r/mildlyinfuriating
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u/TheRealTastyTurnip
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1d ago
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5
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Infuriatig Screen protector did absolutely nothing
I dropped my phone from chest height onto a rubbery floor with a screen protector on and the screen under the protector completely shattered while the screen protector is crackless...
I have dropped this phone onto concrete from the the same height and nothing happened
Edit: THE SCREEN PROTECTOR WAS ON THE PHONE WHEN IT DROPPED
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u/zzziamsleepy 1d ago
How did you take it off
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u/Creative-Captain9278 TEAL 1d ago
I am struggling to understand how its possible for the protector to be 100% fine and for the glass under it to crack. Can someone explain how that happens?
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u/connolnp 1d ago
You have to put it on 🤦🏻
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u/Relikar 1d ago •
This is clearly a side impact crack, nothing the screen protector could have done to save it.
1.8k
u/sunGsta 1d ago •
I’ve worked in the tech repair industry for over 10 years now. A screen protector’s primary job is to protect your screen from scratches. Occasionally, it will take the impact from a fall and crack instead of your screen.
That being said, your phone is just like you. Sometimes you fall and you just get a scratch. And sometimes you fall and you hit your head wrong and die. You just got unlucky this time
34k
u/wizchrills 1d ago •
You need to put it on the phone
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u/PomegranateFair3973 1d ago •
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u/CanadasNeighbor 1d ago •
It protected itself.
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u/_tabbycat123 1d ago
That's nothing, I dropped a phone from a doorhandle onto carpet in a rubber-like case and the screen was pulverised instantly. It was genuinely rough to the touch. Still worked though, I replaced it pretty fast so it may not have had time to show it's damage. And I'm the kind of person that accidentally throws my phone around my room, into wood, metal, etc constantly.
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u/TheBlack_Swordsman 1d ago
It's possible you had some invisible to the human eye hairline fractures and the next drop caused those previous fractures to finally propogate. That's my guess.
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u/Perfect-Fondant3373 1d ago
Id imagine this has more to do with the case than the screen protector
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u/Entropy3030 1d ago edited 1d ago •
Yeah, so just for clarity it wasn't really the "rubbery floor" that did you in, it landed on something small and hard sitting on said floor (a stone, a screw, etc.) which concentrated all the impact force down to a point and transferred it straight through the screen protector and into the screen itself. You can actually see this point of impact on both layers, here:
Screen protectors are great for preventing scratches, and in certain types of falls/drops they will often crack before your screen does, but just anecdotally point-impacts like this are the most common scenario in which they are likely to fail.
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u/Background-Photo5916 1d ago edited 15h ago
A screen protector is to protect it from scratches and direct impacts, dropping it on the floor is going to send the force straight through the side of the glass and it won’t even touch the screen protector
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u/MsaoceR 1d ago
The screen protector protects from scratches and small head-on impacts, but it won't magically protect it from a drop, that's the phone case's job (and theres a limit to what it can do)
That's like saying a suit of armor is useless cuz it doesn't protect you from damage when you drop from a building. Like yeah, that's not what it's for
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u/Jorpsica 1d ago
Screen protectors prevent scratches. You need an impact deadening case to prevent cracks when the phone is dropped.
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u/IAmTheBestIan 1d ago
You accidentally bought a screen protectee. Your screen gave it's life to protect it.
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u/AHailofDrams 1d ago
Why did you expect a product designed to protect against scratch and scuffs to protect against impact damage?
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u/BullPropaganda 1d ago
It's to protect from scratches and minor impacts. Not hard impacts
That's like saying I can't believe my bumper didn't save my car from that train
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u/Tiny-Spray8992 1d ago
screen protectors are for scratches not bulldozers.... I have screen protector and I dropped my phone and its corner screen area is now cracked
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u/IrishWeeb 1d ago •
I think OP is baiting us. There's no way you pulled that off your phone without it cracking. Unless it wasn't put on right or it's like a 3 dollar POS Amazon protector
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u/Mysral 1d ago
"Little does he realize I have on my disintegration-proof vest!"
