Protection with an almost perfect fit.
I am a pretty strong believer in keeping my iPhone the way it was when I pulled it out of the box. Then again I also believe in keeping it protected so depending on the circumstances will depend on when I use cases. The same is true when it comes to screen protectors. I normally just like the Privacy glass style of screen protectors that hides my screen from prying eyes but recently, I started to get pretty aggravated with fingerprints so I decided to try something new and installed the Tempered Glass Screen Protector from Catalyst onto my iPhone X.
DETAILS
Catalyst has a long-standing history of designing heavy-duty protective accessories for iPhones so I felt confident that using one of their screen protectors would not only help keep my iPhone X safe but it would also have a long lifespan. The screen protector is tempered glass with an industry leading strength of 9H hardness. The Catalyst screen protector provides one of the highest rated scratch protection available for your iPhone. It has an oleophobic coating that repels oil along with fingerprints. The glass is shatter resistant and comes packaged with an installation kit that includes a cleaning cloth, dust remover sticker, and alcohol cleaning pad.
SPECS
- 9H Scratch Resistant
- Fingerprint Free
- Shatter Resistant
- Bubble Free
- Case Friendly
- High Definition Clarity
- Easy to Install
- Compatible with Catalyst Impact Protection Cases
USER EXPERIENCE
The screen protector comes packaged in a simple Catalyst branded cardboard sleeve. The sleeve opens up like an envelope to reveal the installation kit and the glass. The packaging has quite a bit of product information included along with instructions for installation of the glass. The packaging is clearly marked according to which iPhone the product is meant to be used for.
Installation of the glass was fairly easy and the sequence of events was very similar to other screen protectors I’ve used in the past. The first thing I was instructed to do was to clean the surface of my iPhone’s screen. I did so with the provided alcohol wipe as well as another screen cleaner I already had. Even though the fingerprints were wiped away with that cleaning, there was still some lint that stuck around so I use the dust remover sticker to help remove the latent specks. I’ve found that the best way to install a glass screen protector is to move as quickly as possible once it’s clean so that you don’t chance dirt reinfecting the surface.
The Catalyst glass lays onto the iPhone X screen smoothly and with just a little effort, the air bubbles can be pushed out across the sides. I did have one very small pocket get trapped under the screen protector and I’m not sure if it’s because of dirt particles or just air, but it will not push out. Aside from that one spot, I have been very happy with the screen protector. While it doesn’t quite live up to its “fingerprint free” claim, it is certainly resistant and I’ve been able to clean it off a lot easier than my screen with no protector on it.
Even though installation was pretty simple, I ended up having a few issues with the glass. First, the screen protector seems to be cut just a little too small for the iPhone X’s screen. While this doesn’t really seem to affect the function of the glass, it’s a little off aesthically-speaking. Second, after using the screen protector for about 10 days, I’ve noticed that it’s beginning to pull away from the screen of the iPhone. I noticed this imperfection after about 8 days and it’s just gotten worse simce that time. The screen protector is plenty tough but not perfect.
CONCLUSION
Even though I’ve been resistant to housing my phone in a case, I do appreciate a strong screen protector for my iPhone. Catalyst continues to make a very nice product but I would love to see this tailored just a little better for the iPhone X and the seal be a bit more secure.
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>I’ve noticed that it’s beginning to pull away from the screen of the iPhone
This is why I never even bother with screen protectors… I still haven’t found one to this day that doesn’t eventually start pulling away from the screen, and I’m way too OCD to live with a partially detached screen protector. It drives me insane. Fortunately I never seem to get scratches on my screen anyway so it’s not a big deal.