By now, you probably know that I’m neither a fan of cases nor screen protectors, so when the folks at SGP asked me if I’d like to check out their new screen protector for iPhone 4S, I gave them my boilerplate answer: “you may send it to me but I make no guarantee that I will review it on iDB.”
I was really intrigued by SGP’s GLAS.t premium tempered glass screen protector right off the bat though. As far as I know, this is the very first screen protector for iPhone entirely made of glass, and after seeing the video demo, I knew I wanted to try it despite my disdain for screen protectors.
So about a month ago, I installed the GLAS.t on my iPhone 4S. This is my review of it…
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The Installation
The installation process went like a breeze. I adjusted the GLAS.t on top of my iPhone, and just like they do in the promo video, I touched the center of the screen and looked at the GLAS.t complete the installation by itself.
I was glad to see that my shaky hands didn’t put the installation process in jeopardy. The GLAS.t was perfectly fitted on top of my iPhone 4S screen. A couple tiny air bubbles remained on the side, but they were nowhere to be found when I woke up the next morning.
The Good
What I like most about the GLAS.t is that it doesn’t feel like you have a screen protector on. If you’ve used protectors like the InvisibleSHIELD or similar products, you’ve likely noticed that it never feels right. There is always this plasticky feel to it that always reminds you that something is sitting on top of your iPhone. Something that doesn’t belong here. The GLAS.t makes you forget that you are using a screen protector.
When I asked one of my friends what he thought about my new screen protector, he actually couldn’t see it at first sight, and he had to look very closely to see it. This is how discreet and almost natural the GLAS.t is.
Something else I really like about the GLASt is the oleophobic coating, which is much better than the iPhone’s. It appears that it’s not as big of a fingerprint magnet as the iPhone 4S screen, and I find it much easier to clean too.
In the demo video, they show how they try to scratch the screen protector using scissors, so I thought I’d give it a try too. For a few seconds, I hit the GLAS.t with some scissors. Nothing happened. Not even a scratch. I then decided to try with a cutter. Again, nothing happened, and I can promise you that I tried pretty hard. I’m actually quite impressed about how scratch-resistant the GLAS.t is.
Is everything that great about the GLAS.t? Well, to be completely honest, there a couple downsides.
The Bad
The GLAS.t is 0.4mm thin, and even though this is almost nothing, you’ll notice that it adds a very little thickness and weight to your iPhone. This is not as noticeable as the size and weight increase of the new iPad for example, but it’s still noticeable. To be fair though, after using the GLAS.t for about a month, I have to admit that I’m completely used to it and it doesn’t bother me at all anymore.
Because it is 0.4mm thin and has a hole cut off for the home button, you will definitely feel like there is an empty space – a 0.4mm space – where the home button is. To fix this issue, the GLAS.t comes with 6 different epoxy coated button stickers. Simply apply one of the stickers on top of your home button and it will fix this little gap. You can choose between 4 different colors: white, black, pink, or green. As far as I can tell, the black and white button look identical to the stock home button you can find on a white or black iPhone. As for the green and pink buttons, they look exactly the same too, except for the color, obviously.
The Verdict
I am very picky about my accessories. As a matter of fact, I am a minimalist when it comes to accessorizing my iPhone, and I try to go without cases or screen protectors because I believe they diminish the beauty, look, and feel of an iPhone. The GLAS.t does nothing like that. It brings a high level of protection to your iPhone while still preserving its look and feel. It’s barely there, and that’s probably what I like the most about it.
My only regret about the GLAS.t is that they only sell the front panel, meaning that you can’t buy a similar protector for the back of your iPhone.
How does it compare to other screen protectors like the InvisibleSHIELD? It does not compare. The GLAS.t is in a different class of its own. It’s much better than anything I’ve seen before.
Do I recommend the GLAS.t? Absolutely. I’ve actually had my neighbors buy 2 of these: one for him, one for her, and they love it. At $27.99, the GLAS.t is a no brainer, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to add an almost invisible layer of protection to their iPhone.
You can buy the GLAS.t directly from Amazon starting at $7.99.