While at CES, I had a chance to pick up one of the new Zagg InvisibleShield Glass Curve Elite screen protectors for the Samsung Galaxy Note8. The first thing I did when I returned home was to slap it on my phone, and I’ve got to tell you — it’s one of the nicest I’ve tried.
You’ve seen one screen protector, you’ve seen them all … right? Not exactly. The InvisibleShield Glass Curve Elite is made of smooth tempered glass. It features a custom, curved fit with a shock absorbent layer; it provides impact and scratch protection, and it has a smudge-resistant finish. You’ll also notice no change in the way you interact with your device’s screen when this protector is installed.
Inside the box, you’ll find the glass screen protector, a plastic tray for easy installation, a cleaning wipe, a plastic squeegee, a microfiber cloth, a sticker for dust removal, and instructions.
The way things are set up, you really can’t mess the installation up. After you’ve used the cleaning wipe on your screen, you need to buff the screen with the microfiber cloth. Pro-tip: If you have some compressed air handy, go ahead and give it a light blast. Next, you’ll fit the red plastic guide tray over the screen of your Note8. Once the tray is in place, you pull the backing off of the screen protector and lay it down on the Note8 using the tray as your guide. Use the squeegee to remove any bubbles and push the protector down. Remove the tray, peel off the protective cover on the screen protector, and you are done! No bubbles, no skewed installs, just a perfectly installed curved screen protector.
Here’s a video of the process …
Here’s my Note8 after the ZAGG InvisibleShield Glass Curve Elite Screen Protector installation. It feels (and looks) like the original glass, is responsive as the original glass, but the beauty of it is that I no longer have to worry about scratches or face-down drops.
Worth noting is that this isn’t like so many glass protectors that stop short of where the screen starts to curve; instead, the ZAGG InvisibleShield Glass Curve Elite screen protector for the Samsung Galaxy Note8 fits the contours of your screen precisely and offers edge to edge protection.
Replacing a device’s screen is anywhere from $80 on up, each time. Paying $50 for a ZAGG InvisibleShield Glass Curve Elite Screen Protector may seem like a steep price upfront, but if you drop it and break it, or if anything else happens to your screen protector, ZAGG will replace it for free (just be sure to register it once you open our box!).
Glass Curve Elite, the toughest glass screen protection available, is backed by our famous limited lifetime warranty. If your Glass+ Luxe ever gets worn or damaged, we’ll replace it for as long as you own your device. Want to know more? Click here
The ZAGG InvisibleShield Glass Curve Elite Screen Protector for Samsung Galaxy Note8 retails for $49.99, and it is available directly from the manufacturer.
Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample
What I Like: Easy to install; Looks, feels, and responds like the original glass; Fits your curved screen from edge to edge; Provides drop and scratch protection for your screen; Less expensive than a screen replacement; Lifetime warranty
What Needs Improvement: The $50 price may give you pause, but it is much less than the price of a new screen!
This screen protector is much better than the previous version from ZAGG. It has adhesive on the back of the entire screen surface, giving much better tactile response. The older version only had adhesive along the sides and had a consistent problem with poor touch response. As for cost, you can now pick these up for less than $10, making them a very cost effective means of excellent protection.
There is one downside though. If you look at the video, you’ll notice that there’s a black border around the entire periphery, continuing along the sides. On the sides, along the curved edges, this black line intrudes on the screen and interferes with visibility. Yes, it is along the curved section, but still too high up the curve. I don’t know what they were thinking, but they should have just left it clear.
Update. A new MAJOR problem. The Elite screen protector for the Note 8 has been discontinued. Not all of the Elites, just for the Note 8. Now, if you can’t buy one that’s one thing, but Zagg does not even maintain warranty stock for this. Really? Come on. The phone’s only two years old. So, you pay $40 specifically because the screen protector has a lifetime warranty, then you find out, when you go to use it, that there’s no warranty at all! Oh, they’ll replace it with a plastic one, or with one with edge adhesive only, but those are a fraction of the price (and the edge-only is terrible, poor touch sensitivity). VERY DISAPPOINTED, and yes, I found this out the hard way, when I tried to replace one.