The first drop test is in - Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion

I think it fared just as well as we thought it would. It's pretty durable and scratch resistant but not shatterproof, that's for sure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU8S_BjByKU
Looks like we're still dealing with GG4 here.

Thanks. I've been waiting for this

Fair play to the iPhone, that is one hardy piece of kit. As for the S7, given the amount of glass it has externally, it did about as well as I would have expected. Personally, I'd prefer the back to be aluminium rather than glass, but there is no doubt it wouldn't have looked as nice. I'm going to have a silicon cover on mine, so would hope the only likely drops will result in no issues at all. Then again, I can count the amount of times I have dropped phones on less than one hand in the last five years.

That's disappointing. The S6 edge did a bit better back in the day?

xxaarraa said:
That's disappointing. The S6 edge did a bit better back in the day?
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To be fair, you can't take one test like that and compare it directly to another device in a similar test and say one is conclusively better, or at least not from a single test anyway. There are numerous factors which could make a massive difference. Simple fortune on how the device lands for example could be the difference between a cracked screen and a few scratches. Look at the iPhone 6s+ screen in that test for example, it didn't break at all despite all those tests. Yet I remember seeing another drop test on exactly the same device which resulted in a cracked screen on the second drop from head height. There are simply too many factors involved.
That said, the flat glass on the back of the S6 does strike me as being more resilient, purely due to the shape and the fact it would be more difficult to make contact with the ground on a drop. The metal surround would invariably make contact first.

The 6S is indestructible lol. In any case, the Edge fared far better than I thought it would.

GG4 on the back glass and GG5 on the front https://youtu.be/D_bB5fnN7Jk

I really wish Samsung would do what Motorolo did a few years ago and let you build the phone to your liking. Ok I want an aluminum back, 8 cores, 8gb or Ram, etc and it cost this much....
I have never been a fan of the glass backs. I throw mine in a case right away for protection so could care less about it being pretty... I want it to be durable... I mean I did just shell out a lot of money for it and I want it to LAST!!!

Talking about that video above, I have always found it amazing that anyone would keep their phone in their back pocket. Absolute stupidity.

There wouldn't be wireless charging if no glass back? Or maybe Samsung Pay? Aluminum back would be a conductor. The s7 edge is rather bigger than the s6/edge so there's more surface area for damage and any point of strike will have a higher chance of cracking. The phone did really good I'd say....

Related

Nexus s screen test

I just want to know how many people have already a scratched screen on their Nexus s
The screen is pretty strong against scratches. I definitely put nothing in the same pocket as any phone that I might be carrying, but even if you had keys with the screen facing them, you won't end up with any scratches. (The same can't be said about the Nexus S's back plate though).
my vote might not actually count. i've had an invisibleshield on my phone from the day I got it
you all would agree that gorilla glass is much stronger than of nexus s, am i wrong? i just want a phone which has a long lasting durability...
well if you want to put the screen surface to the test, it probably is....but in day to today usage it doesn't really matter, at least for me. (this depends on how one treats a handset).
I got a friend who consistently strip the paint off from handset (any phone) in less than a week...doesn't bother him much, advised him to change the casing and he replied that it doesn't do any good it'll be in a same state in a week...that is just how he treats the handset.
On another view, looks kinda hardcore though, beaten to a pulp cosmetically but still function as a normal phone.
Had mine since April with no screen protector. Not a scratch on it.
All of my phones have had visiable and annoying scratches after a few weeks, sometimes days..
My nexus s on the other hand is great. No scratches what so ever One dead pixel, but it disappeared after a week..

