The WhiteStone Dome Glass at a first glance looks like a overpriced screen protector with a gimmick. But the gimmick of putting glue yourself is actually worth it. It is so worth it that we actually rethink our views in screen protectors.
WhiteStone Dome Glass might be a bit pricey like the Belkin INVISIGLASS Ultra but it’s worth every penny! We’ve got ALL the details in our WhiteStone Dome Glass Review!
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PROS:
- Can be used in most of the cases we’ve review
- Has the perfect fit on the iPhone X
CONS:
- Pricey
- Installation might be hard for some
At Mobile Reviews Eh!, we do reviews based on actual usage. We do tests and use the products for days and maybe weeks. For this WhiteStone Dome Glass, we managed to answer the question: Will it fill in cracks?
If you like how we do our reviews, please consider buying the products on the links scattered on this article.
Design
The fit of WhiteStone Dome Glass is impeccable.
The marketing fluff might be deceiving due to the screen looking like it will be flush with the curve of the iPhone but it isnʼt. Because of this, we wouldnʼt call this product an edge to edge screen protector. The small part of the iPhoneʼs screen is still exposed.
However, we think this is a good thing. From our perspective, WhiteStone has found the perfect fit for a screen protector. WhiteStone Dome Glass is the only non-edge to edge product that actually extends past the touchable area of the screen but not far enough that the edge gets caught on your iPhone case.
The edges of the WhiteStone Dome Glass are rounded which is a must for devices like the iPhone X due to the gesturing you have to do. Plastic screen protectors like the ones from Rhinoshield and Mous have sharp edges that are really noticeable with the iPhone X.
The reason why WhiteStone Dome Glass is more expensive is the fact that it uses chemically treated glass. The average screen protector uses tempered glass which is pretty strong. WhiteStone uses tempered glass thatʼs soaks the glass in a chemical bath which makes the glass even stronger. This puts the product on the same general level as Gorilla glass. BUT WhiteStone Dome Glass is still glass. Itʼs still going to break.
The screen protector is 0.33mm thick which is a number that every screen protector company seems to market despite the fact that Apple doesnʼt want screen overlays to exceed 0.3mm according to their accessory guide. However, the WhiteStone Dome Glass is compliant when it comes to the cutout at the top of the screen protector.
One of the downsides that we noticed during our test period is that dust accumulates between the screen protector and iPhone. Itʼs not really noticeable during normal usage but youʼll see it up close.
The second downside has to deal with the installation. You have to add the glue yourself so you’ll need to be patient. However WhiteStone includes all the tools you need to do it right. Itʼs not like liquid screen protectors where you get a tiny wipe that you haphazardly wipe on your device. Installation may seem overwhelming at first but itʼs not once you read the instructions a few times and watch the installation video.
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Installation
- Load the iPhone into a cradle
- Setup the bridge
- Pour the glue onto your iPhone. WhiteStone includes two vials of adhesive in case you screw up the first one.
- Roll the adhesive down to the center of the device.
- Place the glass in the cradle and pull the tab and watch the liquid adhesive spread across the entire screen.
- Shoot UV lasers at it to harden the adhesive.
We observed a few things during the installation process. First our installation area wasnʼt level so we needed to manually move the adhesive to the center. Also, we think there was too much adhesive in the vial. Our first attempt leaked out in the bottom of the cradle which entombed our iPhone for a few minutes.
The UV light included in the packaging is actually meant for nails. It also looks like an old school Apple Magic Mouse.
For us, the installation process is a downside because itʼs very involved. It takes time and patience to do it right. But it’s pretty cool.
The whole installation process may seem gimmicky BUT there is a reason for it. The iPhoneʼs screen actually starts curving before the screen actually ends. This is why the average screen protector doesnʼt extend past this point. Other screen protectors reach that point and extend their coverage with just glass but there isnʼt any adhesive. The WhiteStone Dome Glass, on the other hand, doesnʼt extend as far edge to edge screen protectors but far enough to cover the whole screen with glass and adhesive. The liquid adhesive basically fills in that gap.
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Does WhiteStone Dome Glass fill in cracks?
Whitestone claims that their product fills in minor cracks so we tried to test it out. The only iPhone that we had with cracks in it was our iPhone 8 Plus. We decided to put WhiteStone’s claim to the test. We had broken the screen of our iPhone 8 Plus from another review so we decided to see if the adhesive could fill in the relatively large cracks on the device.
To test Whitestone’s claim, we found a spare screen protector and tried to strip the existing adhesive off the back with acetone. We managed to take some of it off but not all of it. We installed the screen protector to see if the left over adhesive had any effect on the crack. It didnʼt.
The crack looks like itʼs gone but is still visible if you look hard enough. But It wasnʼt that noticeable while the screen was on. If youʼre looking for a way to hide the cracks in your smartphone screen, get a WhiteStone Dome Glass screen protector!