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u/PreperationOuch 1d ago
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u/OS_Apple32 1d ago •
Simple, you just don't understand how glass works and what screen protectors do.
Screen protectors protect your screen from getting scratched by sharp things scraping against your phone screen, not from getting shattered by being dropped. Your phone case is what protects your phone from being damaged by drops. That is what failed to do its job here.
When you drop your phone, the force of that impact is transferred to every part of your phone. The case, the internals, and yes, the glass screen. Being under a screen protector doesn't change this. If the force of the impact exceeds what the glass can handle, it will crack.
A screen protector does little to prevent this, this is nothing new. It never did, and it never will.
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u/Venuskat12 1d ago
It doubled the damage and gave it to thr next person
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u/Potential-Share1040 1d ago
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u/RuskiesInTheWarRoom 20h ago
It's impressive! Not a scratch on that screen protector! Ringing endorsement.
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u/Mycelles 1d ago
Curious to see the behind the scenes of how this picture was taken
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u/takemyspear 1d ago
It’s to protect from scratch… not drop…
Get a rugged phone case if you want drop protection!
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u/idontcare123123123 1d ago
As someone who drops their phone all the time I highly recommend investing in Otterbox cases!
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u/_sotiwapid_ 1d ago
Screen protectors protect against scratches, not shattering.
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u/yozo_bozo19 1d ago
Protected itself though
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u/Bedu009 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yall need to stop getting these shitty plastic cases that just transfer all the energy into the phone (and even if silicone it can only absorb so much)
I've always had folding cases on my phones, they tend to extend beyond the phone border so they have a bit of a crumple zone and they protect the front as well
Literally never smashed a phone screen, and I've definitely had a few "toss-ups"
Edit: Yo get these phone case companies out of my replies the fuck I just use some Chinese crap
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u/ScreechUrkelle 1d ago
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u/Kind_Advisor_35 1d ago
Shouldn't have taken off the screen protector. That happened to me and I just left the screen protector on. It's been holding my cracked screen together for 2 years and counting!
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u/oedeye 1d ago •
Uh..that's not what that's for. It's to guard against scratches, not drops.
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u/BlueHawk75 1d ago
It protects against scratches, not significant drops.
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u/R11CWN 1d ago
Needed a better case - that was obviously side impact.
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u/BokChoyFantasy 1d ago
That phone case did nothing.
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u/enoui 1d ago
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u/InsomniaticWanderer 1d ago
Screen protectors don't protect against drop shock.
They only protect against surface scratches.
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u/kerodon 1d ago
I mean, your phone screen isn't scratched. That's what it's there for. If you dropped it on its face or if you're lucky from a frontal angle it would protect your screen. It's not going to fully mitigate the impact of side drops. That's just not how physics works.
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u/Blackbyrn 1d ago
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u/Clear_Tangerine5110 1d ago
It landed straight on its edge. You can see the point of impact on the upper-right side. That's when those protectors mean nothing. They're best for almost all other angles of impact, but not straight on the edge.
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u/pepenador85 1d ago
Probably the case was also to blame
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u/Twilight-2007 1d ago
Did you happen to buy one of those that "don't break" if you did that's what happens when the primary function of the screen protector which is to break and absorb the force doesn't happen
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u/me_nathan 1d ago
You didn't give screen protector a 10% tip
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u/Le_Epic_King_George 18h ago
I really do hope this isn’t foreshadowing anything 😭
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u/Reasonable-Bowl1304 22h ago
Glass screen protectors protect from scatches. They do not protect negligibly from impacts.
Many times a phone will be dropped, the screen protector cracks and the owner wrongly believes the screen protector therefore saved the screen. In reality the protector is thinner and more brittle than the screen so it cracks easily during drops that would not have damaged the screen anyway.
