BERLIN: If you want to protect your smartphone’s display from damage, you have several choices: glass, plastic film or a spray-on solution. But which one provides the best protection?
Plastic film: “Simple plastic films are pleasantly thin and very inexpensive, but they only protect the smartphone from scratches and minor impacts,” says Sebastian Klöss from German IT industry association Bitkom.
Even key scratches are too much for many plastic films. As a general rule, films made of polyethylene are stronger than polypropylene ones.
In addition, plastic films have to be replaced quite regularly because they scratch quickly. Another disadvantage is that plastic films are usually not grease-repellent.
“Protective layers made of glass usually have this property,” Klöss says. “So fingerprints do not remain visible on them, but disappear again directly.” Some smartphone displays also have this extra protection built-in.
Plastic films for the smartphone can be matte or clear. According to smartphone specialist Ulrike Kuhlmann, it’s a matter of taste which option you choose.
“With clear films, you have all the reflections that you would otherwise have on the display on the film as well. Sometimes even more,” she says.
A matte surface prevents reflections and the display appears more diffuse and shows less contrast. So, if you like to read in sunlight, you are better off with a matte protective film.
Those who often look at colour-intensive photos on their smartphone are probably better off with a clear film.
Glass: Protective glass is much harder than simple plastic films.
This kind of screen protector is usually a composite of glass and film.
They are available in different levels of hardness. “The highest level is ten H – that’s as hard as diamond,” Kuhlmann says.
The factory-installed protective glass for smartphone displays is usually made of so-called gorilla glass and has a hardness of about seven H. Sapphire glass is even harder at nine H.
“However, sapphire glass is very expensive to manufacture,” according to Ulrike Kuhlmann. “So if someone sells a protective glass for €6.99 and claims it has a hardness of nine H, that’s certainly not true.”
When buying a display protector made of glass, one should also pay attention to its thickness.
“Some modern smartphones have the fingerprint sensor under their display,” says Kuhlmann. “If you apply a protective glass that is too thick to the display, this sensor may no longer work.”
A display protector made of glass is usually much more expensive than a plastic film.
“There is a price difference. But it’s a difference that’s worth it – simply because the protective performance is significantly better,” Klöss says.
Due to the greater toughness, glass not only protects very effectively against scratches, but also against impacts and drops to a certain extent.
According to the expert, the sensitivity of the display is also better: “The haptic feeling of the smartphone is transmitted quite differently with glass.”
Spray-on protection: There are also spray-on liquids that harden and then protect the smartphone display.
One advantage of these liquids is their simple application: you just spray them on and don’t have to worry about bubbles forming under the glass or film protectors that get stuck on crooked.
The spray-on protection keeps scratches away quite effectively and provides limited protection in the event of a fall.
However, if a scratch makes it through the protective layer or a fall causes a crack in the front glass, those blemishes are irrevocably in the display.
“With protective glass, the scratches or cracks are only in the protective layer and that can be easily replaced,” says Klöss. The situation is similar with plastic films. In addition, you have to renew spray-on layers every 12 months or so. – dpa
