Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Screen Protector Less 3GS owners. Chime in!
- Thread starter serialtoon
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Hey what can I say. Some ppl think a chevy is good enough to get around on, but I prefer a BMW. It's all about preference ;-)
That's the thing, I don't really care to baby my phone. So I use screen protectors and cases to avoid damage. As for how the scratch got there? No idea really. Most likely something in my pocket did it.
I have a protector on my 3GS. Had it since I got the phone. I also have one on my iPod Touch, and the protector itself has tons of hair-like scratches (so I know it would have been bad if I didn't have one). My husband has a 1G iPhone, which I got for him when they first came out, and I put a protector on it. He had it replaced because of an issue, and never got around to putting a screen protector on it, and now his phone is all scratched up - but I understand 3GS coating protects it better, so I am now thinking of taking mine off. Will watch this thread to see the general consensus. But I am careless sometimes, and have dropped this phone a few times already, so my iFrogs Luxe case shattered twice already (waiting for the new one to arrive from Amazon). Perhaps (likely) unrelated to this thread, but I highly recommend the iFrogs case nonetheless, because it protects the phone very well, and absorbs all impact - if a phone falls on hard concrete, for instance, the case will fracture, but the phone will be good as new. 
I tried numerous screen protectors when I first got my 3G last summer and hated them all (BSE: not optically perfect; IS: too much 'orange peel' and too tacky; PS Anti-glare: makes the display look horribly grainy; PS crystal: scratches way too easily; etc) so since July 2008 I have not had a screen protector on any of my iPhones or my iPod touch. I have had NO scratches on ANY of them in that time. Even my wife's 3GS is still perfect, and she has actually dropped her phone (WTH, I know!) several times. I put a PS Air Jacket on her iPhone - and it's heavily scratched - but the screen is absolutely perfect.
I will never again waste money on a screen protector for any device. Period.
I will never again waste money on a screen protector for any device. Period.
The feeling is mutual on your screen protector synopsis there. Just to be clear to people. Im not talking about the phone itself being scratched, i mean JUST the screen. I dont care at all for the body, but the screen must remain perfect or i will get rid of it for a new iphone. Its just how i am :-D
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)
Exactly. When I tried the Power Support Crystal film or whatever it's called, it looked great - for about two days. Then I started noticing scratches all over the place. Kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?
YoungLew said:
Exactly. When I tried the Power Support Crystal film or whatever it's called, it looked great - for about two days. Then I started noticing scratches all over the place. Kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?
In my experience, iPhone screens are pretty much unscratchable. Though I've considered getting a case to protect the back of the phone and the chrome bezel, I'd never bother putting a screen protector on. The screen is the toughest part of the iPhone!
I've had my iPhone 3GS since July 2nd and have never used a screen protecter or a case of any kind, I just use it as it is. Not had any problems. You can by accidental damage insurance here in France for 48 Euros a year so I figure I'll probably buy that. It insures against theft too.
No protector since launch day. No scratches at all, not even on the bezel (to my surprise, my 3g has tons there.)
I figure the combination of 1) I never put anything besides my iphone in my left pocket and 2) the material is glass instead of plastic combined make for a difficult-to-scratch setup.
The coating seems to be holding up fine for me as well. I do, however, occasionally miss the extra slipperiness afforded by the crystal protectors when playing certain games though.
I figure the combination of 1) I never put anything besides my iphone in my left pocket and 2) the material is glass instead of plastic combined make for a difficult-to-scratch setup.
The coating seems to be holding up fine for me as well. I do, however, occasionally miss the extra slipperiness afforded by the crystal protectors when playing certain games though.
Uh, you can mail-order them through Apple ....
I would but i'm a poor student with no money, At least If I go to the shop I can get somone else to buy it for me, family, not a randomer haha!, And about the bezel, I've only had mine a week, and always put it in a pocket on it's own, and the bottom of the bezel has a few scratches on it already!!! And i'm pretty sure there's cracking around the two screws as well!!!