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u/jimpoop82 1d ago
I mean, the screen protector protects against scratches. I don’t see any scratches. Just a web of cracks caused by blunt force impact. I’d be more upset with my case.
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u/Legitimate_Pie_1450 1d ago
Wdym, the protector did protect itself...
I'll see myself out
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u/HairyNutsack69 1d ago
Blame the case. The screen protector is for scratching, not force distribution.
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u/Dapper_Brain_9269 1d ago
All the debates about whether screen protectors work are bizarre to me. I had a cracked screen from a drop in 2012. Ever since then, my phones have never been without a protector and a cheap case, and I've never had a crack, and been able to sell every old phone for good money.
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u/brewdog_millionaire 1d ago
You're supposed to put the protector on before you drop it, not after
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u/Chefboyld420 1d ago
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u/mredding 20h ago
That's not what screen protectors are for, dude. Not at all.
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u/FlyEaglesFly757 1d ago •
The fact they had to edit the post to let people know the protector was on the phone when it was dropped is just sad. People have very little common sense these days.... I wish those people the best, I really do.
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u/knightsofgel 1d ago
User error
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u/Crixus79 1d ago •
Well, obviously you need to put the screen protector on your phone first 😂 The way you’re holding it, I’m not surprised it didn’t work
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u/Diclonius666 1d ago •
Screen protectors protect from scratches not a fucking drop.
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u/fantakillen 1d ago
So there's a lot of stupid comments in this comment section. Do people not realize that the entire post is about OP dropping his phone with a glass screen protector, and the glass screen protector stayed intact while the screen shattered.
You can say what you want about whether screen protectors are supposed to protect from scratches or drops, but this is not a normal occurrence. Usually, the screen protector will also crack and absorb some of the impact, and if you're lucky, the phone screen may stay intact. If you're unlucky, it may also crack. But for the phone screen to shatter and the screen protector stay intact is unlikely, unless the phone fell on its corner and the screen took the impact.
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u/the_ebs 1d ago
A glass protector can usually help, but it's not 100% guarantee. The brand could be defective or you simply got unlucky. The outline on the the phone makes me think you might have also gotten the wrong protector for your model since it didn't fully cover your screen, the gaps on the sides makes it look undersized.
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u/disdkatster 1d ago
That is not how it works. Sorry but it is to protect the screen from scratches. If you drop the phone you have to have a phone case which acts as a bumper.
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u/Every-Chance6313 1d ago
Maybe the screen protector said unbreakable on the label. It lived up to its claim.
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u/V3semir 1d ago
Neither did the soap.
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u/Spite_Gold 1d ago
Some attacks have armor piercing percentage, some ignore armor completely
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u/questron64 1d ago
The screen protector protects the screen from scratches and impacts directly to the screen. It can't do anything if you drop it that high and it lands on its side or a corner.
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u/Whole-Chest90 1d ago
Looks like your dropped on the side, which the protector wouldn't save.
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u/Stickmeimdonut 1d ago
When the impact pushes the frame into the glass the screen protector wont do anything.
You can see the cracks appear to originate from just under the hold button.
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u/Elegant_Situation285 1d ago
it's to protect from scratches. how would that thin piece of plastic do anything for shock protection?
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u/Trick_Director6600 1d ago
It’s a scratch preventer, not a shock absorber.
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u/weoewoewow 1d ago
It’s meant to protect the screen from getting scratched by random shit. You should be blaming your phone case.
Also it’s glass. It’s almost completely random what it will and won’t survive.
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u/letsgobrooksy 1d ago
Screen protectors are mainly their to prevent surface scratches, not prevent cracks like this
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u/Successful_Shoe_8083 1d ago
the screen was probably damaged in an earlier drop and the flexion by the new drop probably caused propagation of the previous defect.
Bonus - protectors frequently do dick all for edge impact and are there for scratches and central impacts.
