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Should I use a screen protector on a 3GS?

Screen protector on 3GS?

  • Total voters
    110
S

SirDarren

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 10, 2009
53
0
I've just got a 3GS.

Maybe I should be using a slider or something but this is working fine ATM once you have the method.

Now I just don't know what to do about the screen.

I'm currently using a SwitchEasy screen protector on it, and it makes the screen look pretty grainy - Mainly when I'm in a primarily white application like Mail or just browsing websites.

But it is pretty good in the way that not ONE fingerprint gets on the screen, and the anti-glare is superb. [Both of these are because it's matte-style].

I'm guessing the Oleopathic screen is plastic so it's going to scratch more easily as well.


TLDR: iPhone 3GS, use screen protector or not? Current protector makes the screen look grainy. I never put anything in pocket with the iPhone.
 
Last edited:
The issue is scratching and not of the coating wearing off. If it wears off and your under warranty you will get a replacement....but with scratches you are not likely to get a replacement.

You will have regret with the first scratch.

I have a 3GS and the Crystal protector from apple.

Just put it on. It does not make the screen look worse.

The o-screen onthe 3GS is a gimmick and useless in my book. If it scratches easy then it add no value as you are solving one issue but creating another.

If you insist on going without a screen protector then get a case with a flip over cover.
 
I've been an iPhone owner since the 2.0/Edge launch day and I've never used a screen protector. And I've never had a scratch. I'm now using a 3GS with the same results.
 
SirDarren said:
I have my front-right pocket reserved for my phone and never put anything else in with it, but I guess that doesn't really matter that much as it can get scratched outside of it, etc.
Click to expand...

Got my 3GS on launch day - I was so anal that I put an antiglare screen protector (thinking it would help me in the sun) on it as it came out of the box. 1 Month later peeled the thing off. It lives in my left front pocket. Nary a scratch on it. It's glass, so it can scratch. However, in my experience (and based on several threads though the years on this very topic), unless you are careless, a screen protector is not necessary.
 
ZipZap said:
The issue is scratching and not of the coating wearing off. If it wears off and your under warranty you will get a replacement....but with scratches you are not likely to get a replacement.

You will have regret with the first scratch.

I have a 3GS and the Crystal protector from apple.

Just put it on. It does not make the screen look worse.

The o-screen onthe 3GS is a gimmick and useless in my book. If it scratches easy then it add no value as you are solving one issue but creating another.

If you insist on going without a screen protector then get a case with a flip over cover.
Click to expand...

Good advice on the flip cover, thanks!

eawmp1 said:
Got my 3GS on launch day - I was so anal that I put an antiglare screen protector (thinking it would help me in the sun) on it as it came out of the box. 1 Month later peeled the thing off. It lives in my left front pocket. Nary a scratch on it. It's glass, so it can scratch. However, in my experience (and based on several threads though the years on this very topic), unless you are careless, a screen protector is not necessary.
Click to expand...

I understand it's glass, but isn't the oleopathic coating plastic?


I also just looked at my previous 3 phones - LG Renoir [3" plastic touchscreen], SE k800i [plastic screen], SE k750i [plastic screen] and there's not a scratch on any of them - despite them all being dropped at least once and never having any case/screen protector...

Kind of swaying to the "without" side now.
 
Wirelessly posted (iPhone 3GS (White, 32GB): Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A341 Safari/528.16)

I've owned every iDevice sold by Apple since 2007 (except the original iPhone which was not sold in Japan) and I've used all of them without screen protectors. The 3GS is the only one I've inadvertently scratched, and I'm extremely careful with it, just like with all the others. The oleophobic coating has worn off and the screen is about as hard to keep clean as every previous iPhone/Pod has been.