Screen protectors

What have you found to be a good screen protector for the Blaze? I have been looking for something that will last. I just got some "C. Skins" that have a two year warranty off of fleabay for a whole $1.99 so I figured I would give them a try. I'm not expecting much for the price, but figured I would give it a shot. My initial report is that it won't stay down around the edges. I might trim a little off the edges and give it another try. (there were 6 in the package so I can experiment on a couple)
What other brands out have a good reputation and work on the Blaze? Thanks for any and all input.
My reply is not specifically what you're looking for, but is another viewpoint.
For over 2 years I carried a Nexus One with me wherever I went. Even though it was my first full screen phone, I only used one of those screen protectors for a few days.
For 2 years it was always carried in my front pocket, mostly in my jeans or shorts, or whatever. I did drop the phone a few times, nothing really catastrophic, but the bigger crime I would commit with my phone is using it sometimes with wet hands, and once or twice I used it in the rain.
My screen for that phone is still in PRISTINE shape. Not a single scratch on it. It has a very very small ding on the phone from when I dropped it once, but when I went to switch carriers, the guy is like, "This phone looks brand spanking new."
It's true I used a silicone style case for the back of the phone, mostly because the N1 is freaking slippery....but the screen was immaculate.
A friend of mine has a similar story with his Iphone 3gs, or whatever it's called. The materials that the phones have been made from for the last few years is pretty durable. I remember watching youtube videos of N1's users taking their brand new phones and marring them with keys, pressing really hard, and they wouldn't scratch.
I have no idea if the screen on this model phone is made of anything similar in a material, but I would certainly assume so, I'm sure most if not all of full screen phones are just as durable.
I didn't even buy a back cover this time, and it's been great.
Anyways, consider going "naked" with your phone. It "feels better".
I've used invisibleShields by Zagg on my past four phones, plus various devices such as digital camera screens and such. They're worth the price.
Cirkustanz said:
My reply is not specifically what you're looking for, but is another viewpoint.
For over 2 years I carried a Nexus One with me wherever I went. Even though it was my first full screen phone, I only used one of those screen protectors for a few days.
For 2 years it was always carried in my front pocket, mostly in my jeans or shorts, or whatever. I did drop the phone a few times, nothing really catastrophic, but the bigger crime I would commit with my phone is using it sometimes with wet hands, and once or twice I used it in the rain.
My screen for that phone is still in PRISTINE shape. Not a single scratch on it. It has a very very small ding on the phone from when I dropped it once, but when I went to switch carriers, the guy is like, "This phone looks brand spanking new."
It's true I used a silicone style case for the back of the phone, mostly because the N1 is freaking slippery....but the screen was immaculate.
A friend of mine has a similar story with his Iphone 3gs, or whatever it's called. The materials that the phones have been made from for the last few years is pretty durable. I remember watching youtube videos of N1's users taking their brand new phones and marring them with keys, pressing really hard, and they wouldn't scratch.
I have no idea if the screen on this model phone is made of anything similar in a material, but I would certainly assume so, I'm sure most if not all of full screen phones are just as durable.
I didn't even buy a back cover this time, and it's been great.
Anyways, consider going "naked" with your phone. It "feels better".
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Thank you for the insight on the screens, I always carry my phone in my front pocket also and I'm worried about cracking the screen if I bend over against something and put pressure on the phone. I might just be overreacting on this but this is my first full screen smarty phone and I don't want to kill it.
Dedridd said:
I've used invisibleShields by Zagg on my past four phones, plus various devices such as digital camera screens and such. They're worth the price.
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Thanks, that is one that I was looking into also.
Anyone else have a recomendation on other brands?
Those screen protector films won't protect against the screen being cracked. Minor scratches, sure.
Having said that, it takes a *LOT* to crack the screens. Sure, it can be done easily, but I've seen iphones and htc incredibles lobbed across the room (not thrown like a baseball mind you, but tossed as if you were intending someone to catch it) and the person mis-threw and the phones were fine.
As far as scratches go......even if the phone does get scratched, (which is really hard to do and it needs to either be an extreme freak accident or something done intentionally, seriously I just took a fork to my nexus one tried to scratch it with the fork) the phone will still work. In order to scratch the screen I think you'd need to have something sharp and very hard, like a roofing nail or the tip of a steak knife.
The fork bent, and the screen is still not scratched.
I really understand where you are coming from on wanting to keep your phone in tip top shape, especially since the phones are expensive nowadays, but what I'm trying to say is don't worry about it so much.
The best thing you can do to not damage your phone is to not let them get wet. Don't be that guy at the bar with your phone sitting on the counter just waiting for some drunk guy to accidentally spill his beer on it.
Put that phone in your front pocket, even if you are wearing tight jeans, and have to crouch over, don't worry, your phone will be fine. I've been telling this over and over to a friend of mine who just recently got his first real phone (blah, an iphone 4s) and he treats the phone like it's an infant.
It's so funny. I'm not saying you should use your phone as a hammer to fix your roof, I'm just saying that the phones are rugged. Seriously, think about how many get sold, if they were so fragile, people would be up in arms every 2 weeks when their phone fell off the table.
Cirkustanz said:
Those screen protector films won't protect against the screen being cracked. Minor scratches, sure.
Having said that, it takes a *LOT* to crack the screens. Sure, it can be done easily, but I've seen iphones and htc incredibles lobbed across the room (not thrown like a baseball mind you, but tossed as if you were intending someone to catch it) and the person mis-threw and the phones were fine.
As far as scratches go......even if the phone does get scratched, (which is really hard to do and it needs to either be an extreme freak accident or something done intentionally, seriously I just took a fork to my nexus one tried to scratch it with the fork) the phone will still work. In order to scratch the screen I think you'd need to have something sharp and very hard, like a roofing nail or the tip of a steak knife.
