What can durable glass on a mobile phone withstand? We tried it

We can protect the smartphone screen with durable glass or film. A number of manufacturers even stick the foil directly on new devices so that their displays last as long as possible undamaged. But even the best foils on the market serve mainly to protect against scratches, during falls the protection is minimal. Manufacturers still use them because they are noticeably cheaper.

For full protection of the display, durable glasses are suitable, which will make you like it much more. They can be changed quite as conveniently as foils, but offer a higher degree of protection. And for most users, they are even more pleasant to the touch.

It’s not a science. How to properly stick the protective glass on the mobile phone?

Tests

According to the shopping guide Zboží.cz, which is run by the company Seznam.cz, the prices of durable glasses and foils start at just a few tens of crowns. As a rule, these are models intended for run-of-the-mill smartphones that are no longer even sold. However, the prices of durable glasses can go up to 2990 CZK, while in the case of films it is only 899 CZK.

Investing in durable glass for the same smartphone model is usually several hundred crowns more expensive compared to foil. But it’s still better than paying for a new display – for modern smartphones, the price of a new touch panel can easily climb to more than ten thousand crowns.

We had the opportunity to test what premium glasses can withstand at the PanzerGlass event, which presented its latest generation of durable glasses, boasting 9H hardness and 2.5D roundness. Compared to its predecessor, it should be up to 3 times more resistant to scratches and 50% more flexible. The glasses are also three times hardened and will protect the phone from drops of up to 2.5 meters or withstand a load of up to 25 kg on their edges.

The specifications listed above apply to the glass intended for smartphones from the Samsung Galaxy S24 family. The top model Galaxy S24 Ultra will cost 899 CZK. Another big advantage is that the fingerprint reader in the display and the S Pen stylus work seamlessly with this glass, which is usually a problem especially with cheaper glasses.

Practically identical parameters are also offered by durable glasses for the iPhone 15, which we also had the opportunity to demolish at the event. The price is again 899 CZK.

We tried to destroy the glass first with coins and keys. It is precisely these properties that we often carry in our pockets and toss our mobile phone with them. Nothing could be seen on the touchpad, even after repeated swiping. Even nail tips and a sharp penknife left traces. However, these were tiny hairpins that could only be seen at a certain angle of light. So they did not hinder the use in any way.

This was followed by a pressure resistance test. The manufacturer promises that its latest generation of glasses can withstand a pressure of up to 25 kg before breaking. However, during the tests, we had to apply pressure in excess of 25 kg to destroy the glass, as can be seen in the video at the beginning of the article.

This was followed by a repeated fall of the metal ball onto the glass itself from a height of 1.9 meters. Similar tests are only done once with one piece of glass – after repeated falls, the manufacturer cannot guarantee the sufficient strength of the glass. Still, the second fall did nothing to the glass at all.

We only managed to break it during the third fall. This was probably caused by the metal ball hitting the edge of the glass and not the center. The edges of the glass are the most susceptible to damage. If the glass breaks and protects the phone’s display when it falls, it doesn’t matter at all. You just replace it with another one, which is still cheaper than buying a new display.

In the same way, a device with an unscratched display will certainly have a higher value when sold later than a model that was not protected in any way and suffered a number of scratches.

Below you can recall our earlier video, in which you will learn how to properly glue the protective glass.

Durability is primarily determined by the hardness of the glass. It is marked similarly to the hardness of pencils or graphite. Therefore, 9H is the hardest and most durable. Above all, Asian manufacturers are not reluctant to state such hardness even in models that are nowhere near as appealing as more expensive competitors.

Other parameters that should be monitored when choosing durable glass are the thickness and shape of the edge. In the first case, it is usually possible to choose between thicknesses of 0.2, 0.3 or 0.4 mm. Of course, the thinnest glasses do not offer as much protection as the thicker ones, but the thickest version no longer looks decent and at first glance you can see that something is stuck on the display. The golden middle path is thus the ideal choice.

The shape of the edge of the glass should not be underestimated either. Models marked 2D have a straight edge, 2.5D rounded to the point of loss, and 3D glasses are intended for displays with a curved screen. It will therefore protect the display on the sides as well, which is necessary for some premium phones.

It probably goes without saying that 2D glasses are the cheapest, but 2.5D look far more elegant, but manufacturers usually charge more for them.

If you also plan to use a protective case with your smartphone, the size of the glass also plays a big role. For some models, the manufacturers try to ensure that the glass is actually glued from edge to edge and has the least intrusive effect. Because of this, it may happen that the case will chip off such glass. It can easily be thrown away even after a few days of use.

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Glass is not like glass. How to protect smartphone displays

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