Droid X Anti-Glare Protector or No?

[superdesi]

steinheil ultra is one of the best screen protectors i have seen. it is a bit of investment but I think its def worth it. cant even tell ur using a screen protector

 

[qqqqqqqman]

I have the Verizon anti-glare protector and it works fine for me....don't notice any distortion and seems clear when the screen is lit. It was easy to put on and all functions work fine. The anti-glare works.

**

 

[transfan]

the problem with the verizon ones is that they only protect the visible screen, and not the entire glass surface. So your fingers (or mine at least) have to run across the edge of the protector.

I went on ebay and got 3 protectors for $2.00 shipped/total and they work great. They are not anti-glare, but they cover the whole screen and are $2 for 3!

 

[qqqqqqqman]

Well, the Verizon one covers all but the bottom 1/4" and side 1/8", where there are NO functions at all. I can't believe the paper-thin border at the bottom bothers fingers...it's almost imperceptible with normal touching and sliding, as you don't even touch that area. Personally, I never even notice that the screen is NOT totally covered, because the areas used ARE covered.

If it DID cover the whole screen with anti-glare, some people would complain that the nice, shiny piano-black border gets covered up.

I think the anti-glare and anti-fingerprint properties more than make up for not covering the edges. Fingerprints are at most a minimal issue, unlike the bare screen. Not sure how the ultra clear protectors do on fingerprints, but I imagine they show a lot. The Verizon screen still looks totally factory in style and went on with NO bubbles at all.

I guess I'll have to see someone's Ultra Clear one to make a comparison.

**

 

[transfan]

Well, the Verizon one covers all but the bottom 1/4" and side 1/8", where there are NO functions at all. I can't believe the paper-thin border at the bottom bothers fingers...it's almost imperceptible with normal touching and sliding, as you don't even touch that area. Personally, I never even notice that the screen is NOT totally covered, because the areas used ARE covered.

If it DID cover the whole screen with anti-glare, some people would complain that the nice, shiny piano-black border gets covered up.

I think the anti-glare and anti-fingerprint properties more than make up for not covering the edges. Fingerprints are at most a minimal issue, unlike the bare screen. Not sure how the ultra clear protectors do on fingerprints, but I imagine they show a lot. The Verizon screen still looks totally factory in style and went on with NO bubbles at all.

I guess I'll have to see someone's Ultra Clear one to make a comparison.

**

It's not paper-thin. These are hard sheets of plastic. And yes, the anti-glare coating definitely pixelates the screen. My fiance has the VZ anti-glare, and I bought the regular VZ protectors. Then I bought the $2 ebay ones, and here is an honest opinion:

The anti-glare does not show fingerprints and your fingers glide very well across it! She likes it because she just wants a phone and doesn't care about the lost clarity, likes the no-smudge aspect, and the gliding.

The VZ regular ones DO show fingerprints, and show lots of glare in the sun/work lighting, But they are very clear with no distortion. However, they are shorter than the screen. So you can see that there is a protector on it, and have to be extremely precise when applying, also dust can get into the indented edge of the phone.

The ones I got from eBay DO show fingerprints, and show lots of glare as well. They are also clear with no distortion. They fit onto the entire screen almost exactly, and preserve the piano black finish. You can't tell that there is a screen protector on it.

In the end it's about personal preference. I prefer when my screen is on for it to look and feel like there is no protector on at all. Of course, I don't like the smudges that are shown when the screen is off, but the main purpose of the phone is to use it, not display it in a museum.

My fiance prefers usability and not having to clean off the screen as often. I will look for an anti-glare that covers the full screen on ebay tho.

 

[Karem]

+1 for Steinheil SGP Ultraclear protectors. I've used the Zagg ones before and the application on those is just hell.

The Steinheil ones are very easy to apply and I can feel the difference in the quality; plus you can't even tell it's there and feels smoother than the original glass in my opinion. I've heard the anti-glare or anti-fingerprint ones can sometimes make the screen a little blurry so I got the Ultraclear ones.

It's 13.99 on their site, but that comes with 2 protectors, a squeegee, microfiber cloth, and 4 stickers to remove any dust if you run into trouble on the protector itself.

 

[Power]

Updated

I recently removed my VZ one and am running bare at this time. It looks much better I have to admit and no scratches at all. However, the sliding of my fingers over the screen is not near as smooth and sticks quite a bit. Plus fingerprints are more prevelent now so I feel the urge to clean it more often. And the glare is pretty bad if there is any bright light around.

So I'm probably going to either go back to the VZ one or shop for another anti-glare version that covers more of the screen. The loss of clarity by having the protector on there isn't that bad and the sliding is much better with it.