InvisibleShield Glass Curve Elite for Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus: Bubbles, breakage, and broken promises
Samsung's smartphones have curved glass along the edges that have presented a significant challenge for makers of screen protectors. Despite watching the installation video, thoroughly cleaning the display, and exercising a high level of patience, the new ZAGG InvisibleShield Glass Curve Elite didn't work out for me.
A decade ago, I used screen protectors on every device I owned. Glass companies have continued to improve display products and I don't use protectors on my smartphones today. Sometimes the phone screen gets scratched, but I never drop my phones so it is only through careless pocketing of change or rubbing together of other phones that causes problems for me.
I've tested quite a few screen protectors before and have put them on the displays of many family and friends so I consider myself the resident expert on installation. After being married for 25 years and helping raise three daughters, including coaching my youngest in soccer for 10 years, I am a very patient man as well. Despite my experience and patience, I was completely let down by this screen protector on the evaluation Galaxy S9 Plus I have on hand.
The InvisibleShield Glass Curve Elite protector is available now for $49.99. It is a piece of tempered glass, with a shock absorbent layer, and full screen adhesive that is designed to keep it in place. The protector doesn't extend all the way to the top, bottom, or sides so that a case may still work with the protector in place.
Installation
Inside the retail box, you will find complete installation instructions with a suggestion to view the installation video. To make sure I performed everything correctly, I went and watched the installation video before attempting the install.
This is actually one of the easiest protectors to install thanks in large part to the EZ Apply Tray that serves as an alignment guide to help you simply place the protector down onto your phone with no need for multiple attempts to line up specific openings in the protector.
I cleaned the display, used the dust removal sticker (before and after installing the EZ Apply Tray), and then confirmed there was not a spec of dust on the screen. You then peel off the back of the glass protector and place it down within the EZ Apply Tray using the two clear tabs.
The specific squeegee directions are in bold and I followed them to the letter. You hold it with four fingers and use the fabric end on the display to move from the botom to the top of the screen. This fabric end is then run up the sides where the curved part of the display and protector can be found. The last step is to use the hard end of the squeegee to work out remaining bubbles.
All sounds good and even though it takes a bit of time, it is not difficult. However, my results were terrible and forced me to throw away the protector.
Bubbles, brokenness, and performance impact
The website advertises that installation will be fast, accurate, and bubble-free. Despite confirming there was not a speck of dust on the display, I ended up with over a dozen bubbles after installing it and trying to work them out. About half of them eventually went away as the adhesive set in, but there are still about six that I cannot remove.
The major issue I have though is that the top right corner of the protector shattered as I was using the squeegee to work out bubbles in that area. I was frankly shocked at how quickly and easily it shattered as I had just starting working out the bubbles and wasn't being aggressive or using much force. The protector is basically garbage now, but ZAGG does offer a lifetime warranty that may result in replacement of the protector so I can try installing it again.
After installing the protector and removing the EZ Apply Tray, you notice that the protector is actually quite thick since the edges are exposed when you don't have your phone in a case. The edges are not sharp, but my fingers definitely rub up against them when I hold it in my hand and it is not a great feeling to experience with your phone.
ZAGG provides directions to adjust the home button pressure and flip the toggle for increased touch sensitivity in order for the protector to work better for you. I changed these settings and found the display responsiveness to be just fine with text, swiping, and more all working as I desired.
The two sides of the protector block part of the curved edge of the display because there are black borders on the display. It's not atrocious, but the protector does impact the usability of the Edge panel technology on the S9 Plus. Swiping in from the edge to launch the Edge panel works most of the time, but if you ever want to shift the placement of the Edge panel then you may be out of luck. The Edge panel indicator bar is hidden by the screen protector and it takes serious finger gymnastics to try to work around the protector to move this up and down your display.
The black border on the top and bottom also cut off a bit of the curved corners. It's not a major issue for me, but the protector should not impact the viewable area of the display. The protector gives the display a slightly different look and I am sure screen fanatics will not be pleased with these alterations.
Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?
Looking past the installation and impact on using the edge panels, what can I say about this screen protector solutiong?
ZAGG advertises that the protector offers a smooth, silky feel and this is completely accurate. It feels better to my finger to slide around on the protector than on the display of the S9 Plus itself. I also see less fingerprints on the protector than I did on the display.
If you are successful in getting this protector installed and don't ever use the Edge panel functionality, then this protector may work fine for you. It should protect your display from drops and break before the S9 Plus actual display breaks. While my experiences were less than optimal, I checked out Amazon and the reviews there also mimic my experiences.
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