How to Protect Your Smartphone Screen?

Your smartphone screen is sensitive and vulnerable. A drop, a scratch — it happens so quickly. How can you protect it? What solutions are available?

Already in 2018, this SquareTrade infographic showed us the trend. Nearly $3.4 billion had been spent replacing more than 50 million broken screens. This study by Wearesocial also shows that in Belgium, more than 95% of 16-64 year-olds own a mobile phone.

4 solutions for protecting your smartphone screen

Protecting your smartphone screen has become a constant concern. Yet one wrong move, a night out that got a bit too lively, or a fall can undo all that effort. Cases, sleeves, protective films... We explain what each one does and how well it protects!

1. Cases

You all know what a smartphone case looks like. Available at every price point, for every smartphone, they are designed to cover the back of the phone. By also covering the edges of the smartphone, they create a gap of a few millimetres between the screen and the outside. This fairly thin rim can still protect your screen in a fall.

Cases without a back: bumpers

A bumper protects the edges of the device. This solution seems ideal. Indeed, in the event of a fall, most impacts happen at the corners. By protecting the corners, the bumper saves your smartphone from a lot of damage.

Do be careful, though: like cases, bumpers are of no use against scratches or direct impacts on the screen.

2. Sleeves

A smartphone sleeve has become much more than an extra layer of protection. It has become a design object, sometimes multifunctional. You can find them in all shapes, from the plainest to the most colourful, in sometimes unusual colours and textures.

However, choosing a sleeve to protect your smartphone screen should not be driven by aesthetics alone. This sleeve must fit your smartphone, otherwise its protective effect would be nil. If the sleeve is too big, your phone will slide out at the slightest opportunity.

Another variation on the sleeve: the flip cover

Your smartphone then becomes a card holder, whether for your transport pass or your means of payment. While the protective effect of the flip cover is well established — the flap fully covers the screen, and the cards act as a second layer of protection — you should still stay on your guard.

In the event of theft, you don't just lose your smartphone, but also other items essential to your everyday life.

3. Protective films

To fully protect your smartphone screen, you can opt for a protective film. The strongest and most impact-resistant are tempered glass protectors. Your touchscreen keeps all its functionality while being protected.

With the emergence of curved screens and dual screens, protective films are also evolving. So there is a protective film for every smartphone. Other, more affordable film solutions are also available. But these films only offer limited protection: they protect your screen from dust or water droplets.

4. Rugged smartphones

Despite cases, sleeves and protective films, some clumsy people just can't keep their phone intact. For the unlucky ones, retailers also offer particularly rugged smartphones.

These phones are resistant to both impacts and scratches. This category of smartphone is also used in sometimes extreme conditions. Dust, water, heat or biting cold don't affect how they work at all.

Good to know! In this article from Atelier du Mobile , find the different protection ratings for your smartphone against water or dust.

In short

• The most effective solution for protecting your screen from front impacts and scratches remains the tempered glass film, applied directly to the screen.
• Sleeves and cases also have a protective effect, particularly when your smartphone falls.
• There are also categories of ultra-rugged smartphones that will suit the clumsiest among us.

Unfortunately, a case or a sleeve won't protect your smartphone if it takes a "plunge" into your bathtub or your pool. Find out here our tips and tricks for reacting properly when your phone falls into water!

Article written in collaboration with We are the Words.