Does iPhone xs need a screen protector

Personally, I would never, ever not use a screen protector on my phone. There are a lot of very good ones out there that are crystal clear and work fine with touch. I too, have been saved when I dropped mine face down on the garage floor from waist height. Scratches, a couple of nicks, and a small crack in the tempered glass protector--phone screen completely undamaged. I also use a case. Every phone that I've had was in perfect condition at trade-in.

Also, there seem to be a lot of complaints on the web that the XS screen scratches more easily than predecessors. Anecdotal yes, but quite a number of people who never have used screen protectors and had no scratches are experiencing both microscratches and deep scratches on their XS phones.

For an alternative view, I have never used a screen protector on any iPhone or iPad I have ever owned. Or a case. That's 6 phones and 3 iPads. A screen protector will not protect against screen breakage if you drop the phone or drop something on it. All it protects against is scratches, and unless you keep the phone in your pocket with your keys without any case there isn't anything that is likely to scratch it. And it defeats the oliophobic coating on the screen that lets you just wipe away fingerprints. It can also add moiré interference patterns, and the chemicals that are needed to install some screen protectors can damage the finish on the phone. I just carry the phone in a belt holster or slipcase to protect the screen when I'm not using the phone.

I agree that it is a personal choice that only you can make. I know some people that have never used screen protectors on their iOS devices because they didn’t want anything at all to take away from the beauty or clarity of the display. However, I too have always used screen protectors as well as cases on all of my iOS device, because for the amount of money that they cost, I would like to keep them as pristine as possible.

I had an iPhone 5s with an Otterbox Defender case with a built in screen protector on it. It wasn’t the prettiest thing on the planet, but I dropped it in my driveway and kicked around a few times and it was still in perfect condition when I traded in toward my Xr in December.

Does that experience include an XS, XS Max or XR? Lots of reports of easy scratching from pockets and other places that previous models have not scratched in. Anecdotal, yes, but much more common than with previous models.

I have never used a screen protector since iPhone year 1 until I got my Max when for some reason I thought I should. I've never damaged my screens and my iPhones almost always looked like new because I always took great care and had cases on them. The thing with screen protectors is that IT DELAYS TOUCH INPUT which drives me crazy. I'm using what is considered top of the line "glass." If you've ever scratched up your screen, then you should probably use one. Had I known about the delayed touch, I wouldn't have gotten it. I probably just talked myself into removing it. Personal choice.

So they're all mistaken? https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8580753

I've dropped my phones a few times each year, so I feel more comfortable with a protector.

The "issue" that's really got me scratching my head is the claim that the camera glass can crack spontaneously. Seems highly doubtful to me. Most of the pictures I've seen seem to have an obvious impact point, but not all. I think that a lot of us believe that we're much more careful than we actually are.

I don't think that you need to worry about that. Certainly not a problem when I dropped mine, and I've not seen reports of it. Glass looks and feels better than plastic, IMO.

I always buy the glass ones with lifetime warranties. That way if it breaks they just send a new one and only charge shipping.

I have an Xr. No scratches. But I firmly believe that no current smartphone will scratch unless it is abused.

That's a nice warranty, but I just didn't like the idea of a glass protector at all. If it breaks, then you have sharp edges of broken glass next to the actual screen. I would think there'd be a danger of scratching the iPhone's screen from the break itself, or trying to remove the broken protector.

Absolutely. If you're careful with your stuff (and I'm almost obnoxiously careful with anything I own), you shouldn't have a problem. Minor nicks and scratches are much easier to get on the body of the phone than the glass.

I believe they are mistaken. Unless Tim Cook was lying when he said the X series had the strongest glass of any iPhone.

It has been suggested that there is some evidence that there is a bit of an inverse relationship between crack resistance and scratch resistance.

This article is interesting: https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/10/19/17514174/gorilla-glass-scratch-resistance-google-pixel-3-samsung-galaxy-s9-note

The choice of whether or not to use a screen protector is completely up to you. Personally, I have used a screen protector on all of my devices.

Good to know. The protector I used is very nice, though. Even for plastic. It has a smooth surface that swipes just as easily as without.