I have an iPAD 4 since 2013 and used a screen protector that was expensive at the time (100 $ in local currency), however I never lend or left the house with any device, and every single day I wipe the screen with help of two microfiber cloths, that never leave my sight.
And this might be an obvious advice, but I always cut my nails as shortest as possible, and clean my hands most of the time.
This is what it looks like:
http://i.imgur.com/BW1SIrM.jpg
Anyway,
- It's hard to put the screen protector properly. You have to get someone to do it for you. I once tried myself and the whole thing was ruined.
- Despite the screen still looking fine, with no bubbles, stains or classic signs of use after all these years, I am afraid it really sacrifices display quality just by being there, and obviously you can see that the screen gets dirty easily after minor use (something that the microfiber cloth fixes it). So if you dislike the idea of losing image quality or cleaning your screen very often, then don't get a screen protector.
- I got an Apple Pencil and iPAD Pro, however I decided to not use these old microfiber cloths, instead I purchased one that was recommended to be the best, the "3M Scotch Brite Hi-Tech Cleaning Cloth for Gadgets". I will not use others for that job.
And this time I will try not using a screen protector, and see how it goes. Besides sacrificing display quality, I suspect this might prevent the Pencil from working as it should (introducing some lag or anything of the sort). And once a screen protector is there, I don't think there's a way to remove it easily, at least not without some possible side effect or risk of damage.
Sure, even a minor scratch in a so expensive device would be dreadful. The thing is, I have no idea if this is due to misuse or an inevitable consequence of prolonged normal use. We need more hard evidence for the latter.