Do you even bother with a screen protector?

[GoKyu]

So do you use the crystal or anti-glare version? You said you use PS film for anti-glare and still retain a very clear display. I find that the anti-glare is great with fingerprints/glare but not exactly great for keeping a "very clear" display. The crystal one doesn't really seem to help with glare however.

So I'm just curious which model you're using?

I'm pretty sure it was the anti-glare version. I keep the phone at a comfortable distance, so even if there is a bit of fuzziness, I really don't see it. Everything looks razor sharp.

Now the iPad is another story (used the Zagg AG on that one, because the guys at Best Buy messed up my PS (and they only officially do Zagg) - at least they didn't charge again to put the Zagg on.

Zagg does make this crappy-looking AG shield that puts horrible grainy noise all over the screen, but I finally found the clear one, and it works great.

 

[r.j.s]

I don't use anything - mostly because I can never find one that looks or feels right, and I am an absolute perfectionist when it comes time to put it on. I will not tolerate any bubbles behind the protector - at all.

 

[Savor]

Being a perfectionist will drive you crazy. Nothing is Perfect.

I buy my tech gear to use & enjoy. I take very good care of it, by using a little common sense & caution. Besides what are you saving it for? A pristine iPhone is rarely worth much more than a new one anyway.

I never use a screen protector. It's a waste to cover the terrific Oleophobic Coating Apple uses. The superior tactile feel & drag is ideal.

Just use it & enjoy. I've yet to experience any scratches at all.

Don't forget, if something does happen, it's only a phone & completely replaceable.

Exactly what drove Howard Hughes mad at the end of his life.

I never considered a screen protector. Might as well enjoy the screen display and the feeling at its best. Like my experiences raw. No need for another iCondom on it.

Everything in this life is TEMPORARY. I am fairly careful with the screen anyway. The OCD is just saving it for the next buyer. And there will always be alot of second hand iPhones everywhere that were barely used or well protected. The market is already saturated with it. Think about the refurbished iPod minis from 6-7 years ago that only cost $20 at GameStop. Another phone will come out that I will stop caring once the honeymoon phase is over. Everything gets old that people will stop caring how to treat it.

 

[tennisproha]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone : Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)

I guess the best advice I have received so far from a friend was "you don't put clear plastic film on your glasses, so why should you do so to your phone?"

I have a similar train of thought: You don't put a case or a clear plastic film on your new car, so why do it for your phone.

I have a black 32g iPhone 4S that's been naked since the 14th of this month. I babied it for the first 3 days until I found a long micro scratch down the back. Since than, I've been man-handling it and haven't done any new damage to it so far... (I have no clue how that scratch got there because I would clean it like every few hours with micro-fiber and protect it like gold)

 

[ZipZap]

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[Thetonyk123]

after over a year (since July) of hard use, the iphone 4 screen is still looking great. Sure, if you look closely while the screen is off, you might find some micro scratches. But those are so small you'd never see them while the screen is on. The screen feels great on your finger without any protectors. I never got the purpose of protecting the screen from any and all scratches.

This explains it. I've used it for about a year now kind of hard and only have micro scratches when the screen is off. Don't waste $5

 

[davelanger]

I don't keep my glasses in my pocket or spend a good chunk of my day touching the lenses either.

How can your finger scratch the glass? And why would you put a phone in the same pocket as your keys? Its not like you are using anything sharp to touch the screen when using it

 

[nomad01]

no. the glass is a super composite of incredible engineering. if you scratch it, you are just a careless person and an uber flimsy plastic sheet won't help that.

What a bunch of crap.

Anyway...

I decided to get my new iPhone 4S covered with one of the SGP films. Looks decent enough. Adheres well to the phone.

This morning, I got to work and put my phone on the desk. Then put my bag by the side of it and watched as the big, heavy, metal buckle on my bag strap bounced off the screen.

Put a big dent in there... peeled off the screen protector and it's unmarked underneath.

Won't consider "going naked" again in future.

 

[bpeeps]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone : Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)

I guess the best advice I have received so far from a friend was "you don't put clear plastic film on your glasses, so why should you do so to your phone?"

You also don't swipe your fingers across your glasses, shove your glasses into pockets next to keys, change, and other random stuff either. That's not the best analogy.

 

[wordoflife]

I don't use one. I dropped my phone face front and it got some micro scratches near the speaker grill (none on the actual screen), but the thing is, I don't care. it doesn't bother me that I have some wear and tear on my phone.

I know the glass scratches, but I don't really care if it does.

 

[deeddawg]

it doesn't bother me that I have some wear and tear on my phone

and that's what it really boils down to, whether someone cares about scuffs/scratches or not. For some it's worth a few $ to guard against them, for others it's not worth it. Ends up being a personal decision each owner needs to make for him/herself.

 

[wordoflife]

^^
It's not only whether it's worth a ££ or not. Nothing feels like the oleo phobic glass. Imo
I like how the glass feels

 

[ron808]

All nude.