The fork bent, and the screen is still not scratched.
I really understand where you are coming from on wanting to keep your phone in tip top shape, especially since the phones are expensive nowadays, but what I'm trying to say is don't worry about it so much.
The best thing you can do to not damage your phone is to not let them get wet. Don't be that guy at the bar with your phone sitting on the counter just waiting for some drunk guy to accidentally spill his beer on it.
Put that phone in your front pocket, even if you are wearing tight jeans, and have to crouch over, don't worry, your phone will be fine. I've been telling this over and over to a friend of mine who just recently got his first real phone (blah, an iphone 4s) and he treats the phone like it's an infant.
It's so funny. I'm not saying you should use your phone as a hammer to fix your roof, I'm just saying that the phones are rugged. Seriously, think about how many get sold, if they were so fragile, people would be up in arms every 2 weeks when their phone fell off the table.
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normally I keep my phone in my front pocket with change and a lighter. I'm glad to hear that these phones are durable enough not to worry about them too much. Thanks for the insight on this.
Cirkustanz said:
For over 2 years I carried a Nexus One with me wherever I went. Even though it was my first full screen phone, I only used one of those screen protectors for a few days.
For 2 years it was always carried in my front pocket, mostly in my jeans or shorts, or whatever. I did drop the phone a few times, nothing really catastrophic, but the bigger crime I would commit with my phone is using it sometimes with wet hands, and once or twice I used it in the rain.
My screen for that phone is still in PRISTINE shape. Not a single scratch on it. It has a very very small ding on the phone from when I dropped it once, but when I went to switch carriers, the guy is like, "This phone looks brand spanking new."
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I must be one unlucky guy then. I have always put screen protectors on my phone and kept them in cases. I always assume I'll resell the phone and a case offers me comfort in that sense.
With my N1, I needed to change the screen protector and took it off for a day. A DAY... I was careful with it, didn't put it anywhere crazy, nothing on it, etc. Somehow it managed to go from pristine to "big gash luckily not directly over the LCD".
The one time I dropped that phone (again, going "naked") during a change, I incurred a huge indentation on one of the corners. Anyone who's handled an N1 should realize how big a deal that is because the metalic parts of the body were thick aluminum. I really don't know how I managed that dent cuz it also happened from seat level.
From then on I've had the case and screen protectors for new phones BEFORE even having the phones in my hand. I'll agree with the fact that it takes a ton of force to crack the screen, but it also takes just the right angle just that 1 time to create the tortional force to crack the screen.
I've done Zagg as well as many of the glossy static based protectors. My issues with the static based glossy ones (and the Zagg) was with the corners coming up. My bad Zagg experience may simply have been on the N1 due to the screen being practically "above" the edge of the phone.
I've taken a major liking to the Stealth Shieldz offered on Amazon. The Zagg is just plain skin and I found a little difficult to apply. The Stealth Shieldz product is also a wet application (like the Zagg), but there's a hard plastic under the skin that helps it keep it's shape better, and for that I find it easier to apply. I also found it just lasted longer.
I wish the case options were better. Like a red/black version of the Incipio silicrylic... but the phone's still new, so i imagine the cases will come
I love this phone.
I figured I would post a update. I got the Zagg screen protector and love it. Well worth the $15. So far it's holding up great. I've had it on for about 3 weeks and no problems like the el cheap o protectors that would scratch from just sliding my fingers over the screen. And it has a lifetime warranty so if there is any problems I can send it back.
thanks again everyone for your input on this.
I just went with a case no screen protector. My phone is always in a safe place so I always come out with no scratches etc. When I do go with screen protector I often go with zagg or xtremeguard for my other phones.
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Has anyone ever used an anti glare screen protector? I've been trying to find one but dont know what brands are any good
I got the invisible shield and as far as I can see it's pretty perfect. Very happy with it.
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XOSkins.
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Some of those protectors have a treatment on that that acts like polarization. I wear polarized lenses and if I turn the phone one way I can see everything, and if I turn it another, poof....it's gone.
I'd go to a store and try several out if this is a concern for you.
Ballistic case. So well made and feels so solid you want to drop it off your roof.
I personally have also always bought Skinomi screen protectors/full phone protectors on amazon. I NEVER get the dry screen protectors - I just suck at putting them on. Spraying a solution on the screen protector to install it also allows you to adjust where the protector is before it cures to the screen. Just make sure you do it quickly or you will be looking at the same bits of dust for a very long time!
I have always been huge at keeping screen protectors and cases on my phones. I have tried everything from the Matted protectors, to the really cheap ones, and I have tried the Invisible Shield by Zagg, and recently I bought a Ghost Armor protector for my phone. Apparently its supposed to be fingerprint resistant and grease and oil repellent, but it seems like it attracts oil and grease more than anything. The one thing that I hate about the Invisible Shield and the Ghost Armor is the material used. I know its supposed to be scratch resistant, but I hate the feeling of it. The whole rubbery material does not go well with a touchscreen phone, and your fingers stick alot. On top of that it has these weird ripples on it that make the screen look kinda weird. I am actually thinking of removing Ghost Armor and just going to the cheap ones that cost about $5
I am always the type of person who gets a screen protector within the first few hours of owning a phone, but I went about a week without one when I first got the Blaze because I couldn't find one, and have found that the screen is extremely scratch resistant and haven't bothered with one since.
3 months of typical use and so far not a single scratch on the screen, even after sharing the same pocket with some coins and keys.
I just ordered the Skinomi Drytech screen protector. Will update with pics and a brief review once it arrives.

