Finding the best screen protector for the Apple Watch is really hard. Out of the screen protectors we tested, only three products come on top that we can recommend, which are the Zagg Curve Glass Elite, the FloLab NanoArmor, or a liquid screen protector.
Continue reading if you want to know why it is hard to find the best screen protector for the Apple Watch!
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Stay away from these products
SYOSIN/JetTech Glass
Score
2 Eh’s out of 5
Get them now on Amazon!
PROS:
- Multiple screen protector per pack
CONS:
- Cheapens the look of your Apple Watch
- Comes off easily
- May not work with cases
If the product looks like a square piece of glass with no rounded edges, stay away from it. Cheap glass, poor adhesive, and generally, just a bad idea. Sure, you may get multiples in a package but it’s still not worth it consider you’ll be breaking one every other day.
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LK/JetTech (TPU film)
Score
3.5 Eh’s out of 5
Get them now on Amazon!
PROS:
- Multiple screen protector per pack
CONS:
- Cheapens the look of your Apple Watch
- Comes off easily
- May not work with cases
LK/JetTech (TPU film) was a good idea when we first reviewed screen protectors for the Apple Watch Series 4. That’s how poor the product selection was at the time.
Now over the last year, there’s been way more products to choose from, so these films have been significantly downgraded. Our biggest issue with these TPU films is that it really cheapens the look of your Apple Watch.
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Actpe
Score
3 Eh’s out of 5
Get them now on Amazon!
PROS:
- Nothing
CONS:
- Doesn’t stick to the Apple watch
- Claims to be glass
The Actpe screen protector is a piece of plastic that has a part of poorly applied adhesive along the edges. This design feature isn’t bad as the lack of adhesive results in a responsive Apple Watch screen, but the Actpe screen protector tends to come off really quickly. A slight tap on the edge of the screen protector will result in a flying piece of plastic.
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JecoDirect and InSkin
Score
2.5 Eh’s out of 5
Get them now on Amazon!
PROS:
- Won’t chip
CONS:
- Might not be glass
- Annoying bubbling
- White haze
- Black bezel
We found JecoDirect on Amazon, we found InSkin on Bestbuy.com, and we’re pretty sure they are the same product. JecoDirect and InSkin almost made it to the “maybe you should get them” section, but these companies claim that their product is glass. We’re not so sure about these products being glass because these screen protectors don’t crack when you bend them, and you can easily cut them with scissors. Pretty sure that’s not supposed to happen.
If that doesn’t push you away from JecoDirect and InSkin, the materials they use results in the screen protector have a hazy look to it. The OLED screen on the Apple Watch looks fantastic, but these screens make your OLED screen look like a cheap LED screen as the blacks almost have a grey tinge to them.
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Your mileage may vary (Get them on sale)
Apple watch screen protectors are a bit of a double-edged sword. Given that the device screen is quite small and with a decent rounded edge, screen protectors need to be quite thick in terms of glass and adhesive to stay on and protect your device.
This results in a bit of sensitivity loss, and most products will end up having a black edge to eliminate some of the defects along the edges of the screen protector.
However, if you don’t have enough adhesive, you end up with a product that comes off too quickly or results in bubbles. Which sometimes could be fixed by reinstalling the screen protector.
But reinstallation introduces its problems if the glass isn’t thick enough as you’ll end up bending the glass a bit, which adds even larger gaps. Another problem is that if it isn’t thick enough, the screen protector is going to break from minor impacts against chairs and walls.
Make the glass too thick, and you’ll end up reducing the sensitivity of your screen, which isn’t a good thing either. So what’s the perfect combination? Nobody’s quite gotten it yet.
Uolo Shield 3D Glass
Score
3 Eh’s out of 5
Get them now on Amazon!
PROS:
- Actual glass
CONS:
- Mild sensitivity issues
- Bubbling issues
We were excited to get the Uolo glass for the Apple Watch because Uolo usually has some decent products. But their Apple Watch screen protector was hard to install and subsequently terrible to use.
We were given two samples and could not install them so that bubbling wasn’t an issue. The bad thing about bubbling is that the more you take the screen protector off, the higher the chance that you’ll bend the glass, which results in more bubbling.
To solve this problem, you need more adhesive, but that just results in more sensitivity issues which the Uolo Shield 3D was already prone to having.
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WhiteStone Dome Glass
Score
3.5 Eh’s out of 5
Get them now on Amazon!
PROS:
- Neat install process
- Watch face looks good
CONS:
- Thin
- Expensive
- Can’t fix bubbling easily
- Adhesive smells and lingers
WhiteStone Dome Glass has the most complicated install process for any screen protector. When we bought the WhiteStone Dome Glass of Amazon, we were expecting it to be the product that we can recommend because it’s 60 dollars, and the installation process should result in a perfect install.
