Tempered glass and a protective film – what to choose?

29 April 2021 maius

Tempered glass and a protective film – what to choose?. When we buy a new phone, one of the first places we should go is a specialist smartphone accessories store . New types of phones have a huge amount of options, but unfortunately they are not very durable, which is why most smartphone owners try to somehow protect the phone from mechanical damage. The screen is the most vulnerable place, and it is the screen that mainly needs additional protection.

Smartphone owners have many options to choose from. They can buy a protective glass for phones , a protective film or a regular cover. Each of the options has its advantages and disadvantages. What to choose? Some tips below.

Screen protective film

In stationary and online stores with phone accessories, we can find many models of protective films that differ in structure, price, gloss and thickness. Often it is not easy to judge at first glance which option will be the best for our needs.

First, pay attention to the shape and size of the foil. It must match the screen of our phone. If the foil is poorly fitted, it may cover the loudspeaker and thus create problems in the use of the telephone, e.g. by affecting the sound quality. Poorly selected, low-quality foil can also distort the image on the display. Fortunately, in the case of a protective film, we can always cut it, although of course this is a difficult task because it requires precision.

A good quality protective film is extremely thin and flexible. It is practically imperceptible under the fingers, which ensures full comfort of use. However, it is worth mentioning here that the thinnest foil will protect the phone less than the thicker ones.

It should be remembered that no type of protective foil has the same strength as tempered glass, but only protects the phone against dirt or minor scratches when we keep it, for example, in a purse.

The protective film is dedicated, above all, to phones with a Gorilla Glass display, which is very durable in itself. At the same time, the protective foil works well for phones with a curved display (eg Samsung Galaxy S9). Thanks to its flexibility, it can be stuck to curves without any problems.

In summary, the advantages include:

low price,
protection against scratches,
can be cut to a specific phone model,
large selection of structure parameters.

The disadvantages, however, are:

much lower strength than tempered glass for phones,
fingerprints remain on the foil,
difficulty in correct assumption.

Tempered glass for phones

When purchasing tempered glass, the choice is much smaller. Before heading to the store, we need to know exactly what glass will fit our model. Cutting tempered glass to a phone is a difficult task and it is very easy to destroy it.

Tempered glass for phones is characterized by high stiffness. Its standard thickness is approximately 0.3 mm. The glass is durable and scratch resistant. It also does not affect the image seen on the display, as is the case with inferior quality protective films. The thickest types of lenses can be felt under the fingers, which can be a problem for some phone users.

Depending on our preferences, we can choose glass with specific hardness parameters, according to the Mohs hardness scale. Below is a list:

1H – the weakest, the surface can be scratched with a fingernail,

2H – the surface can still be scratched with a fingernail, but it requires more force,

3H – surfaces can be damaged with copper wire,

4H – the surface may be scratched with a knife,

5H – the surface can be damaged with a knife, but it is difficult,

6H – surfaces can be scratched with a tool made of steel,

7H – hard surface that can scratch the glass,

8H – the surface can easily damage the glass surface,

9H – the surface is extremely resistant, it can only be scratched with a diamond,

10H – the hardest surface assigned to a diamond.

Of course, the most popular are tempered glass with a score of 8 or 9. They give the best results and allow you to hold the phone with the keys. It is worth remembering that the tempered glass for phones that Gorilla Glass has does not have to be so durable.

Phone case

At the very end, various types of covers should be mentioned. Their main advantage over tempered glass and protective foil is that they protect the entire phone, not just the screen. This is important for people who, for example, cycle a lot and are worried that their phone may fall out of their pockets. A good-quality case can serve its owner for many years.

The main disadvantage of phone covers is, unfortunately, their size. People who like modern design, round and thin phones will not be satisfied with any cover.

The innovative covers have built-in electronics, which allows, for example, to display the time or information about a new e-mail or connection on the cover.