[xreyuk123]

Hey guys,

I'm an iPhone 5 owner, and for the past year have used a Spigen Glas.tr on my iPhone as a screen protector (it's a glass protector for anyone who doesn't know what it is).

Now I went to change it today because it had finally got some scratches in annoying place in the middle of the screen, and unfortunately I messed the application up, and it's ruined.

At £25 a pop, these screen protectors aren't cheap (Although they're bloody brilliant). Spigen offer a 'cheap' exchange if you mess it up yourself, and you can get another protector for about £10.

Honestly though, the phone feels massively different with the protector on, mainly it feels a hell of a lot lighter. As I understand it the iPhone 5 has gorilla glass, which is pretty good glass, and don't know whether to roll with or without a screen protector.

What do you guys think?

[noise747]

I used to, but since I had the Nexus 4 I have not, it is suppose to be pretty tough so I should not need one. so far so good, even when I put my keys in the same pocket there are no marks

[Deacon1972]

Had the invisible shield on my iPhone, lasted about a year before it started to curl at one of the edges, I took it off and another year on with no protection the screen was still unmarked.

Got an HTC One now but only have a gel protector for this, nothing on the screen, only got this because the phone was very slippery to hold.

[MGS4SnakeRulez]

Nope. Personally I can't stand them. I have a gel case on my iPhone 5 for grip.

[finbaar]

Yup. I always put one on. In fact my N4 has two if you count the DBrand skin on the back. But that is more for cosmetic reasons to hide the ugly sparkles.

[xp95]

Nope, never have done and never will do, because I hate them! :sleep:

[KieranDS]

I have never used a screen protector on any phone I've owned.

I've used a case on all my iPhones (4, 5 and now 5S), and despite dropping either one of them more times than I can remember, the screens have remained in perfect condition.

[xp95]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deacon1972

Had the invisible shield on my iPhone, lasted about a year before it started to curl at one of the edges, I took it off and another year on with no protection the screen was still unmarked.

Got an HTC One now but only have a gel protector for this, nothing on the screen, only got this because the phone was very slippery to hold.

The curling problem is one of the reasons why I have never liked screen protectors.

[qasdfdsaq]

I don't use a screen protector on my Samsung, what's the point of having such a beautiful screen if you're going to smother some extra layers on top of it that make it look and feel crap.

Plus the protectors only stop scratches and have never stopped the glass from getting cracked and if/when that happens it's only £15 to replace anyway so I don't see the point.

Especially if the screen protectors you're buying cost more than the actual glass its protecting.

[xreyuk123]

Quote:

Originally Posted by qasdfdsaq

I don't use a screen protector on my Samsung, what's the point of having such a beautiful screen if you're going to smother some extra layers on top of it that make it look and feel crap.

Plus the protectors only stop scratches and have never stopped the glass from getting cracked and if/when that happens it's only £15 to replace anyway so I don't see the point.

Especially if the screen protectors you're buying cost more than the actual glass its protecting.

Well my first Glas.tr actually prevented my actual screen from cracking, and the glass cracked.

Would I be correct in thinking the iPhone 5 is gorilla glass?

[qasdfdsaq]

You're assuming that just because your protector cracked the glass underneath it would have cracked too if it weren't there - which isn't necessarily the case.

Does it really matter if it's gorilla glass or not? Gorilla glass is just a brand name for a type of strengthened glass. Apple have always claimed they use strengthened glass of the same type and class as gorilla glass even if not actually using the name. Although a lot of people say it is gorilla glass in name as well now, even though they have denied it in the past.

[Si_Crewe]

I used to fit screen protectors to all my PDAs that had resistive plastic screen overlays but, TBH, since I've started buying phones with glass screens I've never bothered and I've never seen a scratch on any of my phone screens.

Oddly enough, though, the missus recently got a Galaxy 4s and the screen seems to have a weird, plasticised finish. It's like it's glass but then it's covered in plastic.
Mostly it's the edges that feel too smooth to be plain glass.

