Want some extra protection for your iPhone X screen? Well that’s a tough question. Not only that the iPhone X screen is vastly different from the iPhone 8’s. But also because of the increasing selection of screen protectors. But fear not, we’ve got you covered!
In this article, we will discuss the differences of the normal screen protectors to tempered glass to 2.5D and 3D ones. We will also discuss if these differences even matter in your day to day lives.
Need some protection for your $999 iphone?
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Here at Mobile Reviews Eh!, we base all our reviews on actual usage of the product. And also answer the questions that we have about the said products. For this article, it was simple: Whatʼs the best screen protector for the iPhone X?
SEE ALSO: Top iPhone 8 Screen Protectors and How to install a screen protector perfectly?
If you are in a hurry and just want straight answers from us. We recommend the 3D Edge to Edge tempered glass screen protector for your iPhone X. But if youʼre a person who likes their iPhone on thinner or simpler cases , youʼd want to go with a 2.5D normal screen protector.
SIDE NOTE: Most cases have a lip that protects the edge to edge screen protector from peeling away. Most edge-to-edge screen protectors donʼt have an adhesive along the outside edge of the screen protector. So there is a chance that it will get caught and peel away. With the normal screen protector, you eliminate the chance that you are going to lose your screen protector.
Why are iphone x's recommended screen protectors different from iphone 8's?
iPhone X handles differently than the 8 or basically any other iPhone. With previous iPhoneʼs there is a bezel. This meant that your fingers never spent a lot of time along the edges of the screen. When it came to screen protectors, your finger never really had to do anything with the edge except to access multi-tasking.
Gestures on the iPhone X requires to spend way more time swiping at the edges of your screen. You have the home gesture, which moves around for games. You have the app-switching gesture. The multi-tasking gesture. These gestures, coupled with the lack of bezel means your fingers will feel everything along the edge of your iPhone.
Standard screen protectors
A.K.A “Barely covers the whole screen ones.“
If you are frequent visitors of the site, youʼll know that we are fond of the Rhinoshield Impact Protection and Patchworks ITG Silicate Glass.
But for the iPhone X, we’re not as drawn to them because of the noticeable edges. These screen protectors are quite thick and almost cover the entire OLED screen. These two characteristics will increase how noticeable the edges are with all the gesturing that you will do. As you can see on the image below, the edges of the screen protector are going to get annoying over time.
But, if you need the best protection for your iPhone screen, these two products would be perfect. We assure you that they can definitely take a beating.
The Belkin Invisible Glass that you can get at the Apple store also falls into the category. This is one of the pricier screen protectors that you can get. But thereʼs a few benefits.
- The screen protector extends slightly past the OLED screen.
- The screen protector is thin and has a 2.5D edge. This means itʼs not as noticeable .Youʼll know itʼs there but it wonʼt feel “sharp”.
- Tou can have it professionally installed at the Apple Store.
The entire setup to apply the screen protector is actually quite simple. But thereʼs a custom piece of hardware that allows for a perfect install. We will note that the ratings on the Apple Store arenʼt great. You will see a lot of people complaining that the glass screen protector break. Itʼs glass. Glass breaks. Which sucks at $50 dollars a pop.
But if you know that youʼre going to break a screen protector, get one of Zeesa Screen Protector (Two Pack) from Amazon. The coverage of these screen is similar to the Patchworks ITG Silicate Glass. But has a 2.5D edge so it wonʼt be that noticeable.
Installation isnʼt too bad. Because of the included guide. But itʼs not perfect like the Apple installed product. Even with the installation guide, the top of the screen protector isnʼt fully aligned with the notch in the screen.
2.5D Edge-to-Edge screen protectors
We went through three different products for 2.5D Edge-to-Edge and they all handled in the same manner. Some had better coverage like the Bulesk Screen Protector. While others had less like the ESR one. Both products claim to provide edge-to-edge screen protection though.
From a gestures standpoint, the screen protectors handle better. But the edge is still there. From our understanding, a screen protector that doesnʼt follow the curve of the iPhone is considered a 2.5D screen protector. If youʼre really picky , you will eventually notice that the curve of your iPhone is actually different.
We have a couple of gripes with 2.5D Edge-to-Edge screen protectors.
- Dust will collect along the edges of the screen protector.
- Dusts and debris will collect along the TruDepth camera area. Most of the products donʼt have any adhesive in that area. We believe Appleʼs specifications for screen protectors says not to.
- The marketing fluff on the products say you will get an actual 3D screen protectors but will end up with 2.5D screen protectors.
Another problem that creeps up with any edge to edge screen protector is the fit with other cases. We get a lot of “will this screen protector fit with this case?” and the answer is never simple.
It depends on the case and it depends on how well youʼve installed the screen protector. Even with cases from the same manufacturer. The screen protector works with one case but not the other. Even being off by .5 a mm will make a difference.
As a side note, installing screen protectors on the iPhone X is much harder than before. With older iPhoneʼs, you could easily line up the cameras on one side and the home button cutout on the other. Since the home button is gone, youʼre basically eyeballing the install.
Majority of these 2.5D, Edge-to-Edge screen protectors will be quite cheap off of Amazon. If youʼre wondering if there is a big difference between the $10 dollar screen protector and the $40 dollar one, check out the link below.
SEE ALSO: What’s the difference between Plastic and Glass Screen Protectors? Which should you get?
3D Edge-to-Edge screen protectors
On the iPhone X above, we have a Patchworks 3D Cover. As you can see, it follows the curve of the iPhone perfectly. Itʼs quite difficult to feel this screen protector on a day-to-day basis. We didnʼt notice it during any of our gesturing and for the most part worked with most of the cases we had for the iPhone X. We used the screen protector for all the product shots in the Best Spigen case for the iPhone X. All of the case we used on the review fit perfectly on it.
One of the things that weʼve come to realize with screen protectors on the iPhone X is how hard it is to install them perfectly. The Patchworks 3D Cover is probably one of our best installs for the iPhone X. But it is still out by a tiny bit along the top and bottom of the screen protector.
The adhesive on the screen protector on the image above wasnʼt great. And we’re not sure why, as weʼve had lots of success with Patchworks products before. There isnʼt much else to say about it because 3D Edge to Edge screen protectors eliminates all the negative things for every other product in this article.
So this is our Best Screen Protectors for the iPhone X! Have any questions? Leave them below! Definitely SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel to stay on top of all the new things we are review!
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Anna
April 29, 2018 at 11:26 am
Hi
I recently bought the catalyst impact protector case for the iPhone X
And would like to know which edge to edge screen protector fits best with this case .
Regards
Anna
Aaron Ho
April 29, 2018 at 2:43 pm
It’s hard to exact since the biggest problem with E2E screen protectors is the installation process. If you install a screen protector off by 1/2 a millimetre, the screen protector won’t fit. If you want to take a gamble, the 2.5D ESR screen protectors might work. The only screen protector that would offer 100% fit would be the non-E2E screen protectors. In general, the tiny exposed edge between your case and screen protector generally won’t break in most drops unless you’re incredible unlucky.
Anna
April 30, 2018 at 6:21 am
Thanks Aaron . I will give that a go .
Thanks for the great review on the catalyst impact case too . Your review helped me a lot with my choice of case . Really happy with it
Regards
Anna