So you just bought a new phone. The phone is high tech, has all the gadgets and apps you need, and is sleek and cool. Once you get over just how awesome your new phone is, something else pops into your head: protection. You spent a lot of time, money, and effort picking out the perfect phone. It’s important to make sure it stays in the best possible condition. You may have heard of “tempered glass” screen protectors. For those of us who aren’t familiar with phone protection, let alone what “tempered glass” means, this can be an intimidating idea, especially with some tempered glass screen protectors upwards of $50. Here’s some basic info you need to know about what is tempered glass screen protector, what it does for your phone, and whether or not it’s worth the price.
1. TEMPERED GLASS Before buying my own personal tempered glass cover about a year ago, I had NO idea what this meant. After a little digging and researching, I found out it is made by heating the glass and then cooling it very quickly. This type of glass breaks differently than normal glass, creating more rounded edges of glass pieces instead of jagged shards that regular glass creates. A tempered glass protector is a multi-layered screen protector. It has a bottom layer of absorbent silicon, PET filmand an optically clear adhesive tempered glass and oleophobic coating in that order. Tempered glass is up to five times stronger than normal glass.
2. WHAT DOES IT DO FOR MY PHONE Tempered glass is more heat resistant than regular glass, meaning your phone is less likely to be damaged by heat. Plastic screen protectors are much more likely to be scratched than tempered glass protectors, which are up to five times as thick than standard plastic protectors. The smoothness and clarity of the tempered glass makes the screen protector feel more like your actual smart phone screen than a plastic screen cover would. Generally, tempered glass screen protectors are generally easier to put on your phone than plastic screen protectors.
3. IS IT WORTH IT In short: YES. This answer comes not only from research, but from my own personal experience. I dropped my phone down multiple brick stairs and when I picked it up, I was horrified to see what looked like a cracked screen. Low and behold, I took off my tempered glass screen cover – NOT A SCRATCH on my screen. I immediately went out and bought another one. I cannot say I’ve had the same positive experiences with standard plastic phone covers.
You will have to spend about $20 more on a tempered screen cover. However, that extra $20 is a far better deal than paying hundreds of dollars to get your cracked screen fixed.