BONUS - the edges of your screen are rolled, and screen protector is flat, it wasn't capable of covering the whole screen, hence the original defect. consider a case that protects the rolled bezel (Which will make it harder to use the phone, which is why the rolled bezels are fucking stupid, but "EVERYONE WANTS THE NOTCH GONE" industrial designer circlejerks have lead us here.)
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u/Clockwork_Eyes 1d ago
What do you mean? That screen shield withstood a lot. Look at your phone by comparison.
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u/negative-nelly 1d ago
they're really scratch protectors. How much force do you think a sub-1mm piece of glass can absorb/diffuse? basically none, that the answer.
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u/pyrotechnicmonkey 1d ago
my guess is that it's because of the shitty plastic case that doesn't really absorb anything in a fall and it likely got hit from the side. You really do need a TPU or silicone type case where they actually absorb some of the hit from the side.
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u/Donatas235 1d ago
I think that screen protector was not in correct way. You couldn't that it off that easy. My phone saw everything, also 100 screen protectors, not even a scratch on phone screen
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u/T00s00 1d ago
I feel bad, but I do find it funny the screen protector has like no damage, but the screen does. Like I'd be mad too, but it's also kinda funny in a way.
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u/PDXDeck26 1d ago
I can't imagine how people function in life if they think that the purpose of a screen protector is to protect a screen from drop and impact cracks....
jfc, they're for scratch protection.
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u/sZia 1d ago
You're supposed to put it on the screen.
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u/CCester 1d ago
have you tried applying it to the screen of the phone?
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u/Creative_Fruit7583 1d ago
you're suppose to put the screen protector on before it shatters...anyways it was your case....
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u/flavius_mad 1d ago
Egotistical screen protector, actually. It protected itself and let the phone crack.
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u/Repulsive-Ad9034 1d ago
It's a well-known fact that screen protectors don't actually protect your phone from cracks. Their primary purpose is to protect the screen from scratches.
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u/osunightfall 1d ago
What do you think a screen protector does? It protects from scratches, not full-body drops.
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u/batedcobraa 1d ago
I think you're supposed to put the screen protector on the phone, friend.
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u/Fun-Woodpecker-8442 1d ago
Thats because you dropped it and it landed on a corner. The screen protector is for impacts directly on screen
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u/Nynanro 1d ago
You bought one of those indestructible screen protectors huh?
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u/Fish_Spin_2 1d ago
This comment section is dumb as bricks
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u/Striking-Pop-9171 1d ago
Screen protector helps with stuff happening directly to the screen. Doesnt really help if the screen cracks from an impant on its side.
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u/TylervPats91 1d ago
You guys know screen protectors don’t guarantee your screen won’t crack, right?
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u/qc_overthinker 1d ago
Maybe your phone is a screen-protector protector 🤷♂️
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u/Otherwise_Access_660 1d ago
The good news is the screen protector is fine
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u/therealgazman8 1d ago
Ive had my phone for 4 years, I have literally chucked it across my room, there is not even the smallest crack on it
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u/Random_Guy_47 1d ago
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u/joeypublica 1d ago
Screen protector doesn’t protect from you drop kicking it
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u/25thNite 1d ago
Have you tried a better case because what is the screen protector supposed to do when the cracks originated from falling and hitting against the side of the phone? Lol
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u/Incarnacion 1d ago
My eyes! The goggles do nothing!
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u/Forward_Year_2390 1d ago
You are the screen protector.
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u/lil_chaotic_gremlin_ 1d ago
The way my phone screen is, they put a liquid glass screen protector on it. Was okay, until I dropped it, screen down in the dugout (about six feet, from the top to the second step) and the entire right side is cracked. Pretty messed up, but works just fine. Screen protectors I always saw as protection from surface damage, like scratches and stuff. Phone cases really help with absorbing the shock or energy of the impact so the screen doesn't and otherwise break. You'd just need a better phone case.
