Screen Guard vs Tempered Glass: Difference and Comparison

Key Takeaways

1. Material: Screen guards are made of thin plastic, while tempered glass is made of hardened glass, offering better durability and resistance against scratches, impacts, and cracks.
2. Transparency and Touch Sensitivity: Tempered glass provides better transparency and clarity, maintaining the original display quality of the device. It also offers a smoother feel and retains the screen’s touch sensitivity.
3. Protection: While screen guards and tempered glass protect against scratches, tempered glass provides superior protection against drops, impacts, and cracks due to its enhanced durability. It offers a higher level of protection for the device’s screen.

What is Screen Guard?

A screen guard, which is also known as a screen protector, is a thin film made of plastic placed over the surface of different electronic devices like tablets, smartphones, laptops, etc. It helps them to prevent the screen from getting scratched, cracks, dust, or other types of damage.

Screen guards can be found in several types and are readily available in the market. Some screen guards include – matte, clear, anti-glare, and privacy. The matte screen guard reduces the fingerprints on the screen and the glare. The clear screen guard is the basic protection guard. Anti-glare screen guards help in reducing reflections and glares on the screen. The privacy screen guard is the special guard to limit the user’s viewing angle.

These guards are manufactured with high-quality materials like – anti-static, scratch-resistant, and anti-fingerprint. Sometimes its installation process is tricky as wrinkles or air bubbles aren’t removed beneath it. The screen guards’ price depends on the electronic device’s several types and models.

What is Tempered Glass?

Tempered glass is another type of screen protector that allows high protection for electronic devices. Tempered glass is available for various laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc. Unlike a screen guard made of thin plastic film, tempered glass is manufactured from a hardened glass material that helps prevent cracks, scratches, and various types of damage to the device.

Tempered glass is much thicker than a screen guard. Some have a thickness within a range of 0.3 mm to 0.5 mm. The installation process of tempered glass is way more manageable as it does not leave an air bubble beneath it. This process is also quick and requires no specialized tools or expertise.

The benefits of having tempered glass as a screen protector are – access to excellent screen clarity, sensitivity to the touch screen, enjoyment of various features with interruption due to functionality, etc. Another benefit is that it has higher durability and doesn’t require to be replaced frequently.

Difference Between Screen Guard and Tempered Glass

1. A screen guard comprises a thin film or plastic as its primary manufacturing material. In contrast to this, tempered glass is made up of hardened glass material.
2. A screen guard might not provide clarity or, say; the customer has to face a cloudy or hazy appearance while, comparatively, on the other hand, tempered glass offers a completely clear appearance after its application/installation.
3. The thickness of a screen guard is relatively thin, whereas, at the same time, the tempered glass is thick, making it more durable.
4. Screen guards help in preventing the device from minor impacts or scratches. At the same time, tempered glass helps prevent the device from cracks, scratches, or other types of damage.
5. The installation process of a screen guard is quite complex as it’s pretty tricky to remove wrinkles or air bubbles from it, while, on the other hand, the installation process of tempered glass is much easier. 
6. The durability of a screen guard is less as it is thin and requires frequent replacement. Comparatively, on the other hand, the durability of tempered glass is good as it is thick and doesn’t require frequent replacement.     

Comparison Between Screen Guard and Tempered Glass

Parameter of Comparison	Screen Guard	Tempered Glass
Material	Thin film or plastic	Hardened glass
Clarity	Cloudy appearance	Clear appearance
Thickness	Thin	Thick
Protection	Against minor impact or scratches	Against cracks, scratches, or other types of damage
Installation	Difficult	Easy
Durability	Less and requires frequent changing or replacing	More and more frequent replacement is not necessary

References

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0040609011009205
2. http://ww1.supplyini.com/double-tempered-glass-hung-upvc-window-with-mosquito-net.html