SIDE NOTE: When we took off the screen protector the top and bottom parts of the screen protector that didnʼt get UV lasers was still in a liquid form. UV activated adhesives are so cool!
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PROTECTION
Whitestone claims that the WhiteStone Dome Glass has >= to 9H hardness. Itʼs not often we see a greater than or equal sign, itʼs usually just 9H.
Before we went and did the scratch tests, we decided to drop our iPhone on the corner of a chair a couple of times. While we were setting up for the test, there was a hailstorm so we decided to see if tiny balls of ice would harm the screen. It didn’t broke.
Since the screen protector was fine from the chair corner, we decided to go with a small drop on river walk. This drop is where the screen protector broke. This result was surprising to us. However we had to remind ourselves that regardless of what type of glass it is, itʼs still glass. And glass breaks. We initially thought that the WhiteStone Dome Glass seemed to break little too easily. But we then remembered that the Belkin INVISIGLASS Ultra broke in the same manner.
When it comes to scratch resistance, a rock did nothing to the screen, nor did a coin, or keys or knives. The only thing that would leave a mark is the file on our Leatherman which is an expected result.
Removing the broken screen protector was painful. The adhesive reaches the edge of the glass so itʼs hard to get your fingernail under it. Some of the Amazon reviews claimed that it comes off easily but we really have a hard time believing that. We had to use a knife to get under the corner and because of the angle, the screen protector cracked like nobodyʼs business. Lots of tiny glass shards everywhere.
PROTIP: Tape the screen before removing a broken screen protector!
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FUNCTIONALITY
Using our iPhone X with a WhiteStone Dome Glass is awesome. We can definitely tell that this product is of a better quality. WhiteStone Dome Glass is smoother than most and the fit is phenomenal.
Our biggest complaints with normal screen protectors on the iPhone X is that the edge of the screen protector is noticeable when you swipe the edges. Itʼs even worse with plastic screen protectors as you canʼt bevel those edges. Youʼll notice a sharp edge every time you use your iPhone. You wonʼt have this issue with WhiteStone Dome Glass. Tech accessories should make your devices easier to use and the WhiteStone Dome Glass definitely falls into that category.
The exposed part of the glass also make the iPhone work well with other cases. Weʼve been able to use the screen protector easily with a:
Rhinoshield SolidSuit
Catalyst Impact Protection
LudiCase
Mous Limitless V2
In fact, there isnʼt any normal case in our collection that we couldnʼt use with the WhiteStone Dome Glass. The fit of the product is that tight.
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VS. BELKIN INVISIGLASS ULTRA
We know many of you will gawk at the price of WhiteStone Dome Glass. Itʼs at least $45 dollars on Amazon which makes it one of the most expensive screen protectors weʼve used. But remember, WhiteStone Dome Glass is a chemically treated screen protector which makes it grade higher than tempered glass.
The only other product in recent memory that costs that much is the Belkin INVISIGLASS Ultra which you can get from the Apple Store. That product is also chemically treated and Apple will install it for you using some fancy machine which results in a perfect install.
However, the WhiteStone Dome Glass has two huge advantages over Belkin INVISIGLASS Ultra.
BELKIN INVISIGLASS ULTRA
Once you buy the WhiteStone Dome Glass, you can buy replacement glass and adhesive for $15 bucks. If you break the Belkin INVISIGLASS Ultra, you get to replace it by buying another one.
The WhiteStone Dome Glass is 50% thicker when compared to the Belkin INVISIGLASS Ultra. More glass means more protection and that extra thickness isnʼt noticeable because of the fit.
Plus you donʼt get a fancy UV light for your hands with the Belkin product.
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WHY A CHANGE OF MIND when it comes to iPhone X screen protectors?
The WhiteStone Dome Glass is a better glass screen protector than the other glass screen protectors. Weʼve been looking for a good iPhone X screen protector for the last year and havenʼt found one. Prior to this WhiteStone Dome Glass review, our general thoughts about screen protectors for the last year or so was to go with the cheaper products.
From our perspective, we consider screen protectors as a consumable. Screen protectors are going to scratch or break because it is glass. From a general use perspective, we had a hard time seeing difference between the $3 dollar screen protector to the $30 dollar one. For example, the cheap cases we bought from Aliexpress all came with screen protectors that have the same fit as a Tech 21 screen protectors. Maybe the quality of the glass is lower but on a day to day basis, we wonʼt know that.
However due to WhiteStone Dome Glass our rational has changed a bit. If youʼre like us who are generally very careful with their devices outside of doing product reviews and have the disposable income for it, get WhiteStone Dome Glass. The fit and the feel of WhiteStone Dome Glass is amazing. As long as you have the patience to install it properly.
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