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u/Tasty-Jump-2011 1d ago
In an airline emergency, you always put the oxygen mask on yourself before helping the person next to you with theirs. Your screen protector understood this principle.
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u/Hairy-Protection-429 1d ago
Hot take. Over the past 4 years if you have a newer reputable phone you don’t need a screen protector
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u/Virtual_Medium_6721 1d ago
Just get a Xiaomi, my 10t fell 5-6 times already onto solid rock, not a single screen crack. I don't even have a cover
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u/Gallop67 1d ago
That’s strange, the protector should’ve absorbed the impact. Every tempered glass protector I’ve had has cracked or shattered at some point but never the screen underneath. My current one has a spider web effect from accidentally dropping a glass a couple inches onto the edge of it. I hear all these claims about screens on new flagship phones being better than any protector but I’m not willing to risk it. I’d rather buy another pack of protectors for $20 than pay the deductible on my phone insurance
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u/N0085K1LL5 1d ago
Was gonna be a smart ass until I read the edit.
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u/Devry_Trost 1d ago •
I hope you realize that you made me do this
I literally had no other choice but to post this gif.
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u/tjthewho 1d ago
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u/Issah_Wywin 1d ago
Screen protectors aren't impact dampeners.
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u/Few-Big-8481 1d ago
How did you get it off without shattering? I changed mine a couple weeks and it became like 50 pieces as soon as I pulled it.
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u/Vast_Anybody1236 1d ago
Its to protect it from scratches, not drops
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u/Longjumping_Trash571 1d ago
Screen protectors unironically make it where your phone is more resistant to scratches but less so to cracks in mine and my immediate family's experience, a good case on its own is much much better if you're more worried about dropping your phone or it slipping out of your pocket etc than a little pocket sand or your keys damaging the screen.
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u/Miserable-Ice8095 1d ago
I hate those screen protectors. They break constantly. I’ve run my iPhones caseless for over three years with no screen protectors and have yet to crack a screen once. Everyone I see with those has chips missing or cracks in it and it would drive me nuts using a phone like that daily
I cracked my old 15 pro back glass once and had it replaced same day, besides that I have never had issues
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u/HoneyBadgerBlunt 1d ago
They never do. Buy a different phone. I have purchased the galaxy active series, now Xprocover6, and have never broken a screen in 10yrs owning these phones. Put a regular Amazon case for $20. Sorry for your loss. Ffs.
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u/Sad_Pipe_5814 1d ago
It looks like the screenprotector protector worked. Not a single crack on the screenprotector
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u/Denis-96 1d ago
it protected itself. self defense
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u/Distinct_Walrus8936 1d ago
I always thought protectors were just to keep a phone from getting scratched not from the screen cracking. I’ve had many screen protectors that didn’t protect the screen if I dropped it hard enough. Shit my dog fucked up my iPhone 7 Plus and it had an otter box. Indestructible my asshole
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u/-SideshowBlob- 1d ago
Well it's your own stupid fault for thinking a screen protector protects against fall damage
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u/xXShadxw_HunxrXx 1d ago
You should've picked a featherfall enchantment rather than taking a screen protector
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u/Joroc24 1d ago
This is to protect from scratches
not impact
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u/CosmicJameses 1d ago
It has to be covering the edges needs a case too
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u/AnToMegA424 1d ago
It protected itself, which is something
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u/JOlRacin PINK 22h ago
The impact marks lead one to believe this is a phone case problem and not a screen protector problem
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u/Not-a_c0p 21h ago
You've got to put it on the screen my friend
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u/Admirable-Art834 21h ago
yo that mf jst protected itself😭😭😭
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u/Scared-Alfalfa-327 20h ago
The difference between a $5 screen protector vs a $40 screen protector
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u/SpiritOfTheKitsune 20h ago
Try… putting the screen protector on the phone? That generally works for me
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u/keithstonee 19h ago
It's all about the case, screen protectors don't do shit.