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iPhone 7 / 7+ Glass Screen Protectors
- Thread starter willmtaylor
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I tried four cheapie screen protectors on my iPhone 7 (Two Ankers which were $3 each with a coupon) and two JETech for $9 and every single time a small piece of dust in a noticeable area managed to sneak its way in. I ended up not liking how the solid state home button felt with the glass on anyway and so I've conceded defeat and am just going without a screen protector this time around. (I have AppleCare+)
I'm quite impressed with a curved edge to edge screen protector I just reviewed. The company is InnerExile and the name of the screen protector is the OpticPro. It will be available via Kickstarter later this month.
Kristin
Kristin
Really impressed with my SecondSkin. Fits great with my Apple case and hardly adds any thickness around the home button.
Some edge to edge protectors attach a curved edge frame to the edges of the glass that is made of metal or polycarbonate (the most popular example of this is probably the Zagg Glass Luxe), while others actually curve the glass itself. The Innerexile OpticPro is of the curved glass variety. Not surprisingly, curving the glass itself is harder...
Thanks for the info. I had always wondered about that. I use a cheap TechMatte/AmFilm glass protector for my iPhone 7. I really loved the Tech Armor HD Ballistic Glass protector for my iPhone 6s, but the reviews for the iPhone 7 version are terrible, so i tried this. A little thicker than ideal, and the edges aren't as rounded as the Tech Armor, but at $4.00/protector, hard to argue. Feel is much better than film any protector and the coating is good, but it does seem that the screen's sensitivity is diminished somewhat, but hard to know for sure. They sent me replacements very quickly when the original ones I purchased were cracked out to the box, so kudos to them. I always use a case with my phone, so the lack of edge-to-edge is a non-issue. I may try to the Tech Armor Corning protector if I ever need to replace the TechMatte protector.
What I can't understand are all the issues people are having with bubbles and lack of adhesion on the edges. So long as you carefully clean the screen before application, and do what is necessary to eliminate dust (in the winter, I have to install them in a bathroom after running a hot shower for 5-10 minutes), those have never been issues. The adhesive currently used is tons better than that on the first glass screen protector I used years ago. Tiny specks of dust seem to just embed and become invisible; before, they would lift the glass and create a bubble, and that was it for the protector (at least for me).
I always go back and forth between the 3D full coverage and the typical "case friendly" SPs that only cover the middle of the screen.
The 3D SPs look great and you usually cannot tell there is a SP beneath them, but there is the issue with case incompatibility. I just changed from Tech Armor Ballistic to a thin 3D SP that looks good, but Apple silicone cases lift the edge.
Will see how long I last.
The 3D SPs look great and you usually cannot tell there is a SP beneath them, but there is the issue with case incompatibility. I just changed from Tech Armor Ballistic to a thin 3D SP that looks good, but Apple silicone cases lift the edge.
Will see how long I last.
I tried the Moshi IonGlass E2E SP. Looks great and lines up easily. However, despite following all instructions, and then some, there are bubbles along the edges and no amount of pressing or other techniques will flatten it perfectly. Back to looking for a full protector that lives up to the hype on the box.
Hmmm, that's a shame as that's a screen protector that I was looking forward to trying out!
Not all protectors are equal. I've never had issues myself until the Ice Max for the 7 Plus. It has always had a bubble in the bottom left that I was never able to remove. Proper prep and install are a must but they alone cannot guarantee a perfect install.
Granted, some of the ones you're referring to may be due to improper prep/install but that's not a given for all situations.
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Depends on the SP and case -- again not all of either are exactly the same. No problems here with the Ice Max for the 7 Plus & Peel, Vaja or Powersupport. However, there are certainly problems when paired with a Spigen case, for example. My wife's Ice Max for the 6 Plus works fine with Powersupport, Apple silicone and some others I can't recall off the top of my head.
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I've also discovered that sometimes it's your phone, and not the protector that won't allow screen protectors to properly adhere. I've had 2 iPhone 7 Pluses. The first one, nearly every protector I tried fit on nicely with little to no haloing or anything. My current one, no protectors adhere near as nice as the first.