That said, I'm getting a replacement in two days and I don't plan on putting a screen protector on it, either. The screen is very durable (not scratch proof, but close!) and it feels great when it's new. YMMV
 
mavis said:
Wirelessly posted (iPhone 3GS (White, 32GB): Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A341 Safari/528.16)

I've owned every iDevice sold by Apple since 2007 (except the original iPhone which was not sold in Japan) and I've used all of them without screen protectors. The 3GS is the only one I've inadvertently scratched, and I'm extremely careful with it, just like with all the others. The oleophobic coating has worn off and the screen is about as hard to keep clean as every previous iPhone/Pod has been.

That said, I'm getting a replacement in two days and I don't plan on putting a screen protector on it, either. The screen is very durable (not scratch proof, but close!) and it feels great when it's new. YMMV
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply!

Do you mean you're getting another 3GS already, or just a screen replacement?
 
Wirelessly posted (iPhone 3GS (White, 32GB): Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A341 Safari/528.16)

I'm getting a replacement because mine has eight hairline cracks all around the dock connector/speaker/mic ports and I'm afraid it will completely disintegrate one of these days. Also, the oleophobic coating has almost completely worn off and finally, my friend got a replacement iPhone from the Apple Store near my house last night and it came with OS 3.0 installed, rather than 3.1. I figure if I want to preserve my jailbreak (and unlock) I should get the replacement now. :)
 
If you even have to ask about it then you are worried enough to justify getting one. I have the Power Support screen protector on my 3GS and I had one on my 3G as well. The Crystal Film Screen is cheap, can be found at any Apple store, and when installed you cant even tell it's there. It looks like it has no screen protector on it.

Those dummies who say the screen cannot be scratched are misinformed. I have seen my buddy's 3GS plenty of times and he has scratches on his screen that are very noticeable and he regrets not paying the $14 for the screen protector right from the get go.

Just think about how pissed you'd be if you got a scratch and knew that just paying a few bucks for the screen protector could have prevented it?
 
I had an iPhone 3G and a 3GS. I used a cover for some time on the on the 3G, but only so I would not have to clean it every 6 hours. Screen covers are ok, but only for a limited time. And they are expensive too. I have seen no need for a screen cover on a 3GS and will not get one.
 
Wirelessly posted (iPhone 3GS (White, 32GB): Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A341 Safari/528.16)

sn0warmy said:
If you even have to ask about it then you are worried enough to justify getting one. I have the Power Support screen protector on my 3GS and I had one on my 3G as well. The Crystal Film Screen is cheap, can be found at any Apple store, and when installed you cant even tell it's there. It looks like it has no screen protector on it.

Those dummies who say the screen cannot be scratched are misinformed. I have seen my buddy's 3GS plenty of times and he has scratches on his screen that are very noticeable and he regrets not paying the $14 for the screen protector right from the get go.

Just think about how pissed you'd be if you got a scratch and knew that just paying a few bucks for the screen protector could have prevented it?
Click to expand...

First of all, the insults aren't necessary. ;)

Second, the iPhone is so poorly made, by the time you actually manage to scratch the screen there are likely other things which warrant a replacement, in Apple's eyes anyway. Case cracks are the most common and well-documented defect, but there's also light leak, mis-aligned buttons, screen, and bezel, accumulating dust under the glass due to ill-formed rubber seal, etc. Just get it replaced. Eventually Apple will start paying a little bit of attention to build quality.
 
CarboysDesire said:
I've been an iPhone owner since the 2.0/Edge launch day and I've never used a screen protector. And I've never had a scratch. I'm now using a 3GS with the same results.
Click to expand...
Same here. People on this forum need to get out more and do something about their OCD, it's getting old. Use the phone and stop worry about **** that is meaningless.
 
nikhsub1 said:
Same here. People on this forum need to get out more and do something about their OCD, it's getting old. Use the phone and stop worry about **** that is meaningless.
Click to expand...

I wish I could. Unfortunately, if I scratched my screen I would get pissed about it every time I used my phone.:(

Which is why I spent the money on a screen protector and now I don't ever have to worry or think about it.
 
