It’s no secret that our smartphones, however small (or large, as it would seem) as they might be, cost a small fortune to obtain. Even if you are one of the many who are hornswaggled into thinking that your swanky new Samsung Galaxy Note 4 or your prestigious iPhone 6 costs a grand total of $199 (and just $199 - spoiler: it costs way more than that) it’s still a pretty penny to pay for something so precious. Naturally, we want to protect our expensive investment to the best of our ability - but at what cost?
If you’ve been around smartphones long enough, you probably already know that protecting your phone is pretty standard stuff: a case, a screen protector, and probably some insurance for those extra terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days. Cases are still highly recommended given the design of most smartphones today, which tend to be both thin and fragile; but what about screen protectors? Given how strong smartphone glass has become, are they even worth purchasing anymore?
The short answer: Yes. If you’re satisfied with that answer, I just saved you about 5 minutes. Now you can spend that time looking for a screen protector if you don’t have one already. You’re welcome!
If not, then stick around and we can discuss why screen protectors are still an important accessory purchase for many. Even if your phone’s manufacturer claims that your phone’s screen is stronger than Thor himself, there are other benefits to using a screen protector than just to protect the screen.
Of course, protecting the screen is going to be the first benefit regardless. Your screen might be resistant to most common problems like nails, keys, coins, and other stuff you normally think of that could brush up against your phone in your pocket or purse, but what it’s not protected against is the weird stuff you don't really think about: glass, sand, other miniscule things that you don’t think about or even see sometimes. I know, I know. “Yeah, let’s protect our phones against things we can’t even see, because that’ll happen,” and it might not - but if tiny scratches on your phone bug you, then a screen protector might still be in your best interest because weird things like aimless sand do happen. Even if you don’t live near the beach. Ooooooo - creepy.
Another reason that screen protectors are still handy to have? Some screen protectors, namely the anti-glare kind, take care of not one, but two major issues that people have with their smartphone screens: glare (duh) and fingerprints. The downside to this, however, is that your phone’s screen can look kind of blurry. If you purchased a phone for it’s super awesome crystal clear display, then this will probably ruin it a little bit for you. Still, depending on the person, you still have the choice between the lesser of two evils thanks to these screen protectors.
There are also screen protectors on the market that make whatever you’re viewing on your phone private from side angles. This means you can do whatever sneaky shenanigans it is that you do and nobody will know (and sometimes shouldn’t know) any the wiser. This type of screen protector is handy if you’re a secret agent... or just somebody who deals with a lot of personal information on their phone. But you can always just pretend you’re a secret agent anyway.
Maybe screen protectors aren’t as relevant as they used to be - it is true that smartphone screens are getting stronger. Sometimes it felt like if you even looked at a smartphone in the wrong way back in the day it would shatter. Still, I choose to use screen protectors for the time being - and maybe even for the long haul. I don’t mind paying $3 or so now to save myself from unforeseen mishaps later, but that’s just me.
Readers, what are your thoughts on screen protectors? Do you still use them today, or do you prefer to go without? Share your opinions with us in the comments below!
Images via Focal Price, SBS Mobile