Screen cracks easily?

Over on another (swedish) forum we're seeing some rather disturbing reports of screens cracking for seemingly no reason.
Some have reported cracks after simply placing their phone on a table, others by just having it in their pocket.
Do we have XDA member with similar experiences?
Given the number of times it has dropped from the table because it's so rediculously slippery, to no ill effect on the glass, it doesn't seem too bad. I might have been lucky, though.
Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk
It doesn't crack easily, but it seems to happen yeah.
I know this was an issue with the Z2 as well (know 1 or 2 ppl suffering from it) and hope it's not a wide-spread one with the Z3. The fact that it performs as some hoovercraft thingie floating over flat services is kinda annoying though, fell a few times here as well already but luckily no damage so far.
phones have glass screens. Glass screens break on some occasions. Water is wet.
add every report you can find and what do we get? 20? lets make it 100. Of 100 000 phones sold (which is serious lowballing) that is 0.1%.
so even if it seems bad it's not really an issue
As long as iitgets repaired by Sony you mean....
of course, like on the z2.
i think a lot of people are just careless.. i mean who buys this type of phone and already in less than 2 days of owning it, they managed to cracked the screen by dropping it or sitting on it while in their pocket. sh*t happens but if people were more careful i doubt we'd be seeing all these 'broken screen' threads.
IMO the z2 was one of the most sturdy glass screen phones ever, this z2 drop test is pretty amazing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BGQtfDZNt4
so unless something in the glass was changed between the two versions i don't see how the z3 can be any worse than the z2.
Well I accidentally tested the sturdiness of the phone when I pulled my jacket up and forgot that phone was on top of it. Well nice 1,5m fall with some momentum and not a single scratch. Phew.
Its Gorilla Glass 3, so I don't think it should be any weaker or stronger than other Gorilla Glass 3 phones out there. Any quality issues is probably Corning's fault.
Update: according to Sony they use both Gorrila glass 3 and Dragontrail glass. I have heard Dragontrail is slightly less scratch resistant but thats about it.
abhinav.tella said:
I have heard Dragontrail is slightly less scratch resistant but thats about it.
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On the contrary, Dragontail is harder than GG3...... resists scratches more - but at the detriment to viewing angle quality which is why DT is on the back.
I didnt't notice ANY scratch resistance of the glass backplane. Just use it carefully for a few days - enjoy a nice collection of scratches to stay. Deeply disappointing.
Agreed, seems no matter how careful I am it'll just pick up tiny scratches on the back..seemingly from little specs of dust..I don't understand.
cheetah2k said:
On the contrary, Dragontail is harder than GG3...... resists scratches more - but at the detriment to viewing angle quality which is why DT is on the back.
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There is a table in this link, it shows GG3 as being higher on the hardness scalle by small amount over Dragontrail.
http://en.miui.com/thread-39439-1-1.html
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ladelfm said:
Agreed, seems no matter how careful I am it'll just pick up tiny scratches on the back..seemingly from little specs of dust..I don't understand.
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Wow, you guys are scaring me.
I think the cracked screen problem is not from dropping it, or sitting on it. It's that the screen cracks by itself even when just sitting on a table somewhere. People are blaming the temperature difference between a hot phone and a cool surface for stressing the glass and cracking it.
I dunno, I'm in no hurry to upgrade just yet, we'll see.
delete
I posted some pics in another thread here. Hoping it's just a fault with the device
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=56122962&postcount=7
BBC Watchdog did a story on this for the Z1, now there are new complaints coming in about similar issues on the Z3.
BBC Watchdog link for Z1:
http://www.xperiablog.net/2014/05/3...peria-z1-cracking-screen-issue-sony-responds/
I chose this phone over the M8 due to the Camera, I kept insureance for the Z3 with T-Mobile just in case I get this issue when my phone arrives. Depending on how things turn out with more and more people complaining, I might just have to get the M8.
HTC gives free one time cracked/damaged screen replacement within 6 months in US as part of HTC Advantage. Sony should do the same, especially with their screen issues.
There are theories about uneven expansion of surfaces under heat stress causing cracks due to the way the glass is glued.
I have not experienced the cracking issue but I did notice a scratch on the glass on the back of the phone not even a week after getting it. It's not too bad, and not even really visible in direct light, but you bet I slapped a case on that thing as fast as I could.
h3ckman said:
I have not experienced the cracking issue but I did notice a scratch on the glass on the back of the phone not even a week after getting it. It's not too bad, and not even really visible in direct light, but you bet I slapped a case on that thing as fast as I could.
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I'm sure its a minority getting this issue but still seems to be a lot more than other manufacturers which is alarming. I made my dad get the HTC M8 over the iPhone 6 just for HTCs' Advantage program of one time free screen replacement.
I'm so glad I bought the white version because I can barely see the scratches on the back! It used to drive me crazy on my old black Z1 :silly:

