When you buy a brand new mobile that has cost you 200 or 300 euros or, if it is a high-end one, more than 800 euros, surely the last thing you want is for it to fall or hit and break the screen. Something that is usually very common, and that will end up leaving you without your office and pocket operations center. Well, to continue keeping your device with which you do most things, it is best to protect it with a good case and a hydrogel or tempered glass screen protector.
However, many have doubts about what is better to protect the screen and the mobile device itself. All these doubts will be clarified in this article.
Corning Gorilla Glass is not invincible
Mobile phones usually include increasingly resistant screens, thanks to the Corning Inc. brand technology, an American company specializing in reinforced glass, ceramics, and other materials for scientific, industrial, or military use. Currently, it has become famous for its Gorilla Glass technology that many manufacturers have included to protect their screens from bumps and falls.
Corning Glass is a special chemically strengthened glass and that was introduced in 2008. Despite the thinness of the sheet, it has a high resistance, thanks to the alkali-aluminosilicate combination. This material is resistant to fractures and scratches, making it ideal for protecting the screens of mobile devices.
There are several generations of Corning Glass that have been progressively improving. These versions are:
- Gorilla Glass 1: it is the first version, with a resistant glass and thickness of 1.5 mm. It was used in the Apple iPhone.
- 2 version: the second generation would arrive to reduce the thickness to 1.2 mm, but maintaining the same resistance.
- 3 and 3+: It appeared in 2013, with impact resistance from 0.8 meters high, the same thickness as generation 2, and with a new technology called NDR (Native Damage Resistance).
- Gorilla Glass 4: the fourth would appear a year later, but it was not used much. The improvement of this was in the resistance.
- 5 version: in 2016 this other generation was launched, which multiplied the resistance to shocks up to 1.2 meters high and protected against scratches. The thickness in this case was only 0.4 to 1.2 mm.
- 6: The thickness was reduced between 0.4 and 0.9 with the arrival of Corning Gorilla Glass 6, but this 2018 technology guaranteed protection for drops up to 1.6 meters.
- Gorilla Glass Foods: it is one of the latest generations, and one of the most resistant. It would withstand drops of up to 2 meters in height, and has thicknesses between 0.4 and 1.2 mm. It appeared in 2020, and is also known as Gorilla Glass 7.
- Other: There are other lesser known versions, such as Antimicrobial, to be more hygienic, or Gorilla Glass DX and DX+, Vibrant, etc.
Evidently this glass is not infallible, and if it breaks, the screen will have to be changed, at a cost that is not cheap. Therefore, it is better to include an extra layer of protection by using a hydrogel screen protector or tempered glass to further secure your mobile device.
Hydrogel screen protector vs tempered glass
To protect your mobile screen, and not leave everything in the hands of Corning Gorilla Glass, in case it fails, you should always think about buying a good hydrogel screen protector, a tempered glass protector, and preferably combine them with a case or cover for also protect the rest of the mobile device against scratches, dirt, bumps, falls, etc.. But the question is which one is better?
What is a hydrogel screen protector?
The hydrogel is a type of three-dimensional network with flexible chains and that is usually swollen by a liquid: water. In the case of a hydrogel screen protector, refers to a soft film made of flexible polyurethane or high-ductility polyethylene which is used as a flexible protector for smartphones.
You'll hardly notice you're wearing it, due to how thin it is, but it can stand up to the screen very well. Despite appearing more fragile than tempered glass, it is not. It resists even more than this other element, which is why it is currently preferred to protect against impacts. Too protects from scratches, in fact, if there is a superficial one, it regenerates and disappears.
What is a tempered glass screen protector?
Tempered glass or tempered glass is a kind of safety material that has been subjected to thermal and chemical treatments to generate greater resistance than in normal glass. This is how you get this type of tempered glass mobile phone protectors. And, with the advent of hydrogel screen protectors, tempered glass screen protectors have fallen in price, now being cheaper.
The problem with this material is that it is not as resistant as hydrogel, nor is it as thin, and the new 2.5D screens or the curves make this type of protector worthless, since do not have the flexibility of hydrogel and cannot be adapted.
Advantages and disadvantages
To clear doubts, here are the advantages and disadvantages of hydrogel screen protector for your mobile:
- Advantages:
- Can be adapted to screens 2.5D and curved, something that tempered glass cannot do due to its rigidity.
- If it hits and breaks, it does not cut, glass can generate sharp fragments.
- It absorbs shocks much better, since it is a soft surface and can regain its form (regenerate).
- Does not produce faults in the fingerprint reader digital if it is on the front. Due to its thin thickness, it facilitates the reading of fingerprints and does not leave these biometric sensors inoperative like some tempered glass.
- more versatile, since it can be used both as a screen protector and as a rear protector of the mobile to protect the back also from bumps and scratches.
- Less risk of having bubble problems of air when installed.
- Disadvantages:
- Es more complicated to install, and it will take longer to process than tempered glass. Especially on curved screens, where even a little heat must be given for it to be well integrated.
- The hydrogel screen protector is more expensive. While tempered glass can cost €3-5, hydrogel can cost twice as much.
En conclusionIn general, the best option is to choose the hydrogel screen protector.