Screen protectors for your smartphone or tablet: Types, features, and advantages

The dreaded scratches on smartphone or tablet screens have been something we’ve all worked hard to avoid. After all, you don’t want to damage your valuable device, and have to look at scratches and nicks every day.

Furthermore, you also want to keep the phone and its screen safe from accidental drops and knocks, so a proper screen protector is a necessary investment for your smartphone or tablet. It’s usually the first thing you’ll want to buy as soon as you pick up your new mobile phone.

That said, there are different types of screen protectors available for smartphones, each with their own distinct advantages and features. We explore some of the widely available types of screen protectors, and how they can work to protect your smartphone or tablet effectively.

Mobile screen protector types: Which is the best pick?

– PET and TPU screen protectors

– Tempered glass

– Nano liquid

PET and TPU screen protectors

These are usually the most affordable options, and usually also the least noticeable and bulky on your smartphone. These will provide some scratch protection against relatively small scratches, but the low thickness means that very deep scratches will still affect the glass on your phone. Furthermore, these type of screen protectors offer very little protection against drops and impacts, so you might still find your screen damaged in unlucky circumstances. 

These screen protectors also require some effort to properly apply, and may eventually form air bubbles or start peeling off over time. However, they add very little thickness and weight to your smartphone, and are usually hard to spot making these the best looking options available. A good screen protector will offer a smooth and grippy touch and feel, while cheap and low-quality options may hinder your ability to swipe on the phone, as they lose their smoothness and texture quickly.

Tempered glass

Among the more popular options for screen protectors, tempered glass offers superior screen protection for your smartphone or tablet even in the case of deep scratches or hard impacts. As the name suggests, this is an additional layer of glass on top of your display, which is a lot harder and thicker than the PET and TPU screen protection options. 

Although scratches and scuffs are much more visible on tempered glass, this is obviously a preferred option to damage on your phone itself. Additionally, this adds some thickness to the display, which will be a bit more visible especially if you don’t use a protective case for your phone or tablet. 

Although tempered glass options were initially much more expensive than TPU, there are now affordable options even for this type. However, be vary when choosing, as low-cost options are likely to come off easily or offer reduced screen protection for your phone. Better options may come with additional features include oleophobic and hydrophobic coating, fingerprint resistance, enhanced scratch and damage resistance, anti-microbial coating, and bubble-proof application, among other things.

Nano liquid

This is the least visible and noticeable way to add some screen protection to your smartphone or tablet, but it’s also among the least effective in terms of scratch protection. Additionally, the nano liquid coating doesn’t come off easily. 

As such, we’d recommend going for something a bit more substantial, and there are plenty of good options in the other screen protector types.