pictures

for those that can't see the difference you need to do the following

open each picture in a new tab on your browser, and make sure that the pictures are at native resolution ( ie its not being scaled to fit the window)

now switch between tabs, and the difference will be STRIKINGLY obvious
 
Whats with the clunky ibm style keyboard and the lack of letters on the keys
 
I've been using these for about two weeks now myself and absolutely love them and highly recommend them. Best choice ever for those who hate fingerprints.

I currently have both the PS Anti Glare and the SGP Anti Glare. The PS films look a bit more shiny then the SGP films.

An iPhone 3GS on the top and an iPhone 4 on the bottom.

photo8ek.jpg
 
SpaceKitty said:
I've been using these for about two weeks now myself and absolutely love them and highly recommend them. Best choice ever for those who hate fingerprints.

I currently have both the PS Anti Glare and the SGP Anti Glare. The PS films look a bit more shiny then the SGP films.

An iPhone 3GS on the top and an iPhone 4 on the bottom.

http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/4564/photo8ek.jpg
Click to expand...

How do they feel compared to each other?
 
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