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Review: Nilkin vs. Orzly vs. PhantomGlass vs. Spigen vs Cruzerlite Sep 21, 2014

dmo , Sep 21, 2014 :

Greetings all. I've been pretty underwhelmed for the most part when people talk about their screen protectors. Almost all of them are good experiences. Especially if you've been used to plastic protectors, your first glass screen protector is ALWAYS "omg this is soooo good." No one actually compares screen protectors. Even the worst glass protector is better than the best plastic protector. So I decided to give you guys some insight, because its important to know how one protector compares to the rest.

I initially bought a Nilkin for my OnePlus One because that was one of the first available protectors. I dropped it twice resulting in a crack across the screen (this was before a good case was released and before I bought the Diztronic case with front lip protection). I ended up buying an Orzly later on which I received in August.

Now on my N5 I've used 3 protectors. I started with the Spigen Nano Slim.t, and then after cracking that tried out the Cruzerlite. And then my Nexus 5 broke which I RMAed and decided to try out the PhantomGlass since the OnePlus One Phantom Glass is sold out. So disclaimer is this is reviewing the Nexus 5 Phantom Glass, but for the most part it should be similar to the OPO Phantom Glass. I'll refrain from commenting on N5 specifics of the case such as cutouts which will vary from the OnePlus One.

So here we go:

Nilkin 6/10

• The cutouts on the OPO are bad.
• Thick @ 0.3mm
  
• Edges not rounded (they're rounded so you don't get cut, but its not rounded like an Orzly)
  
• The installation kit is barebones. Front of the protector lacks a protective sticker

Orzly 9/10

• Nearly perfect.
• Great feel, love the rounded edges.
• Love the 0.23mm thickness. Thinner than the 0.3mm fat ones.
• Cheap

Spigen 10/10 (N5)

• Probably the best out there.
  
• $$$$$
  
• Quality glass, thin as hell too (0.2mm?)

PhantomGlass 7/10 (N5)

• Best warranty in house
• Thin (0.2mm?)
  
• Somehow this has a weird touch sensation. All other glass protectors is usually smooth and very frictionless. However PG is somehow rough to glide your finger across. Almost like a damn plastic protector. Yuck.
• Installation pack lacks a lot of goodies. I just installed this last Friday and there's no stickers (had to bring scotch tape). No card too to push the air bubbles out.
• $$$$$. Moreso than Spigen because they're not Prime Shipping + Amazonable. The total cost was $40+ with intl shipping to the US.

Cruzerlite 6/10 (N5)

• Oleophobic coating wore off in no time compared to the Spigen.
• Thick @ 0.3mm

So I bought another OnePlus One last Tuesday because I bricked mine (IMEI issues), and to to let you know, my next protector is an Orzly. If money wasn't an issue and Spigen made a protector for the OPO, I'd get their protector. But having bought 5 protectors for these phones... yeah I think I need to save some money now.

As for the iPhone 6 that I'm getting for work, I'll probably get a Spigen.