I'm a long time Spigen GlasT.r user. I've owned the slim then the nano and had them on my phones and my wife's phones. Nothing feels more natural than tempered glass IMO. I'm never going back to the soft stuff.
Well, recently the Nano Tr on my wife's phone chipped horribly on the edges. Her case has no raised ("lay on the table") edge for protection and, with the phone tumbling around her purse, this possibility shouldn't have surprised me.
On the other hand my own phone's case does have some edge protection and I'm also pretty careful with my gear so my Nano Tr held up nicely ... until, a couple of weeks ago, I noticed a fine crack across the center of the screen. I recall nothing more than the occasional minor indoor drop from waist level but nothing that ever had me worried. *sigh*
So here I am with two cracked screen protectors each at $40 a pop. So I figured it's time to try the iLoome ScreenMate for our phones which is substantially less expensive than the comparable Spigen protectors.
Well, they arrived yesterday and I installed them on our iPhones. I also replaced my wife's case with something that has some edge protection. So far the ScreenMates look and feel every bit as good as the Spigens they replaced. It's still early so I can't say if there are any long term shortcomings, but I'll post an update if that happens.
So what have I learned?
1. Edge protection ("lay on the table design") is essential if you're going to use a glass screen protector. The Nano Slim Tr's radiused edge really doesn't seem to offer much protection. Granted this is based on my singular experience.
2. "Ultra-thin" glass (e.g. Nano) is too delicate. I'm probably never going to use "ultra-thin" glass protectors from any manufacturer again. I think there's a threshold to thinness where they are just too fragile. I considered the iLoome flex but I wanted to stay with the look and feel of rigid glass so I just got the ScreenMate.
3. iLoome ScreenMate is a fine product at an unbeatable price, and (so far) it's as good as any glass screen protector I've tried. It's comparable to the Spigen Slim Tr which is "thin" but not "ultra-thin."
4. Spigen is still a great product. I can tell you my experience with their CS has also been great and fast. I wouldn't hesitate to continue recommending their stuff. They came through for me many times before. And I still love their cases. Honestly, Spigen CS is so nice I really felt somewhat torn about promoting a competing product. I haven't dealt with iLoome CS so I can't really compare.
On a side note. I don't think any screen protector is going to be as durable as naked iPhone glass. I'm pretty sure that, had we been using no protectors at all, my wife's and my phones would still be OK right now. I don't think our damaged glass protectors saved us from damage that would have affected our phones.
So why do I use them at all? Well, I've tried my phone with a naked screen before. After several months I did notice a single fine .5 cm scratch on the screen. It was hard to notice at first but impossible to ignore when I knew it was there. Then, over time, more started to appear. So from then on and with every subsequent phone I use screen protection to protect from those annoying blemishes.
Those are my thoughts.
Well, recently the Nano Tr on my wife's phone chipped horribly on the edges. Her case has no raised ("lay on the table") edge for protection and, with the phone tumbling around her purse, this possibility shouldn't have surprised me.
On the other hand my own phone's case does have some edge protection and I'm also pretty careful with my gear so my Nano Tr held up nicely ... until, a couple of weeks ago, I noticed a fine crack across the center of the screen. I recall nothing more than the occasional minor indoor drop from waist level but nothing that ever had me worried. *sigh*
So here I am with two cracked screen protectors each at $40 a pop. So I figured it's time to try the iLoome ScreenMate for our phones which is substantially less expensive than the comparable Spigen protectors.
Well, they arrived yesterday and I installed them on our iPhones. I also replaced my wife's case with something that has some edge protection. So far the ScreenMates look and feel every bit as good as the Spigens they replaced. It's still early so I can't say if there are any long term shortcomings, but I'll post an update if that happens.
So what have I learned?
1. Edge protection ("lay on the table design") is essential if you're going to use a glass screen protector. The Nano Slim Tr's radiused edge really doesn't seem to offer much protection. Granted this is based on my singular experience.
2. "Ultra-thin" glass (e.g. Nano) is too delicate. I'm probably never going to use "ultra-thin" glass protectors from any manufacturer again. I think there's a threshold to thinness where they are just too fragile. I considered the iLoome flex but I wanted to stay with the look and feel of rigid glass so I just got the ScreenMate.
3. iLoome ScreenMate is a fine product at an unbeatable price, and (so far) it's as good as any glass screen protector I've tried. It's comparable to the Spigen Slim Tr which is "thin" but not "ultra-thin."
4. Spigen is still a great product. I can tell you my experience with their CS has also been great and fast. I wouldn't hesitate to continue recommending their stuff. They came through for me many times before. And I still love their cases. Honestly, Spigen CS is so nice I really felt somewhat torn about promoting a competing product. I haven't dealt with iLoome CS so I can't really compare.
On a side note. I don't think any screen protector is going to be as durable as naked iPhone glass. I'm pretty sure that, had we been using no protectors at all, my wife's and my phones would still be OK right now. I don't think our damaged glass protectors saved us from damage that would have affected our phones.
So why do I use them at all? Well, I've tried my phone with a naked screen before. After several months I did notice a single fine .5 cm scratch on the screen. It was hard to notice at first but impossible to ignore when I knew it was there. Then, over time, more started to appear. So from then on and with every subsequent phone I use screen protection to protect from those annoying blemishes.
Those are my thoughts.
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