Well, after the first install, we ended up with a bubble along the edge of the glass, and after two days, the screen protector broke. If you watch the review video, you’ll know that we tried to install the second screen protector and that broken within a couple days as well.
The only reason that we think WhiteStone Dome Glass broke so quickly was most likely due to how thin the glass actually is. Thinner glass means fewer sensitivity issues, but that means it’s not as strong. Which is a big deal for Apple Watch users because let’s face it, everybody tends to smash their Apple Watches into walls and furniture.
And like any Whitestone product, removal of the broken screen protector is terrible.
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Tech Armor 3D Curved Edge Glass
Score
4 Eh’s out of 5
Get them now on Amazon!
PROS:
- No major sensitivity issues
CONS:
- Comes off easily
The Tech Armor 3D Curved Edge Glass was one of the last products we tested, and it was going well until we bumped the corner of our wall, and the product came flying off. This product only has adhesive along the edges of the screen protector. The results in an improvement with sensitivity but what’s the point if it doesn’t stay on?
At least it sounded like glass when it fell, unlike the cheap Amazon “glass” ones that sound like plastic when it falls.
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Recommended
Pela Liquid
Score
4.5 Eh’s out of 5
Get them now on Amazon!
PROS:
- No additional bulk
- Can apply it to multiple devices
CONS:
- Damage to the Apple Watch is permanent
We’ve covered liquid screen protectors quite a bit on this channel and we’re not big fans of them. The sole reason for our lack of enthusiasm comes from the fact that any damage that occurs to your device that’s covered in a liquid screen protector is permanent. There’s no way for you to remove it and put on a new one like you would with a normal screen protector.
In fact, we are quite sure you will question the efficacy of the liquid screen protector after you get a scratch on it because the marketing fluff found on these packages makes it sound like you’re making your Apple Watch invincible.
The upside is that there isn’t any additional bulk that gets added to your smartwatch.
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Zagg Curve Glass Elite
Score
4 Eh’s out of 5
Get them now on Amazon!
PROS:
- Actual glass
- Good fit
CONS:
- Mild sensitivity issues
- Minor Bubbling issues
- Expensive
Unlike the average Zagg Invisible Shield product, the glass curve elite wasn’t terrible. Every once in a while, you can have a company that produces mediocre products to create something using their mediocre standards and have it do better than other products because everybody else’s product is that terrible.
And the worst part of all this is the Zagg Curve Glass Elite is going to cost your $40, which is a lot of money for a tiny piece of glass.
The Zagg Curve Glass Elite is made from actual glass and is quite thick. Zagg includes an install frame to help with the installation, but that’s all the frame does. Unlike the Flolab one.
The Zagg Curve Glass Elite fits the Apple Watch quite well and hasn’t come off in over two months while we’re reviewing it, which is nice. There is still a minor bubbling issue that we tried to fix by lifting and pressing but couldn’t clear it. We will note that the prying and lifting did leave a small mark along the edge of the screen protector. It won’t be noticeable on a day-to-day basis but is still there.
The sensitivity of the screen seems to come and go with the Zagg Curve Glass Elite. Sometimes there are no issues at all while other times, it takes a couple of taps to do whatever you’re trying to do. The only tip we have with the wonky sensitivity is to try to press your Apple Watch with the tip of your finger rather than the meaty parts.
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FloLab NanoArmor
PROS:
- Good fit
- Easy to fix bubbling
- Fits our favorite cases
CONS:
- Mild sensitivity issues
Flolab’s Apple Watch screen protector is by far the thickest one that we’ve used in this list, which means it’s going to offer your Apple Watch with the most protection, but that also means that it has a few more sensitivity issues.
Installation of the product is a little more involved as you have to take your Apple Watch straps off before placing it in the over-sized install frame. The larger frame definitely takes the guesswork out of installing the screen protector.
Installation of the FloLab NanoArmor will result in bubbles, but they’ve included a thinner edge, which helps with lifting the screen protector so that you can squeeze out all the bubbles. Smart.
With that being said, like the Zagg Curve Glass Elite, if you do it too many times, you’ll leave a mark on the edge of the screen protector, which isn’t great.
The black edge of the FloLab NanoArmor is a little more pronounced than the Zagg Curve Glass Elite, and this is going to block out some of the screens at certain, shallow viewing angles.
But at the end of the day, for $20 bucks, you can get a good screen protector that installs well and will offer your Apple Watch the most protection without going with a fully covered case. G
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So this is our Best Screen Protectors for the Apple Watch Series 5! Have any questions? Leave them below! Definitely SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel to stay on top of all the new things we review!
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