I don't see much great discrepancy on having a shield and running naked.

 

[Diiiiips]

Does nobody just cut a little bit off the end of the plastic film that came attached to the phone?

 

[deeddawg]

Too much effort to cut a speaker hole in the film it shipped with; without which it's rather difficult to hear the person on the other end of a call. Learned that the hard way with my iphone4.

 

[SipperyPete]

I have a similar train of thought: You don't put a case or a clear plastic film on your new car, so why do it for your phone.

I have a black 32g iPhone 4S that's been naked since the 14th of this month. I babied it for the first 3 days until I found a long micro scratch down the back. Since than, I've been man-handling it and haven't done any new damage to it so far... (I have no clue how that scratch got there because I would clean it like every few hours with micro-fiber and protect it like gold)

Also an incorrect/uneducated statement. Many high-end sports cars come from the factory with a 'clear bra' on them...material almost identical to the Zaggs/BodyGuardz. Most Ferrari owners who actually drive their cars outfit them with protective material so as not to ding them up. Even my semi-luxury coupe came with clear protection on the rear fenders, as they flare out and catch all of the stones and gravel...

I would never go with an unprotected iPhone, because if I got a scratch on that beautiful screen, it would bother me until I got a new one.

 

[AJsAWiz]

Don't like look or feel

I don't use a screen protector as I don't like the way it looks or feels. I tried one but did not like it at all. However I do want to protect the front/screen as well as the back. So, I use a case that covers front and back. I also use a pouch/sleeve if I don't want to use the case.
That's just me though. I'm sure there are others that don't feel it's important to protect the front and/or back. In the end I suppose it's a personal choice

 

[oiuh151]

Yes, because the screen is always exposed. My iPad case covers the screen when it's not in use and my MacBook Pro is closed when not in use.

 

[deeddawg]

I don't use a screen protector as I don't like the way it looks or feels. I tried one but did not like it at all.

Just commenting to note that there's a wide range of how screen protectors look and feel: that you didn't like the one you tried shouldn't necessarily disqualify the entire category. InvisibleShield/BSE types, static-cling anti-glare types, and static-cling "crystal" types are all very different from in look and feel.

I use an SGP Steinheill ultra-oleophobic and to me the look/feel is identical to the bare screen (IMHO). I used the second one from the package I bought for my iphone 4 in 2010.

 

[MacDevil7334]

Nothing on mine. I've used all my iPhones sans protection and have never regretted it. I did get a scratch on my iPhone 3G's screen once, but it was because I was silly enough to let a friend put it in her bag when we went bike riding. The bag had sand in the bottom and the screen got scratched. But, if you take care of the phone and don't put it in the same pockets as keys etc (and don't loan it to friends lol), it will be fine. The iPhone 4 and 4S have stronger glass than the 3G and 3GS anyway. Had a 4 for almost a year and never saw a scratch on it.

 

[richpjr]

I have a similar train of thought: You don't put a case or a clear plastic film on your new car, so why do it for your phone.

I have a black 32g iPhone 4S that's been naked since the 14th of this month. I babied it for the first 3 days until I found a long micro scratch down the back. Since than, I've been man-handling it and haven't done any new damage to it so far... (I have no clue how that scratch got there because I would clean it like every few hours with micro-fiber and protect it like gold)

No, but most people do wax their cars to protect the paint.

 

[ct2k7]

I go naked, no screen protector, no bumper etc.

 

[zigzagg321]

I used to use one, then went to replace the screen protector and once again saw that awesome crisp retina display again. Naked screen since that moment. My 4 rides in any pocket with any one of these at any given time: money, keys, lighter, pocket knife and random different items. My screen is 100% scratch free. Both sides of the phone are 100%. I use only a case mate aluminum bumper.

 

[Prototypical]

Also an incorrect/uneducated statement. Many high-end sports cars come from the factory with a 'clear bra' on them...material almost identical to the Zaggs/BodyGuardz. Most Ferrari owners who actually drive their cars outfit them with protective material so as not to ding them up. Even my semi-luxury coupe came with clear protection on the rear fenders, as they flare out and catch all of the stones and gravel...

I would never go with an unprotected iPhone, because if I got a scratch on that beautiful screen, it would bother me until I got a new one.

Exactly. And just like screen protectors, the 3M "clear bra" won't stop scratches from, say, another car ramming into you... but it will do a fantastic job stopping rocks and debris from leaving hairline scratches and nicks all over the front of the car. On a Ferrari, a $500 sheet of plastic is a hell of a lot cheaper to replace than the paint job on its front bumper.

 

[surferchick2]

I had the store rep at ATT put it on when I got my phone. I've always used a screen protector (and a case) since I feel more comfortable doing so, even though I take good care of my things. Between changes, I couldn't tell a real difference with the look and feel. It's a personal choice and if I can give added to protection to my non electronics without compromising the look, feel, functionality of the product, I do.