Protecting the Edge

I'm one of those people that does not believe in a naked smartphone. A case and a screen protector are a must. These days a phone costs more than a computer or a car payment and the idea of leaving it exposed to the harsh world is unthinkable to me. When I received my new Edge +, I had no case or protector, so it sat in the box for for a couple of days till those arrived. Oh, the anticipation. But clothing the Edge+ proved to be harder than expected, so I'm sharing my experience.

When my accoutrements finally showed up, I went straight to the task of installing them. First the screen protector. I went for a tempered glass model, since those feel the best, but there were few choices for the edge screen. Also strange, they mostly had a colored finish around the sides. So I found a cool green one (the Edge+'s little brother comes in a gorgeous emerald green color, that I was hoping this protector would emulate, it didn't). The install went well, bubble free and matched up with home key and speaker. But when I powered on the phone, it had a weird dot pattern in the glass. My new beautiful quad HD display marred with a grid of dots, what the heck? Then I put on the case, a minimal clear plastic model. I guess not minimal enough, because when I snapped it on, the edges of the screen protector cracked. Yikes. Luckily I had bought 2, so I put the second one on, but the case kept pushing the sides up.  Clearly this combo was not going to work.

Combo #1:

   

On to the second try...after a bit of research, I tracked down a screen protector that declared it was 'case friendly'. Perfect, except it was plastic. It got good reviews on amazon so I decided to try it. The install process was...interesting.  It was a 'wet' install, basically you spray the phone and protector with some kind of magic liquid that allows for adjustment, then squeegee out all the excess liquid. I did the initial install and it looked pretty good, but there appeared to be a hair under it, so I pulled it up and wiped it down, repeated the process, hair still there. After a third and fourth try, not only was it still there, but now I had two...I was able to clean off the new one but the old one was still there. I completed  the install, hair and all. Overall the protector was surprisingly good for a plastic one and unbelievably,  the 'hair' disappeared. The billing of self healing was true! I complained to the company about the install anyway and they sent me a replacement shield. Good customer service. And it truly was case friendly working well with the second case, an even more minimal plastic case.

Combo #2

  

So I'm good now, right? Not quite. Being the glutton for punishment that I am, I was determined to find a tempered glass protector, so I ordered one off eBay that was all clear, no color border, and the pic on the listing revealed no dots. But...when it arrived, there were the dots. Didn't even put it on, just complained to the seller and they refunded my money. Next...

Image from Ebay listing: (looks clear to me)                 

Actual glass:

I decided to try another plastic model, since I had the best success with that to date. I found a well recommended one that came in a pack of 6 for $1.99, pretty low risk, so I went for it. Good thing they were so cheap, cause it took 3 attempts to get a clean install. But once I did, I was pretty pleased with it. These cheapies were a great deal and what I'm using now, along with an aluminum bumper case. But, the edges are starting to come up a bit, so I'll probably have to replace it soon.

Combo #3:

 

I still haven't given up on glass and have another option on deck, waiting for a rainy day that I feel bold enough to try it.

Till then, the Edge is protected, but it was not easy. Maybe there is something to be said for going naked.