One of the most eternal topics for dispute between smartphone users is not even “Android or iPhone”, but “glue film / glass or not glue”. There are enough supporters for each position, but rarely does anyone remain indifferent on this issue. Our editorial staff is also very divided. If the editor-in-chief and I do not use films, then, for example, Ivan Gerasimov chose the opposite path. Now let’s figure out whether it is necessary to glue films on the screen, whether it helps from something and from what the tradition of screen protection came from.
Why glue a film on the phone
Most likely, the article will cause a lot of controversial sentiments among you.
Let’s first understand why people glue films at all. It is believed that this way you can protect the screen from scratches, because even replacing the glass separately if someone takes it, costs a lot of money. For understanding, here you can see the prices for iPhone screen repair broken down by model.
Can a film or glass protect a phone?
A film or protective glass can really protect the screen from scratches, but we must remember that the screens already have a fairly solid construction. Many are misled when they buy a cheap film from AliExpress (although there are good ones and they are written about in this TG channel ), it is immediately covered with scratches and people think that the same would be with the screen. The same applies to glasses – cheap glasses from “Alik” break and crumble from one sideways glance at them. But this does not mean that the screen will break as quickly.
Modern smartphone screens – even inexpensive ones – are covered with fairly durable glass . It has a high resistance to scratches, but no one has canceled the laws of physics. As a rule, if the material has a high rigidity, it is difficult to scratch it, but it cannot withstand even the slightest bend and breaks (the question is how much force is applied to it). On the contrary, if the material bends well, it is easy to scratch it.
Based on the foregoing, we get modern screens, which are much more important to protect from scratches by adding rigidity, because it is protected from bending by the dense body of the smartphone itself. It is important to understand here that neither the film nor the glass will protect the smartphone from deformation when dropped. The cover will cope with this much better – it will soften the blow and add structural rigidity. Film or glass can only protect the screen from two things.
The first is damage by small abrasive particles. Sand, dust, and the like can eventually damage even a high-quality screen if they constantly come into contact with it and rub against it with force. For example, this happens on the beach, where there is a lot of sand, and the phone is carried in a bag or pocket.
The second thing that films and glasses can protect against is screen strikes . If you dropped something on the phone or waved your hand with the phone and caught on something, the body does not bend, but the screen is affected. And if, in the case of sand, the film will do an excellent job, then it is the glass that will better protect against impacts. They themselves will almost completely split, but will soften the impact. It is this mitigation that may be enough for the gadget to remain intact. But miracles are not to be expected. You will receive no protection, but only a little cover.
It is also important to remember that any glass must be properly glued – degrease the screen, blow off the dust and gently evenly attach it before pressing it down. If you have any doubts, it is better to entrust it to specialists. For example, our friends from the Apple Pro service center.
Why you should not glue films on the phone
And now let’s talk about why it is better not to glue films and glasses. First of all, as they say, the sensations are not the same. The screens of modern smartphones, with the exception of the most inexpensive ones, have a high-quality oleophobic coating that prevents smudges, and at the same time provides better finger sliding when swiping. Only the most expensive glasses can repeat this effect, the price of which exceeds 1-2 thousand rubles . Glasses for 100 rubles from AliExpress will definitely not give you such feelings, which means they will make using the gadget less pleasant.
The second reason on the cons list is damage to the oleophobic coating. Yes, this is where it comes into play again. Some glasses are glued to the screen using not the highest quality glue, which, after a long time of interaction with the screen, greatly spoils it. There are even glasses that need to be glued separately to the glue that is squeezed out before application. In this case, it will be especially difficult to remove the cracked protection.
Why do people put screen protectors on
The tradition of gluing films appeared at the dawn of the era of smartphones. Immediately after the release of the first iPhone, its analogues began to appear en masse. For the most part, they had plastic screens, which were easily scratched to such a state that it was difficult to even see the image through this “cobweb”. Around 2012, strong glasses began to spread en masse. Basically, these were solutions from Corning, manufactured under the Gorilla Glass brand. They became a kind of industry standard and offered a high density of 6-7 points on the Mohs scale (a scale for determining the hardness of minerals). Since that moment, serious additional protection has lost its relevance, but phone owners did not want to take risks and continued to use protection.
Do I need to glue the screen protector on the iPhone?
As I said at the very beginning, everyone solves the problem of screen protection for himself. I do not use glasses or covers, but I do not urge anyone to follow my example. On the contrary, I’ve always said that if you drop your phone a lot, it’s best to “pack” it in a case. The case will protect your phone from breaking. Film or glass can only help with scratches, but they have their drawbacks.
Let someone say that gluing films is like putting the remote control in cellophane, but it’s up to you to decide. To make it easier to make a choice, you can look at the screen replacement prices from our friends at the Apple Pro service center and conclude if you are ready to pay the specified amount in a pinch. That being said, keep in mind that the price of a screen replacement is dropping, and in a couple of years, when your iPhone 13 or 14 becomes obsolete, a replacement will cost significantly less than it does now when it’s new. Price reduction can be several times. Therefore, be guided by the repair prices of older models than yours.
In the same place in Apple Pro, you can stick a film / glass , if this option is more preferable for you. I have no doubt that your hands are growing from the right place and you can do it yourself, but it is difficult to do it smoothly and without bubbles. Especially if you have no experience. But you can still pay a couple of hundred rubles for something that you will use for many months.
