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MoodyMedStudent

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 16, 2011
98
0
Ontario, Canada
Let's be honest here: if you haven't used a screen protector for an extended period of time (totalling more than 6 months), did you develop ANY scratches on your screen?

I've always had a screen protector on my iP4, but have recently got the urge to dump it since I miss how the glass feels.
 

Abyssgh0st

macrumors 68000
Jan 12, 2009
1,888
8
Colorado
Never used a screen protector- it looks fantastic. No scratches and hardly any smudges.

Screen protectors are overrated and overpriced.
 

Fernandez21

macrumors 601
Jun 16, 2010
4,839
3,177
got mine on launch last year, has maybe 2 very small and light scratches that can only be seen when I clean it and at an angle. It has self up MUCH better than my 3g did.
 

jallenclark

macrumors regular
Sep 23, 2008
193
6
I have had it since launch and have zero scratches on the screen. I run with it and always keep it in my pants pocket.
 

fenskezen

macrumors regular
Feb 6, 2011
152
5
Never used a screen protector and my screen still looks perfect. I just could not give up the feel of my naked screen.:eek: That said..I am somewhat careful not to put it in a pocket with keys or such things. I really don't baby it, though. That glass is a winner!
 

Lindenhurst

macrumors 6502a
Aug 24, 2011
612
0
Just sold both of our iPad 1's and neither had any scratches at all. We never used a screen protector. We were just careful.
 

pgiguere1

macrumors 68020
May 28, 2009
2,167
1,200
Montreal, Canada
Never used any on any of my iPhones, never got a single scratch.

Scratches rarely happen if you put your iPhone in an empty pocket. If they ever happened, they would be barely noticeable and would still make your iPhone look better than with those ugly screen protectors, that give you bubbles, worse screen contrast, a worse texture, and are useless against drops, which is what you should fear the most.

Get a good case with the sides thicker than your iPhone and you should be fine.
 

hotgrease

macrumors regular
Feb 14, 2010
101
0
took my protectors off for about two weeks and had small scratches on back and front, with one large scratch near the home button. maybe i'm more anal than others, but i really don't believe that people can have the phone unprotected in jeans or pants pockets all day long and not get scratches. the scratches don't affect the screen viewing, but they're there for sure.
 

fenskezen

macrumors regular
Feb 6, 2011
152
5
took my protectors off for about two weeks and had small scratches on back and front, with one large scratch near the home button. maybe i'm more anal than others, but i really don't believe that people can have the phone unprotected in jeans or pants pockets all day long and not get scratches. the scratches don't affect the screen viewing, but they're there for sure.

Perhaps you have sandy pockets? No, seriously, I clean mine with a soft cloth daily....that's about it. I have had it since launch and even held up to the light, there are not even any fine scratches. But...my phone does not stay in my pocket all day. Mostly it is on my desk or in my purse in its own place. I guess it is pretty protected for the most part....
 

jwingfie

macrumors 6502a
Dec 30, 2008
631
15
Athens, GA
No screen protector on my launch day Verizon iP4 and it's still immaculate. It has one microscopic scratch above the front camera but you can only see it in direct sunlight. I always keep my phone in an empty pocket.
 

Spectrum Abuser

macrumors 65816
Aug 27, 2011
1,377
48
Define your definition of a scratch because it seems like everyone here is confused. If you are talking about hairline scratches in the glass coating then everyone here has at least one. You can't just not have any unless you never touch your device because the coating can scratch just from lint rubbing on it.

Now if you mean actual hardcore scratches that go into the glass then my front is free of them. Now the back has three nasty scratches that I have no clue as to how they got there.
 

ATC

macrumors 65816
Apr 25, 2008
1,185
432
Canada
No screen protector here although I do baby my phone.

Front: Perfect, absolutely zero scratches.

Back: A few hairline scratches that are only visible if you look very closely with a light shining on the device.

For resale, now I kinda wish I had some protection for the back but no biggy.
 

SidewaysTakumi

macrumors 6502a
Aug 5, 2010
793
133
Texas
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8G4 Safari/6533.18.5)

I've had a screen protector on the back of my phone since day one but no front protector. I have one hairline scratch on the right side of the slide to unlock area but it's very difficult to see/find. I am soo careful so I have no idea how it got there but having a phone without a screen protector is worth that one tiny scratch.
 

fizzwinkus

macrumors 6502a
Jan 27, 2008
665
0
Have never used a screen protector in the last four years and had only one crack from a drop onto asphalt.
 

AnthroMatt

macrumors 6502a
Jun 8, 2011
763
765
Redlands, CA
Perhaps you have sandy pockets? No, seriously, I clean mine with a soft cloth daily....that's about it. I have had it since launch and even held up to the light, there are not even any fine scratches. But...my phone does not stay in my pocket all day. Mostly it is on my desk or in my purse in its own place. I guess it is pretty protected for the most part....

Mine has been without a screen protector for about 3 months now. I do have small scratches, but I also probably do have sandy pockets: I'm an archaeologist in Phoenix. With that in mind, the fact that the screen doesn't have gouges in it by now is quite impressive. You can only see the scratches on my glass when the display is off.
 

HeezyBear

macrumors regular
May 21, 2010
169
3
I've been rolling with the iPhone since the original and every model after that except the 3G. Never had a screen protector and never had a scratch on the screen. Scratches on the back I can understand, but I don't know what you guys are doing to get all these scratches on the screen itself.
 

earlycuyler

macrumors member
Apr 30, 2009
75
0
The foothills of Appalachia
No iP4, but I've had my 3GS since launch day and I have never used a screen protector on the front. The front glass on mine still doesn't have a visible scratch on it (and I would have gotten a new phone if it did as scratches on anything I have to look through drive me insane). I just held it up to a light again to check it. I keep it in an empty pocket (always my left) whenever I am out and about, and I am pretty careful with it.

I do have a speck candyshell on it and I suspect that helps save the glass from scratches as well. The bumper keeps the glass from coming into contact with a surface when laying on its face.
 

NYR99

macrumors 6502a
Dec 30, 2007
718
80
I've had it since launch. Never used a screen protector. Still looks 100% brand new.
 

LIVEFRMNYC

macrumors G3
Oct 27, 2009
8,778
10,844
Get a good case with the sides thicker than your iPhone and you should be fine.

This is what has work for me. Have no second thoughts laying it down front or back.

I use a one piece Speck case. Same color as pic.
 

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iMrNiceGuy0023

macrumors 68000
Jun 5, 2009
1,599
0
Launch day iPhone, never used a screen protector, screen looks the same as day 1.

I also had a 3G and 3GS, no screen protector used at all
 

rsvrfactory

macrumors member
Jul 25, 2011
54
0
Chicago area
Wow, I've always used a screen protector on my last 3 iPhones. I would expect many scratches without one, but maybe I'm wrong. Is the glass really that scratch resistant? I use one because I want to keep it perfect so when the new model comes out I can easily sell it as a like new iPhone and upgrade without it costing me any money upfront.
 
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