Whitestone dome review "A real review"1

Seems like all the "Reviews" are nothing more then install video's of people saying oh its so amazing. But if you dig deeper you will find issues that a proper review would of find easy. So lets review it.
Little about my self. I am and Engineer in the fiber optics industry. I wonk on the absolute faster detectors available. We use UV optical adhesives every day. So needless to say i know a thing or two on this topic.
The concept is great and when done right the best way to attach a screen protector. But this comes at a cost. Cheap out on anything and it will show. So lets look at this.
-Full cover. errrr not really Notch cut for the camera and sensors. Odd because optical adhesive you can go full over and have zero impact on those.
-9H Hardness. "Shakes head" No..Its not. They need to stop claiming this every company. Its not 9H.
-Beveled edges. This is a must. Ask anyone who has one that is not beveled how easy they chip.
-UV curing light is a good design and has plenty of LED's to cure the adhesive. "5w max" Honestly im not seeing those being close to 1w LED's. If people want i'll take apart the light but no heat sinking as far as i can tell. So im guessing 3v 60ma .5w each total max output 3w. And honestly 3w is fine. Its very thin and easy to cure.
Fixture is great and works very well. No complaints on that. Just watch a few videos and read the instructions and you will do fine. The Fixture is well thought out so hats off to engineers who did that.
The ugly. This is where things get bad. This is where you can see the corners that were cut and boy did they cut them.
-Dust removal sticker. Don't use them. Cheap sticker and will leave residue on the screen. Save your self some time and just put them in the trash.
-Cleaning cloth. Not optical quality. Again put it in the trash it will just put stuff on the display. Cheap fabric not a quality optical cleaning cloth.
-Alcohol wipe...Well the directions say that but the wipes included are Ethanol...Please tell me these are not medical grade. If so then they have some additives. Well again trash it and use some 95% or higher Isopropyl alcohol. Make sure no color or sent has been added. You want as pure as you can get.
-Absorption pads. Now i would love to say trash them. But you need them. Make sure you give them a good rub down to remove all the lose fibers on them. And give the long fibers that hang off after a little trim. You do not want one to get under the screen or at the edge.
-Dimples on the underside of the protector. You don't need these. They do nothing but put 4 contact points to your phones display. The adhesive will flow an even coat.
-The worlds cheapest UV adhesive...Guys its bad...Real bad. Give you an idea. In bulk the quality optical adhesive is expensive. Well you get what you pay for or in Whitestone's case you don't get what you do not pay for. I searched and i found the supplier for there adhesive. How cheap is it? Well its $1 per 30ml. Stuff we use is $30 per oz. or 29.9ml. Yup that explains everything. This is why they can give you so much and still keep that price point. But for this you want less but higher quality. Combine that with tubes that are not 100% air tight and you are begging for problems. Also keep in mine UV Adhesive's have a shelf life and exposure to oxygen age them faster.
Lots of people complain about the delamination. This is from bad UV adhesive. Keep in mind you have a bare glass surface you are attaching to a glass surface with an oleophobic coating. This coating does after the adhesion of the adhesive. So you really need the proper quality adhesive. The adhesive they use never fully cures. If you check out my video in the Deamination topic you can see even after curing then putting 200w of UV on it for an addition 20sec with a proper industrial UV curing station it never fully cures. Multiple kits i have tested they all do this. But its $1 per 30ml so what do you expect.
You will see pictures of the optical property's of the adhesive. It is my opinion that it is not optical grade. Also you will see a picture of the delamination.
Overall this is a 4-10. Held back by the extremely low quality UV adhesive. The most important part is the cheapest. This is why they cut the notch in the protector. Because it would affect the caners where a proper optical adhesive would have zero affect. I'm disappointed. This was hyped so much but no one really looked at it. It's a great concept held back by cut corners. The proper adhesive this would be a 8-10. This method with the proper optical grade adhesive could do a true full cover screen protector then it would be a 10/10. But i do not recommend this. Price is to high for the corners that were cut. The adhesive issue really needs to be addressed because i would take a few other protectors over this.
Message to Whitestone.
I tested Adhesives from 3 kits. Results were all the same. All the kits were ordered at different times as 2 were from Amazon and one was direct from you. I have identified this adhesive not long ago and this is typical for it. However if you want to play we only use the highest quality materials card then you can go ahead and send me a tube of it. It can be in the manufacturers tube or the tubes that come in the kits. I do not want another kit im only interested in testing this adhesive and i will give you one chance to test some prior and send it to me. I will then report my finding's on here and make a note of it here. If you would like to work together on finding a cost effective quality optical adhesive i have contacts with not only the distributes for these but also with the companies that make the highest quality optical grade UV adhesives in the industry. I do not want nothing in return i will work with you for free to fix this product so that future phones can benefit from it and i have the option to easily order a quality kit. I want a 100% coverage protector and working together this can be done. There is potential here and it is with the system developed for the install and that is what makes the product stand out. My work has a building in SoCal. I go out there a few times a year and i am more then willing to come visit your office why i am out there and we can talk.
Now i know i will get the "Mines perfect best ever" post. But those post mean nothing. You have not tested the adhesive. I have. You just have not had any issues with it yet and you may never have them. But i went ahead and i tested this. Same results every time and i know what adhesive they use now.
So, would you say this thing is a pass?
Thanks for the detailed review and focusing on everything, not JUST the adhesive.
I still got mine applied to my phone, and well.. it is there. The time it starts wearing off the edges, maybe I will apply the second spare one just because I already bought it. But yeah, a full, really full screen coverage one with perfect optical properties would be awesome to have!
felloffthetruck said:
So, would you say this thing is a pass?
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I won't advise anyone to buy or not to buy this. Thats for you to decide. I'll answer any questions you have thought. I will say that I will not use this for reasons I posted. I won't buy another one until changes are made at the minimum in there selection of adheasive.
Could you point me in the direction of a good adhesive that you would recommend? (That I can buy online)
irieblue said:
Could you point me in the direction of a good adhesive that you would recommend? (That I can buy online)