It is very difficult to scratch the iPhone 3GS screen , I was getting a replacement iPhone the other day and watched the Genius rep take his very own iPhone 3GS out and take the sim eject tool (looks like a screwdriver and quite sharp) to his screen making circles and different patterns with it on his screen, not a single scratch or anything on it.

I actually had an incase slider case on my iPhone before replacement and it created a hairline scratch from being in the case for less than a week with only taking the phone in and out of the case once, never dropped or anything.

Basically leave it naked with some sort of screen protection. Right now I'm using the zagg invisible shield (full body) and might return it just for the crystal film anti-glare I bought from apple to just cover the screen.
 
Wirelessly posted (iPhone 3GS (White, 32GB): Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A341 Safari/528.16)

sn0warmy said:
mavis said:
First of all, the insults aren't necessary. ;)
Click to expand...

You're right. My appologies. I meant it more of a light hearted joke.

Didn't mean to offend. :)
Click to expand...

That's cool, and thanks. No offense taken. I can take whatever comes my way anyhow, and dish it out as well ;) but the mods try to keep things civil in here and I just wanted to make sure the discussion didn't start heading the wrong way. :)

It's an interesting split, though, on this question!
 
nikhsub1 said:
You mean you don't get pissed every time you use your phone now cause you got a 16GB instead of a 32GB? :D I have never used a protector and never had a scratch... my wife either and she keeps hers in her purse with all kinds of ****.
Click to expand...

haha, well that's a whole other issue. In my case, I've never filled any ipod with more than 10-12GB of stuff. So to me, paying the extra $100 for 32GBs is just not justifiable.

Instead, I took that extra $100 that I would have been wasting and put it towards a case, dock, screen protectors, and some sushi.
 
Interesting stuff here. I'm considering getting an iPhone and am not sure if I want a screen protector. On one hand, the screen is quite durable. On the other, the few bucks for a screen protector is probably worth it, especially if I can't tell it's there.

I had an iPod Touch that I never used any sort of case with. After about a year, I somehow scratched the screen like crazy. Not sure exactly how, but I was kicking myself for that.
 
mavis said:
Wirelessly posted (iPhone 3GS (White, 32GB): Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A341 Safari/528.16)



First of all, the insults aren't necessary. ;)

Second, the iPhone is so poorly made, by the time you actually manage to scratch the screen there are likely other things which warrant a replacement, in Apple's eyes anyway. Case cracks are the most common and well-documented defect, but there's also light leak, mis-aligned buttons, screen, and bezel, accumulating dust under the glass due to ill-formed rubber seal, etc. Just get it replaced. Eventually Apple will start paying a little bit of attention to build quality.
Click to expand...

Until your warranty is up...

A scratched screen will not be replaced...
 
AHHH WHY DO BOTH SIDES HAVE SUCH GOOD ARGUMENTS!?

:mad:

Just making it harder :p

Keep 'em coming though.

I'm gradually leaning towards going without one because of so many people saying nothing has happened theirs', together with the fact I take pretty good care of all my phones.

Maybe if I could find an unnoticeable one it would be difference, but this current one is just too grainy.
 
I too have seen scratched up screens and the owners kicking themselves for not getting protection. If you're worried about it... just do it.
 
Ultimately YOUR decision but I've used the Zagg Invisible Shield on my original iPhone, my 3G and my 3GS - It's the closest thing to having nothing at all.

As for going with "nothing at all" - Been there and have regretted it.

I use my phone while out Mt Biking, hiking, kayaking and working in not very clean environments (I also own an Otterbox case for my iPhone).
 
I have the PS Anti-glare and I love it. Scratching wasn't really a fear of mine. I just can't stand the amount of fingerprints on the screen without the anti-glare screen protector. I hate wiping off my screen every time I use my phone and like the feel of the anti-glare. But I think that is definetly a personal preference. The same as those who prefer cases because they like the look of them over the protection they provide.
 
Despite the ~2:1 poll result I have removed my protector.

I will update this thread soon enough when I have decided if it was a good decision or not.

Thanks for all your replies everyone.
 
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