Worried about scratches?

This is a question I’ve been struggling with in my decision whether or not to apply a protective film onto my iPhone’s screen. I love the smooth glassy feel of my iPhone as I glide my fingers across it – it’s all part of the appeal, but at the same time I really want to protect my investment.   So I went on a quest to find some real answers about the durability of the iPhone’s screen.

First some history. My last phone was a Nokia N73. One of the first things I did after purchase was to buy a plastic adhesive film to protect its screen. Never really looked as good since. After 6 months or so the plastic film started to be quite noticeable, and one of the corners was rising up and dust accumulated under this raised corner. Not ideal – and I found myself cringing every time I looked at it. Over time the rest of the phone (everything except the screen) became very badly scratched and worn.

Earlier this year I bought an iPod Nano and pondered the same question, but opted against a screen protector. It was going okay… until one day I thoughtlessly put my Nano in the same pocket as my keys and the poor thing was inflicted with a 4mm long scratch near the middle of the screen. Not a big scratch, but very distracting when watching video clips on the Nano.

Now I have my iPhone 3G – with its nice big, glassy screen. And therein lays the difference – the iPhone has a glass screen – not plastic (like the two plastic examples above), and after doing some research the iPhone’s glass screen appears to be highly scratch resistant. Don’t believe me? Watch these amazing “iPhone torture” movies produced by the folks at PC World. DO NOT TRY THESE TESTS AT HOME!

• Stress Test video of original iPhone
• Stress Test video of new 3G iPhone

Just a side note: seriously. Don’t wash your phone under a tap! Sure in that “stress test” it kept working immediately after being “washed”… but who’s to say what happens a few hours after water seeps into the circuitry, or it starts to rust? Just don’t do it. Please!

What do the folks at Apple say about screen protectors? After all, they sell iPhone screen protectors in their own stores.  While they make no official claims about the scratch resistance of the glass surface, they do say in the context of using the touchscreen that:

Protective plastic sheets or films applied to the touchscreen may block the signal and prevent the touchscreen from working properly.

Okay. So the screen appears to be pretty tough, and Apple says protective films may interfere with the operation of the touchscreen.

After doing the usual Google searches for more opinions I’m finding a mixed bag. Some for, some against. Lots of people trying to sell screen protectors. Many claim they work fine.  Some people have said if their iPhone screen develops minor scratches they simply need to wipe it using the cleaning cloth included with the phone and the scratches disappear.

Take clear shoe polish, rub in a fine coat. Brush in with a cotton cloth. Rub in small, smooth circles all over the glass. Once you can no longer see the film of the polish, then take a polishing cloth, and do the same. The polishing cloth will just help to clear out the film. Once you are finished, you should no longer notice any scratches on the surface.

Use that advice at your own risk!

I think it gets down to personal choice. Some people say they like the screen protectors and it cuts down on reflective glare. I like the smooth unadulterated feel of the iPhone’s touch screen, but at the same time I am sensible and make an effort NOT to keep it with keys, coins, or anything else that might damage its surface.

And look at the bigger picture too. Those “iPhone torture videos” (see links above) show the screen to be quite resistant to damage, but look at the other parts of the phone that were easily scuffed and scratched – most notably the chrome ring around the phone was easily scratched, the back was easily scratched – especially the Apple logo itself, and if planning to drop your phone it will likely land on one of its corners.

You need to consider the possibility that the screen itself is NOT the weakest point susceptible to damage or scratching. So perhaps rather than emphasizing the need for a “screen protector”, you should be focusing more on a “phone protector”. When I’m at work I keep my iPhone in a pouch that securely attaches to my belt, on weekends I use a thick “rubbery” type case that I know will absorb some of the impact of any knocks or drops and protect the edges and corners, and at home my iPhone sits cold and naked in it’s little dock on my desk, charging up.

My advice: use some common sense, and don’t mix your phone with keys and coins in your pocket and you should be just fine without a screen protector. And don’t ride over it with a motorcycle, or blend it. Never, ever put your iPhone in a blender…