I'm wondering whether it might be worth her getting a screen protector to protect whatever finish is on the glass on the 4s.

[qasdfdsaq]

There is no such thing as a Galaxy 4S, so I'm assuming you're either talking about the iPhone 4S or the Galaxy S 4, the latter of which is gorilla glass 3.

[Si_Crewe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by qasdfdsaq

There is no such thing as a Galaxy 4S, so I'm assuming you're either talking about the iPhone 4S or the Galaxy S 4, the latter of which is gorilla glass 3.

Sorry for the confusion. It's the perils of being a reformed iPhone owner.

It's a Galaxy S4

Like I say, I know it's supposed to have a glass screen but the edges just seem incredibly smooth and molded, like it's covered in a layer of plastic or summat.

I was considering trying to attack one corner with a pin or summat to see if it was covered with something but I doubt the missus would appreciate that.

If it is just a glass screen they've found a darned clever way to finish the edges smoothly.

[gold fire 201]

Every mobile i have owned i always put a screen protector on.Why have a £500-£600 phone and lose any resell value just because of a thin layer of plastic well worth it.

[Si_Crewe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gold fire 201

Every mobile i have owned i always put a screen protector on.Why have a £500-£600 phone and lose any resell value just because of a thin layer of plastic well worth it.

Kinda like those weirdo's who put plastic covers on their sofa's to keep them pristine IMO.

[klendathu]

I have never had a screen protector , or indeed a case .
Because it spoils the phone . All you have to do is exercise extreme caution when taking your phone out over a hard surface .

I've hardly ever dropped my phone or scratched the screen

[Tribute]

I took my iphone 5 out of its case for the first time in ages and was surprised at how slippery in the hand it is because of the materials it's made from.

I find the statement that a case 'spoils' the phone a very bizarre one.

[JasonWatkins]

The only phone I've had in the past few years where i've never used a screen protector is my Galaxy S3, mainly due to the gorilla glass.

I do generally use screen protectors and cases though. I've had a screen protector on my 4s since i got it earlier in the year and I was rather annoyed to see that in the past few days a bit of dust seems to have somehow wormed it's way underneath it !

[LostFool]

I use screen protectors. When you can get several for a quid on Ebay, it's silly not too. I just chance them every couple of months when they get a grubby,

[tghe-retford]

I used my Nexus 4 without a screen protector. Within a few months, it has many scratches on the screen and a couple of blatantly obvious deep ones. Next phone will be using a screen protector, no exceptions. Its a small price to pay to keep scratches off your phone.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tribute

I took my iphone 5 out of its case for the first time in ages and was surprised at how slippery in the hand it is because of the materials it's made from.

I find the statement that a case 'spoils' the phone a very bizarre one.

Having the phone drop out of your hand and learning the lesson the hard way of not using a bumper case alongside the time spent having to file an insurance claim will spoil your phone a lot more. Something I learned the hard way.

[Mark in Essex]

I only really have one on my S3 as it cuts down on smudges on the scree.

Also it should help with the slight possibility I get a scratch (they say it's hard to get a scratch with Gorilla glass but my friend got a couple on his iPhone 4S).

I spent about £7 for a decent screen protector off an Amazon seller. It's got a lifetime warranty and sent it back twice already for replacement due to very slight scratches.

Its not worth buying cheap screen protectors as they don't last and never go on right with bubbles and dust getting trapped under them when applying.

[Mark in Essex]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xp95

The curling problem is one of the reasons why I have never liked screen protectors.

I've never had a screen protector curl up on me.

[Mark in Essex]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xreyuk123

Would I be correct in thinking the iPhone 5 is gorilla glass?

I think most of the top phones have it (I think they are up to Gorilla glass version 3 now).

[Bunions]

I always use screen protectors and back covers on my iPhones because I sell them on eBay when I get upgraded and you can get more if they're scratch free.

I probably wouldn't bother otherwise.