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Will post that when I finish testing the samples I have.
bignazpwns said:
-Full cover. errrr not really Notch cut for the camera and sensors. Odd because optical adhesive you can go full over and have zero impact on those.
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Me a bit nitpicking here, but...
Weird, the part of optical physics that I learned back ... long ago.. taught quite clearly that if there are any surfaces with different optical properties on each side, it will have an impact. And I'm pretty sure the adhesives do not match (optically) exactly with either glass it touches (let alone both). Whether those effects will be significant enough to be visible in the photos depends on the whole optical path (and sensor's properties), though.
Since none of the surfaces have proper coatings aimed for optical performance (more for anti fingerprint etc.), and especially the protector glass (the internal material, not the coatings) not designed for optics, I'd expect ever so slightly more lens flaring and similar effects. (If there would be a flash LED for the front camera, it could get really messy, but Note 9 seems to use the whole display for front side "flashing", which reduces the spot brightness near the camera lens compared to a LED flash.)
The adhesive filling the space between the phone's glass and protector's glass does make the effect much lesser than with a protector that sits a tiny bit above with a tiny air gap. So in that sense, with these liquid adhesive type protectors, I'd expect the effects to be indeed mostly ignorable. But not zero, per se.
For the other sensors than camera, the effect can be considered zero, since they are measuring mostly (more or less) spatial averages to begin with. A bit of fuzziness doesn't change their results. Hmm. though I don't know how the iris-camera works.
All that said, I'd still say to choose a protector that covers the lens area(s). A single scratch on the phone's glass over the lens can make a worse effect than a protector does.
Also, (me partially countering the point of having an effect): I have currently a really bad example of a protector myself; a normal cheap protector with a typical dot grid on bottom surface, a normal (non-smooth) adhesive even on the area of the front camera lens, not a perfect fit by shape, etc. That is, I can see the non-smooth stuff between the glass layers (when display is black, and on the sensor spots). Yet, the photos come out ok, so things can obviously be pretty darn crappy and still be ok for the front camera needs. Though, I haven't zoomed in or done comparative tests in more challenging lighting situations. (I will do better tests once other protectors arrive; I need to keep this one on for now, for its main task of protecting.)
Nice review, but the whitestone still beats having nothing on the phone. I did the ghetto "whitestone" on my Note 8 using a generic glass protector and LOCA glue bought on Amazon. Served its purpose and protected my phone when I dropped it on a gravel surface. Phone looked brand new when I replaced the glass with a whitestone version because the ghetto glue method was too time consuming to ensure no bubbles. I have installed 4 more whitestone glass screens on mine and others phone with no issues and would not hesitate to recommend it. The issues you bring up have merit, but do not deter the protective elements of the tempered glass screen. I would like a better glue solution as well. But until then, my whitestone paired with a quality case will have to do. So far it does just fine.
Bullitt3309 said:
Nice review, but the whitestone still beats having nothing on the phone. I did the ghetto "whitestone" on my Note 8 using a generic glass protector and LOCA glue bought on Amazon. Served its purpose and protected my phone when I dropped it on a gravel surface. Phone looked brand new when I replaced the glass with a whitestone version because the ghetto glue method was too time consuming to ensure no bubbles. I have installed 4 more whitestone glass screens on mine and others phone with no issues and would not hesitate to recommend it. The issues you bring up have merit, but do not deter the protective elements of the tempered glass screen. I would like a better glue solution as well. But until then, my whitestone paired with a quality case will have to do. So far it does just fine.
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I can't get the same protection from a $12 protector. So how does it beat those in terms of protection? It offers no more protection then any other on the market. Infact the Zag elite offers more protection for the same price. The thicker gel adheasive offers significantly more impact protection. Much harder to put on and remove air bubbles but in terms of protection this is vastly superior. Where zag went wrong is not telling people how soft the adhesive is so they push down on it as hard as they can to get a bubble out and it cracks. And then they had to gimp it with some unnecessary bezzles that cover a bit of the display
Bottom line is the Dome is $20 over priced. The adhesive is trash and the olophobic coating is the worst I have ever seen. No excuses for this on something that sells it's self as premium. It's not. It's the same quality as the $12 Alibaba's and personally I would get one of those. Warranty is nothing since you could still get one on Alibaba shippped for the price you will pay for the warranty replacement. And it uses the same trash adheasive.
When you buy "Loca" it's trash from bad batches that they sell on places like Amazon or Alibaba or to places like Whitestone at a heavy discount because it's defective. So you are already useing a defective product from the start. These are facts. I tested these and posted those info. It's trash they pay $1 per 30ml of those stuff. And they call it Loca because it's not an optical adheasive. It makes it sound fancy because they can't call it a UV optical adheasive. Because it's not optical. But it's "optical cured" so Loca.
Facts are facts. I proven this adheasive is trash and defective from multiple kits. I'll test any of it. Got any left I'll test that Whitestone can send me some I'll test that because I know it's trash and it's from batches that were not mixed right. Multiple people have committed on this issues that's why I started testing this and looking into it because what they had in the prictures we seen before. Hell I can tell you exactly what is wrong with it. However working with a supplier when we had that issue I signed a NDA as part of them telling us every detail about it. Because we needed to know why it did that, when it started, how to test for it, how it will be fixed etc.
Like I said. If you use it and like it that's great. No problems with it that's even better. Get a case drop it face down. On a hard surface so it only hits the case then protector is unsupported and you will have delamination. I did this as part of the big testing video I'm doing for this. 2 drops it started.
Also I'm willing to work with them. All my test data as well as some samples I'll send to them or take to then when I'm in California. I love there install method and it will be a home run when the corners that we're cut are fixed. They pay $1 per 30ml of adheasive I can get them a bulk order that ends up being $1.75 per 30ml if they buy bulk lots. That's optical grade I'll send them the contract info and the sales rep I know for there. Use that and it's fixed. I tested that adheasive on this also and it works just like it should. I really want them to improve it.
