These days, phone screens are quite durable. Yet no screen, even the best Gorilla Glass in the industry, is bulletproof. A single, unfortunate drop could leave you with a screen repair bill of a few hundred dollars (over $300 if you’re an Apple user). So, an expensive screen protector is worth it when you consider the high cost of a screen repair. Which one you ultimately choose depends on the type of damage you want to protect the phone from. Generally, tempered glass is better than a plastic screen protector because it provides additional protection against drops. This leaves a gel screen protector as a viable competitor.
Is a hydrogel screen protector better than UV tempered glass? In short, it depends. Tempered glass is superior if drop damage is your main concern and you want to keep the screen as “glassy” and smooth as possible. In contrast, hydrogel screen protectors can self-heal and repair micro-scratches. As such, they work best for more gradual damage, like scratches from keys in your pocket or small dents. Still, a hydrogel screen protector has one major drawback: it’s notoriously weak against harsher hits, meaning it may not protect your phone if you drop it from, say, hip height.
This doesn’t make gel screen protectors useless. Foldable phone owners complain about weaker screens (which makes sense, since a screen has to bend), and while it’s not perfect, a gel screen protector is ideal for foldable phones and curved screens. Sure, you’ll have to grip your phone a little harder when you’re on the move, but it’s better to have a gel screen protector than to drop the “naked” phone on the floor no matter how you cut it.
What damage can tempered glass and hydrogel suffer?
You don’t have to look far to find reviews comparing different types of screen protectors. While the methods are anything but scientific (part of the test literally involves hitting the protectors with a hammer), a video from URTechz gives a general idea of the abuse hydrogels, tempered glass, and ceramic protectors can take. All three were effective against light scratches made with a plastic tool, but only tempered glass and hydrogel protected the screen from touch damage. Surprisingly, tempered glass also resisted the knife, something hydrogel and ceramic failed to do.
The most interesting part of the test was the hammer crash. All three materials survived a light hammer blow, but they warped and failed to protect the screen when additional force was applied. Naturally, a fall doesn’t involve as much force as a hammer blow, and the video indicates that many factors matter in real life, including the hardness of the surface and the area where the phone lands.
If you’re looking for clear numbers, there is some evidence that tempered glass can protect the screen from 1.5 meter drops onto hard concrete. It may crack, but it won’t transfer as much force to the screen. The hydrogel itself can survive 1.2 meters. The trap? It transfers more than 65% of the energy directly to the screen, which is likely to crack like an egg during bad falls. This makes it a poor option for clumsy users, but it’s still amazing for everyday scrapes. So, for now, this is the best screen protector for phones with curved screens, i.e. those that lean on the unorthodox side.
