Yup - not tempered glass, but PET film. It seems that everyone is interested in glass, and in turn, endless amounts of discussion on issues with glass protectors for the N5. I've used PET film a couple of times in the past few weeks of N5 ownership, in between installations of glass protectors. Each time, the PET film was a joy to go back to, for me. I was wondering which brands of film members have tried and what their results were.
For those who are wondering why the hell would anyone even consider using old-school film, here are the Pros/Cons of film protectors as I see them:
Pros:
- Little/no halo: If we were all installing only film protectors on the N5, we would have, by now, settled on a bunch of brands that get really good results for just about everyone. I've seen this evolution happen with a number of new phones. There's no such consensus on glass protectors for the N5.
- Easier install: if you have at least average skills, you are going to get a good, easy and quick install. Don't need to dedicate time to rubbing out edges that are standing up off the screen, and no need to break out the hair dryer.
- Less visible: really hard to tell that there is a protector on the N5.
- Cost: Film is less expensive, but glass has really come down in price as well.
Cons:
- Less protection: Hey, glass is stronger and harder than film, I get that.
- Not as smooth as glass: although film can be very good, glass is just smoother.
In my experience, it's not until I put a film protector on that I say "Damn, that looks great!" Often I can see a glass protector on a phone at a distance. If it's not the halo it's the edges top and bottom just looking like a protector stuck on the display.
So, I am not starting a case for glass vs film, I just would like to know what film you folks have used on the N5. I use Spigen film and the first install had the tiniest amount of halo above the earpiece (I don't think there should be protector in that area), but everything else was spot-on perfect. The second film is spot-on perfect all around. I have another brand in-bound as we speak.