Not sure what you guys are doing that have the Power Support Crystal Films to scratch them that fast. I had one on my 3G for 1 year and it never had a scratch on it. Maybe a couple of divots, that's it. Not even enough to notice or care.
I bout a set to put on my 3GS. However, after having to return so many phones, I gave up because I got tired of throwing my money away. Once you put these on, that's it. You really can't use them again. I now have a 3GS with NO screen protection.
As of now, I am going to wait a few weeks/month to see if I even want one on there. The PS Films are the BEST I have ever used. It's like they are not even there.
I bout a set to put on my 3GS. However, after having to return so many phones, I gave up because I got tired of throwing my money away. Once you put these on, that's it. You really can't use them again. I now have a 3GS with NO screen protection.
As of now, I am going to wait a few weeks/month to see if I even want one on there. The PS Films are the BEST I have ever used. It's like they are not even there.
this has always confused me. my phone has been naked since feb 08 and i don't have a scratch on it. what the hell are people doing to their phones?
I had my 3g from september of 08 until july of 09 and it had no protector and only one small scratch from when I accidentally threw a lens cover in my pocket with my phone in the heat of the moment during a photoshoot..
I got my 3gs in mid july and its now early august.. I loved the print resistant screen so I didn't want to run a protector, but it scratches SO easily.. i haven't treated it any differently than I treated my 3g.. yet it already has several small scratches on it so I had to give in and run a protector.. luckily I got it on perfectly with no dust specs so you can't tell its there, but it defeats the purpose of the olephobic screen..
oh well..
I got my 3gs in mid july and its now early august.. I loved the print resistant screen so I didn't want to run a protector, but it scratches SO easily.. i haven't treated it any differently than I treated my 3g.. yet it already has several small scratches on it so I had to give in and run a protector.. luckily I got it on perfectly with no dust specs so you can't tell its there, but it defeats the purpose of the olephobic screen..
oh well..
I've never had a screen protector on my iPhone be it a 3G or a 3Gs and I've (knocks on wood) have no scratches.
Due to the possible ease of scratching the coating on the 3GS, I have opted for a case that includes a cover - the vaja evolution. As for screen protectors, none.
I also pay close attention in how I treat the phone, when its in my pocket, I make sure that no coins or keys go into the same pocket. I make sure that I don't let dust accumulate on the screen and carefully wipe it
Due to the possible ease of scratching the coating on the 3GS, I have opted for a case that includes a cover - the vaja evolution. As for screen protectors, none.
I also pay close attention in how I treat the phone, when its in my pocket, I make sure that no coins or keys go into the same pocket. I make sure that I don't let dust accumulate on the screen and carefully wipe it
I have a power support anti-glare film on mine. Maybe I'm the minority but I really like the noise it makes and the feel of it. I enjoy the protection and peace of mind knowing my screen is safe. I also have a lot of games on my 3GS and the anti-glare makes it much easier to slide your fingers around the screen when playing games.
That and virtually NO fingerprints on the screen with this anti-glare screen shield.
That and virtually NO fingerprints on the screen with this anti-glare screen shield.
I have the anti-glares too....at first I thought they were great but now I'm getting annoyed by the blurred effect that I'm getting.
I'm going to try the screen protectors that come with Switcheasy Colors cases to see if they're any better...if not, I'll consider going protector-less.
Anyone know if the SE Colors protectors are more similar to PS Crystals or Anti-glares?
All of these great results, thanks guy! I just wanted to say that all these screen protectors that are plastic (excludes IS or BSE) scratch thus making it pointless to a certain degree. Thats my input. So far im really loving it with no protector, but i might put a BSE on the back cause its so slippery.
Screen protectors are cheap, and the good ones are easy to put on and remove. Think of them as cheap insurance, where they'll get scratched instead of the screen.
No protector on the 3G and it was scratchless after a year. No protector on my 3GS, which I've had since launch day, and it's also scratchless.