2019 Update
Over the last couple of years, in addition to plastic and glass screen protectors, weʼve reviewed liquid screen protectors as well as hybrid glass screen protectors. For the impatient, in general we feel that:
At the end of the day, go with a plastic/hybrid screen protector if you want maximum drop protection and glass if you want maximum coverage and usability.
Most liquid screen protectors are made from Silicone Dioxide (SiO2). The product comes in a wipe format and you slather it on as many devices as you possible can.
Most products will include a plethora of marketing fluff which includes re-adding the oleophobic coating and improving scratch resistance and better impact protection.
Out of all the fluffy marketing pieces, the only one that we were able to prove was the improved impact protection.
SEE ALSO: The ULTIMATE guide to Liquid Screen Protectors!
The only benefit of Liquid Glass Screen Protectors is the fact that you can slather the screen protector on multiple devices. If youʼre looking for maximum protection for your existing glass screen and have the cash to burn, a liquid screen protector ~might be worth it.
Hybrid Glass screen protectors are a mix between plastic and glass. Weʼve come across two brands with hybrid screen protectors which are the Mous Hybrid Glass and the Zagg InvisibleShield Sapphire Defense.
As fancy as these products sound, they are essentially different materials layered on top of each other. We know the marketing fluff makeʼs it sound like the materials are blended but they are not.
From our perspective, these hybrid screen protectors give your screen the feel of a glass screen protector with the protection of a plastic screen protector. From our impact tests, we can tell you that these screen protectors are as tough as regular screen protectors.
The only drawback that weʼve come across is that the edge of the screen protector is noticeable. For those interested, Mousʼs HybridGlassʼs edge isnʼt as noticeable as Zaggʼs version.
A screen protector is probably the only thing we’d recommend any person get for their smartphone. The phones themselves have gotten tough enough that more people can get away without one. And honestly, if we had to choose between a broken screen or bent frame, we’d go with a bent frame. We’ve got an iPhone 6 Plus and 6s that have bent frames and we’re still using them without an issue.
What what type of screen protector should you get? Glass or Plastic? The biggest difference from our perspective is durability. Get a plastic screen protector if you’re rough on your iPhone. if you have a tendency to drop it a lot. Or have kids who treat your $1000 iPhone like a throwable toy. Other than that, go with a glass screen protector.TL:DR: Plastic lasts longer. Glass looks better.To elaborate on the difference between plastic and glass screen protectors, we will spend the rest of the rest of this post elaborating on the pros, cons and misconceptions for each type of screen protector. We will also talk about the differences between regular tempered glass screen protectors and Gorilla glass (or treated tempered glass). There are a few pieces of interesting information about screen protectors that we’ve accumulated over the years that we’ll share as well.
Before we get into the details, we have to make sure you guys know what a screen protector is actually going to do for your smartphone. All it does is provide an extra layer of protection. It doesn’t reinforce the actual screen. A bad edge drop may still break your screen. An unlucky drop where a rock makes contact between the case edge and screen protector will result in a break. It’s like wearing gloves when you’re working with your hands. The gloves will prevent scratches but doesn’t make your bones stronger.
Let’s go with plastic screen protectors first. Here’s a couple of pros for plastic screen protectors:
Now there is one major downside to plastic screen protectors. In general, plastic screen protectors will reduce the clarity of the smartphones touchscreen. Here are five things that contribute to that issue:
So that’s all we have for plastic screen protectors. If this post has been useful to you, consider getting your stuff through our site. Nobody pays us to break our own iPhones and screen protectors so we’d be grateful for any support you’re willing to give.
In general, glass screen protectors are the exact opposite of plastic screen protectors.
On to the Pros of glass screen protectors. Here’s three standout features of glass screen protectors
Before we talk about some of the useful tidbits of information we’ve come across, check out some of our other tips including screen protector installation and tips to deal with cracked iPhone screens.
We’ve compiled these tidbits of information from various sources over the last few years. Take them with a grain of salt as we’re not 100% certain of the validity as it’s hard to get straight answers all the time. The only one we are certain is #2.
Now why would we say none of this matters? We equate it to buying a TV. When you’re at the store and you see all the TV’s beside each other, the minute differences between each product is evident. But if you take a random TV and setup it up in your house, there is a good chance you won’t see the differences because you have nothing to compare against. It’s the same with screen protectors. Plastic ones are harder to keep clean but you end up getting use to it and it becomes a non-issue. Cheaper plastic ones may yellow over time but you wouldn’t see the yellowing on an iPhone with a black face.
At the end of the day, it boils down to:
Plastic lasts longer. Glass looks better.
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View Comments
Hello Arron, been watching you for years and want to thank you for what you do and all your great advice and tips! Keep up the great work, very entertaining!
It was you that convinced me to go with Rhinoshield case and plastic screen protector and now have had it on 6s and 7 plus now and very happy, just wanted to know your thoughts on them now are they falling behind? Is their glass screen protector any good? I like durability in my stuff
Thanks Brad Kelley
Their glass screen protector fits their cases incredibly well. From a durability standpoint, they seem to hold up quite well.
Similar to the comment above, your reviews have convinced me to buy a Rhinoshield Playproof case for my new iPhone. Would you recommend the getting their Impact plastic cover with the case, or their edge-to-edge glass one? I'm struggling to make the choice. I tend to drop my phone pretty easily, but I'm also worried about scratches. Thanks for all your work and advice!
If you're careful, get the glass one. It fits incredibly well with the Playproof.
One thing this review doesn't cover: which type of screen cover actually protects the original phone screen better? If you hit the face of your phone against something, or drop it, will a plastic screen cover absorb more of the energy and prevent it from reaching the phone's screen, or less, or about the same?
I'm pretty sure I cover it in the video.
Aaron, thanks, I couldn't view the video earlier and assumed most of that content was in the printed text, but now I viewed the video and saw that you definitely covered this. It confirmed what I suspected, that a plastic protector is better to protect the screen from impact. This is important when kids use your phone or have their own phone. My daughter was bugging me to get her a glass screen protector for her phone, but given that plastic protects it better and doesn't have the glass shards issue, I am going to tell her "no way". Thanks.
Your video overall is excellent by the way, and I had trouble finding anything online that rivals it.
Regarding which type screen protector will better protect the original screen, according to a discussion I found at the link below, a glass protector should better protect the original screen from shattering because by cracking it will absorb/dissipate the impact shock, which plastic cannot do. Have you tested this?
the//www.quora.com/Explain-technically-why-plastic-screen-protectors-do-not-prevent-cracking-shattering
What is the best plastic screen protector for an s7?? I only care about protecting the screen from cracks. Aint nobody got time fo' cracks
I'd default to the Evolutive Labs Rhinoshield Impact Protection screen protector.