Case in point: on my first one I had the belkin protector installed by the genius with the machine at the store. It was perfect first try. No haloing. Current phone, tried the belkin ones 3 times (3 different ones but same protector) and they all had slight haloing around the edges and corners. Genius agreed that my screen probably had an ever so slight difference in curve than my first one, causing protectors to not adhere as nicely.
Case in point: on my first one I had the belkin protector installed by the genius with the machine at the store. It was perfect first try. No haloing. Current phone, tried the belkin ones 3 times (3 different ones but same protector) and they all had slight haloing around the edges and corners. Genius agreed that my screen probably had an ever so slight difference in curve than my first one, causing protectors to not adhere as nicely.
Have you tried an Apple silcone with your SP? If not, maybe next time you are in an Apple Store you can try one?
After a failed IonGlass install (see above) I tried the Tech Armor 3D curved SP. It took three tries lifting one end to get alignment nailed exactly, along with a few targeted dust tape swipes, but this one went on 99% perfect...just one small edge lift/bubble/halo that might go away after a few days of pressing, "curing," etc. Fairly happy with this E2E SP so far. Snagged a couple ten buck knockoffs in case this one fails, and a Gpel for backup too.
Regarding the overall bubble issues with E2E SPs, although the above poster is correct in saying small dust particles are a possible cause, I do not believe they are THE cause in these cases. There are simply too many reports of the problem by users who know what they are doing, and who are following all recommended procedures, tips, and tricks. While I did have a tiny spot or two on my IonGlass install, those were ultimately taken care of with tape during a last ditch effort, but NOTHING would flatten the edges enough to eliminate the relatively large adhesion problems, and there was zero dust, oil, etc. visible, even under 10x mag.
I suspect no manufacturer has figured out how to deal with the iPhone 7/7+ screen's curved edges with absolute precision, and as another poster said, phone to phone variation could be a factor as well. The tolerances are apparently really tight. Zeiss could surely pull it off if they got into the glass SP biz. I know - wishful thinking. Besides, theirs would cost about 150 bucks each!
Regarding the overall bubble issues with E2E SPs, although the above poster is correct in saying small dust particles are a possible cause, I do not believe they are THE cause in these cases. There are simply too many reports of the problem by users who know what they are doing, and who are following all recommended procedures, tips, and tricks. While I did have a tiny spot or two on my IonGlass install, those were ultimately taken care of with tape during a last ditch effort, but NOTHING would flatten the edges enough to eliminate the relatively large adhesion problems, and there was zero dust, oil, etc. visible, even under 10x mag.
I suspect no manufacturer has figured out how to deal with the iPhone 7/7+ screen's curved edges with absolute precision, and as another poster said, phone to phone variation could be a factor as well. The tolerances are apparently really tight. Zeiss could surely pull it off if they got into the glass SP biz. I know - wishful thinking. Besides, theirs would cost about 150 bucks each!
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After much back and forth, Belkin basically said they dont know when or if it will be released and they mailed me a check for the $40 I spent for the one I have now.
I'm not a place where I can watch the review yet, though I look forward to it. Is it hot bent glass all around or glass with plastic or metal bezels?
I have some distrust for Zagg since they charge such exorbitant price for their joke of a "sapphire" protector.
Look great. Do you know if is compatible with the Apple (silicone/leather) cases?
Hi William. They are cheating a bit, I guess---it is glass with a polycarbonate frame around it...the same design as their Glass+ Luxe for the 6s Plus last year. It is nicely done, though, and very case compatible. The glass feels and looks much better than the ill-favored sapphire defense...
Are you still wearing the Zagg? Any Halo/edges bubbling? The slightest bump of the case has always pushed the sides up for me on other E2E. This includes last years Zagg.
Well I bought the Zagg Luxe and after about an hour the sides are starting to come up. Not the total halo look, more of a spiderweb look on the edge of the glass.
I'm so sorry to hear it! I'm not having any issues with mine. I have an extremely small area on the bottom, around a half centimeter long, where there is a minute area of what you might call feathering, but other than that it is perfect. On the 6s Plus, when I reviewed the Luxe for that phone, there was a line of hazing that ran up the sides of the protector, very obvious, but this is nothing like that. The sides feel very solidly in place. Are you using it with a case? Is this on the 7 or 7 Plus? Can you post a pic?