As of right now now on my desk I have 35 different uv optical adheasives and more on the way. One manufacturer is even making a custom adheasive to test for this application. This all started as a simple test it and see what's wrong with it but due to all the people asking it's gotten much bigger. I hope Whitestone reaches out to me and I can get them the test information I have so they can improve the product.
Hi, I have been following your findings and it is an interesting matter for me at least.
Anyway, I wanted to write an update about my using the Gear VR with the default Whitedome / adhesive installation.
Previously I mentioned I got the "bubbles / webbing" permanently at the very bottom part of the protector, on a central area right above the USB connector (about 10mm wide, 1mm tal), after having the Whitedome applied and using the GearVR on the next day. Now it has been a couple of weeks maybe, and the bubbles part is still there (size unchanged apparently).
What I want to add is, something a bit unexpected (for me) happened: I used the Gear VR again yesterday (several days after the Whitedome installation) for around one hour, and and after taking the phone off, there were MORE bubbles / webbing in a different area, almost horizontally oval in shape, around 1.5cm wide by 0.8cm high. It was positioned about 2cm ABOVE the early thin stripe of bubbles, completely separate from it (not a continuation). I was pissed off because THIS was on top of the screen and obstructiong the image, really annoying. As it was late I decided to just go to sleep and deal with it when I had some free time. But to my surprise it was COMPLETELY GONE this morning. The previous thin mark at the bottom remains. But I can see no trace whatsoever of the "new" affected region..
gamekill said:
Hi, I have been following your findings and it is an interesting matter for me at least.
Anyway, I wanted to write an update about my using the Gear VR with the default Whitedome / adhesive installation.
Previously I mentioned I got the "bubbles / webbing" permanently at the very bottom part of the protector, on a central area right above the USB connector (about 10mm wide, 1mm tal), after having the Whitedome applied and using the GearVR on the next day. Now it has been a couple of weeks maybe, and the bubbles part is still there (size unchanged apparently).
What I want to add is, something a bit unexpected (for me) happened: I used the Gear VR again yesterday (several days after the Whitedome installation) for around one hour, and and after taking the phone off, there were MORE bubbles / webbing in a different area, almost horizontally oval in shape, around 1.5cm wide by 0.8cm high. It was positioned about 2cm ABOVE the early thin stripe of bubbles, completely separate from it (not a continuation). I was pissed off because THIS was on top of the screen and obstructiong the image, really annoying. As it was late I decided to just go to sleep and deal with it when I had some free time. But to my surprise it was COMPLETELY GONE this morning. The previous thin mark at the bottom remains. But I can see no trace
whatsoever of the "new" affected region..
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That's delamination from defective uv adheasive. As in my video you can see it cures about 50% and then still leaves some wet uncureable adheasive behind and is in some cases acting as an indexing gel. The delamination is still there you will need a microscope to see but masked by that adheasive that's wet acting as an indexing gel.
I got a gear VR on the way. It's on loan from a user to test it with another adheasive. I'll test this and see how it holds up. Run the phone hot and do multiple install and removals then do a few battery drains why it's in the vr. Glad this is a work phone and not my personal phone.
I actually find the oleophobic coating of the whitestone to be very good.
Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
harlenm said:
I actually find the oleophobic coating of the whitestone to be very good.
Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
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Yeah same here.
sefrcoko said:
Yeah same here.
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Then it's more product inconsistency. Friend said his is holding up ok. I know mine had scraches in it after a few hours. And one of them out of the box had a burn in the coating as well as a deep scrach deeper then the olophobic.
Any product recommendation or where we can get the good loca glue?
I personally would be interested in a tube of high quality adhesive if anyone is able to source some. Perhaps the OP would be able to point us to a supplier?
bignazpwns said:
Then it's more product inconsistency. Friend said his is holding up ok. I know mine had scraches in it after a few hours. And one of them out of the box had a burn in the coating as well as a deep scrach deeper then the olophobic.
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Ouch that looks rough. Never had those issues on multiple protectors but inconsistency does happen of course with all products. If they don't provide adequate service or replacement though, well then that's a different issue
sefrcoko said:
Ouch that looks rough. Never had those issues on multiple protectors but inconsistency does happen of course with all products. If they don't provide adequate service or replacement though, well then that's a different issue
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I posted this before. I will say Whitestone sent out a replacement kit for it for free and we're very easy to deal with and gave me very fast responses. So the service is great even though people say it's bad my experience was great. I reached out to them on Facebook and not via website so maybe Facebook is the way to go. And I noted all that when I made that post.
I would do the same for the adhesive but I know they can send out 1,000 kits they will all have this issue because the Adheasive used is from defective batches that had issues with the mixing process. I mean it works...but you will never get a full cure and will have issues under the right conditions and those are relatively common. But some people may never experience this.
But all of them so far have had pretty bad olophobic coating's. One is like it had none at all. One had the coating burned "pic in the previous post" and 2 just meh. Nothing great. But that's fine because I use the leftover ceramic coating I used for my car on my screens since it's better and thicker so I usually get over a year and 1/2 before I see any decrease in preformance. But this Stull is around $400 for a small bottle for a car and after not much is left. But Walmart sells a few kits. One is a great kit and only $12. If people wanna know what kit I'll let you know. Around here only one a almao had this kit in stock. "gerogia" the rest had other brands.
I'm one of the 'lucky' ones who has had no problems whatsoever. Going on three months and still getting compliments on how nice my screen looks. It's like I don't have a screen protector on at all.
I'm completely dissapointed from Whitestone.
I have been using it for weeks and yesterday, (all of a sudden) the tempered glass started to have a small line in the left edge of the phone and it seems like it is kinda lifted.
Unfortunately, the company wont help me, because I didnt bought it from their authorised stores
https://ibb.co/9s7jcV7

