Tempered glass and film screen protectors

A screen protector is a cheap layer you can replace. It takes the scratches, and in the case of glass some of the cracks, that would otherwise land on the phone's own cover glass. The choice comes down to two materials, a few optional features, and how the protector fits with your case, and this Phone Balls guide walks through each as of October 2026.

Tempered glass

Tempered glass protectors are thin sheets of strengthened glass with an adhesive layer underneath and an oil-repelling (oleophobic) coating on top. They feel like the phone's own screen, they shrug off everyday scuffs, and when a phone lands face down a glass protector can crack in place of the screen underneath. Once it cracks, peel it off and fit a new one.

Glass protectors still scratch. Sand and grit often contain quartz, which is harder than glass, so a phone carried in a pocket with grit can pick up fine scratches on any glass surface. A replaceable layer means those scratches don't have to end up on the phone.

What 9H means

Nearly every glass protector is sold as 9H, and the accessories under $30 article treats it as the minimum to look for. The figure comes from the pencil hardness test, which drags pencil leads of increasing hardness across a surface to see which one leaves a mark, and 9H sits at the hard end of that scale. It's a real test, but since almost every glass protector claims the top grade, it won't help you choose between them. It also has nothing to do with the Mohs mineral scale, whatever a listing's wording suggests.

Film protectors

Film protectors are thin plastic sheets, usually PET or TPU. They're cheaper and thinner than glass, and TPU film is flexible enough to wrap onto curved screen edges that flat glass can't cover well. Film guards against scratches but does little against impact, it feels less like glass under your finger, and softer films can show fine scratches and smudges sooner.

Film makes the most sense on phones with curved edges and for anyone who wants scratch protection without extra thickness. Folding phones are a special case. Samsung, for example, recommends against removing the factory screen protector on its Galaxy Z folding phones and replaces it at its service locations, so follow the maker's guidance before you buy anything for a folding screen.

Privacy, matte, and blue-light options

Privacy protectors narrow the viewing angle so that someone beside you sees a dark screen. They also make the screen look dimmer to you, especially when you hold it at an angle, so you may find yourself turning the brightness up. Matte, or anti-glare, protectors cut reflections outdoors and give text and photos a slightly grainy look. Blue-light protectors tint the screen all day, while the night mode built into iPhone and Android software warms the colors only when you schedule it.

Fit with your case and fingerprint sensor

A protector cut right to the edge of the screen can lift where a case's lip presses on it, which lets dust in and leaves a bubbled edge. Listings call protectors with a slightly smaller cut "case-friendly," and if your case has a raised lip, that's the cut to buy. The case materials guide covers the cases themselves.

Phones with a fingerprint sensor under the display can struggle to read through some protectors. Check that the listing names your exact model and mentions the sensor, and if reads become unreliable after you fit it, delete the fingerprint and register it again with the protector in place.

Fitting it

Many glass protectors now come with an alignment frame that sits over the phone and lines up the cutouts for you. Clean the screen with the included wipe, lift any remaining dust with the dust sticker, and lay the protector down in one motion. Small bubbles in the middle usually push out to the edges with a card, while a bubble around a speck of dust needs the protector lifted and the speck removed.