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Screen Protectors Without AR Coating Cancel Out iPhone 17's Anti-Reflective Display

This screen protector is $27 dollars. If I have AppleCare+ and drop the phone the screen replacement is $29 but if you happen to drop the phone and both sides glass cracks. They will swap out a full phone for $58 ($29 for cracked back and $29 for cracked front glass)
 
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bLackjackj said:
Absolute nonsense.

I’ve seen phones all the time at work with broken glass shields, where the phone has been dropped and only the shield breaks and NOT the actual phone glass.
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I have to agree. My wife is a perfect example of this. I have to swap out her cracked screen protectors at least 6 times a year. Some took pretty nasty drops. Every time - the screen underneath has been perfect (knock on wood).
 
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MacRumors said:
According to Astropad, this is because AR coatings are created for direct contact with air, and covering them with an extra layer of material cancels the effect.
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This sounds like pseudoscience. Light doesn‘t care about „direct contact with air“. Was this written by ChatGPT?

But as others have pointed out already, if you put something reflective on top of something not reflective, you end up with reflective. Duh?
 
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I have always beaten on my iPhones pretty hard, since v1; zero damage ever. Always screen protectors have seemed absurd to me. Why anyone wants to put some cheap junk film obstructing the surface Apple spends $millions to try to optimize makes no sense to me.
 
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I think for most people this is fine. We’ve been using iPhones without AR coating all these years. If I use my phone I’m either too busy doing what I’m doing to notice whatever, or don’t care that my screen protector is blocking the AR coating. I got a sub 10€ pack from Amazon and that should last until my 17 Pro is sold in pristine condition. Enough of these marketing “research” campaigns.
 
I don’t think NPCs that use screen protectors in the first place would care about glare
 
I will never NOT have a screen protector. every year we hear how anti scratch the new screen is but lo and behold almost everyone ends up with a deep scratch that they swear they have no idea how they got and that they baby their phone. no thank you. I couldn't give two squirts of piss about an anti reflective. give me a scratch free screen instead of that.
 
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IPhone user since the iphone 3G and never used such a screen protector.
So far, no screen has broken.
 
For me, adding a screen protector ruins the experience. It’s no longer like your touching the icons and display it’s more like old iPhones and iPads that had a gap between the glass and display. I get some people don’t mind, but these screens are really good at not cracking for a long time. I also refuse to use any sort of case on my iPhone Air. It’s by far the most durable iPhone. No cheap aluminum denting with any drops. I do have a case on my work 17 Pro Max when traveling but when just at office I leave it off for normal daily use. AppleCare One covers damage and if I break them they’re covered. So why spend extra to protect it when all ready have insurance protection? I am sure Apple wants to make the $58 profit on the case and sell the insurance. I rather have the great user experience less the crappy software.
 
For me, a phone is a necessary tool, not a precious artifact. It gets treated like any other tool, not packed in cotton wool. It's an electronics device with a finite life-span, not an objet d'art.

I sometimes, in a rush, put my phone in my pocket with my car keys. Or it slides down the side of my car seat and gets jammed in there. Or I unexpectedly get gritty sand in my pocket while at the beach, and throw my phone in there with it. Or it gets knocked of a table by some careless colleague. No big deal.

So, there are two choices - add some extra protection, or just put up with any damage that eventuates. I opt for the former. I don't find cases or screen protectors offensive (in fact, I can't stand camera bumps, so a case to flatten the back is mandatory).

That said, even with all that mistreatment, I can't see a blemish on my current phone, its case, or its screen protector. However, if it did get scuffed, it's a quick job to replace the screen protector and restore a pristine screen.

Screen protectors serve a purpose for many of us. But of course they will reflect light if not AR-coated. I can't imagine how anyone would be confused about that.
 
bLackjackj said:
Absolute nonsense.

I’ve seen phones all the time at work with broken glass shields, where the phone has been dropped and only the shield breaks and NOT the actual phone glass.
Click to expand...

ZiBart said:
I have to agree. My wife is a perfect example of this. I have to swap out her cracked screen protectors at least 6 times a year. Some took pretty nasty drops. Every time - the screen underneath has been perfect (knock on wood).
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I see this logic a lot. And on the surface it makes sense.

But here’s the thing: screen protectors are more brittle and lower quality glass than what Apple uses on its screens. Especially Ceramic Shield 2.

In other words, you may drop your phone and break the screen protector only and think “I’m glad I had this on!”, then proceed to buy a new screen protector.

But what you don’t realize is if you had the same drop without the screen protector, the original screen wouldn’t have broken because its higher quality and more durable than the protector ever was.
 
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Flolab anti-reflective are brilliant! Will always go for one of these on a phone. Given they have a lifetime warranty also, it's a no brainer!
 
vbctv said:
This is the first year I didn't use a screen protector on the Air. And I put it in my pocket (without anything else) and so far the screen is still pristine, not micro scratches yet. So CS2 might be good after-all. I was already starting to feel like screen protectors were becoming a huge waste of money.
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They are.. Why does anything think its a good idea to put any kind of device with a screen in their pocket with keys and coins... I've used them and don't have any scratches to speak of..
 
Not sure how this compares, but I’ve been using Torras OrigArmor and honestly it’s fantastic. Dropped my phone several times without a crack and it’s seamless edge to edge, so I don’t even notice it’s there. Application is a breeze too.
 
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