Glass back is too fragile.

The easy solution should be the back cover in plastic. But chinese makers are not making this. No idea why not. So we have to find solution our selves. Do you have a 3d printer? Or are you expert at doing craft projects? Can you make plastic back covers for those of us who want one?
Edit:
(anybody who wants to know - I made a cover with a plastic $1 folder. The plastic is soft but its tough stuff. Not easily punctured. Phone feels great on the hand and it feels slimmer. I still have to add some modifications to make it sturdier and make sure that it can withstand a fall without damaging the battery. No idea how to do that. I'll figure it out. The plastic works fine as a shock absorber but if something were to hit the battery area directly then that might transfer some force on the battery. So I'll have to find some way to make that area of the cover slightly more rigid. or place a shock absorbent material directly on top of the battery. Gotta find the right material that doesn't insulate the heat in.)
I'd buy a 3d printed plastic back cover if anyone made it available.
blueberry.sky said:
I'd buy a 3d printed plastic back cover if anyone made it available.
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replacement glass backs are like 10$, its probably going to cost more to get something designed and printed if you dont have the skills yourself.
Dadud said:
replacement glass backs are like 10$, its probably going to cost more to get something designed and printed if you dont have the skills yourself.
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They are $10. But we don't want the glass back. :S I can put a vinyl wrap on it and manage the slippery surface. But I also know how ridiculously fragile it is. It also shatters and you get glass particles everywhere. So its not usable. I have thought about reinforcing the glass back with some sort of specialized tape like gorilla tape or glass filament tape or tent repair tape. You could use it that way. The glass would still be fragile. It'll crack under the circumstances it would have cracked otherwise. Basically the glass is very low quality. Motorola is likely lying if they say its some sort gorilla glass or something.
e4noob said:
They are $10. But we don't want the glass back. :S I can put a vinyl wrap on it and manage the slippery surface. But I also know how ridiculously fragile it is. It also shatters and you get glass particles everywhere. So its not usable. I have thought about reinforcing the glass back with some sort of specialized tape like gorilla tape or glass filament tape or tent repair tape. You could use it that way. The glass would still be fragile. It'll crack under the circumstances it would have cracked otherwise. Basically the glass is very low quality. Motorola is likely lying if they say its some sort gorilla glass or something.
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I don't know what you mean by "we" don't want the glass back. I like the glass back. I think it looks good and provides a good surface with which to grip the phone.
Dadud said:
replacement glass backs are like 10$, its probably going to cost more to get something designed and printed if you dont have the skills yourself.
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Yeah, I would expect custom 3d print to cost more than the mass produced Chinese replacements.
It's worth it. Glass backs are insane imo. It pushes design over function much too far. I don't need to show off with a my phone. Rather have a phone that isn't so fragile.
case? seems to keep mine in one piece lol
TheDevl said:
I don't know what you mean by "we" don't want the glass back. I like the glass back. I think it looks good and provides a good surface with which to grip the phone.
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You know there are owners of this phone who don't like the glass back.
Also, there is a heat factor with the glass back. I removed the glass and using a poorly made plastic cover right now and heat dropped by like 10 degrees. lol. It charges with normal charger at below 30c. With turbo charger it goes up to around 35c. Phone running for hours streaming hulu or something at max may be 37c. What's the temp like with the glass back on? 45c+?
buschris said:
case? seems to keep mine in one piece lol
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True. But don't use a case a lot of the times.
e4noob said:
You know there are owners of this phone who don't like the glass back.
Also, there is a heat factor with the glass back. I removed the glass and using a poorly made plastic cover right now and heat dropped by like 10 degrees. lol. It charges with normal charger at below 30c. With turbo charger it goes up to around 35c. Phone running for hours streaming hulu or something at max may be 37c. What's the temp like with the glass back on? 45c+?
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But one man does not an entire consumer base make.
As for the temperatures, right now I'm at 28c with glass back and a case. Temperatures have never quite been a worry for me.
TheDevl said:
But one man does not an entire consumer base make.
As for the temperatures, right now I'm at 28c with glass back and a case. Temperatures have never quite been a worry for me.
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I guess you are saying not enough people demand it so its not a category of product yet.
Temp would be around 5-10c less than glass back the way I have it set up. One of the beneficial aspect I have seen is phone cools down much quicker. It'll have an effect on longevity of the phone but its really not that big of an issue anyway with the higher temps on a glass back. I think the most important factor is the satisfaction of not having that dumb fragile glass back.
e4noob said:
I guess you are saying not enough people demand it so its not a category of product yet.
Temp would be around 5-10c less than glass back the way I have it set up. One of the beneficial aspect I have seen is phone cools down much quicker. It'll have an effect on longevity of the phone but its really not that big of an issue anyway with the higher temps on a glass back. I think the most important factor is the satisfaction of not having that dumb fragile glass back.
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To each their own, apparently.
If you're treating your phone respectfully, then the glass back should not be an issue. It is, after all, gorilla-glass, not just ordinary window-glass. If you're treating your phone roughly, then get a case or buy a different non-glass phone.
Right now glass and ceramic is en vogue in phone design. (see the top-end S10+ with its custom ceramic backplate) Particularly because it enables wireless charging without a buildup of static electricity. In a year or two they'll probably be on to a new trend, maybe leather as foldable phones start to mature. I actually miss those leather-backed phones that were around about 5 odd years ago.
eoraptor said:
If you're treating your phone respectfully, then the glass back should not be an issue. It is, after all, gorilla-glass, not just ordinary window-glass. If you're treating your phone roughly, then get a case or buy a different non-glass phone.
Right now glass and ceramic is en vogue in phone design. (see the top-end S10+ with its custom ceramic backplate) Particularly because it enables wireless charging without a buildup of static electricity. In a year or two they'll probably be on to a new trend, maybe leather as foldable phones start to mature. I actually miss those leather-backed phones that were around about 5 odd years ago.
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You are right. But I'm not looking for top end glass back on my g6. :S TBH even on s10 I would probably want to switch out the glass back. It seems absurd to me that I'm carrying around something so fragile. I would predict if there is a new trend, it'll be some sort of durable material like plastic. When people hear plastic, they think its cheap and reduces the vibe of the device. But there are different types of plastic. Phone companies could do fancy and functional phone body and back covers easily. I have no idea why they don't. They could use tough rubbery material for the body too where you largely won't need a case. But they don't. Some aspects of design isn't evolving at all with phones.
Mine shattered after fall from stairs, but I won't expect any phone to survive this with no damage taken.
oposiasty said:
Mine shattered after fall from stairs, but I won't expect any phone to survive this with no damage taken.
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That's true. But a back cover made of any other material wouldn't shatter.

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