Zagg InvisibleShield XTR3 for Galaxy S24 Ultra review: Zagg should’ve zigged

It’s no secret that I love my Galaxy S24 Ultra. There are several reasons it’s one of our favorite phones, and one major one is the display. Samsung’s screens have always been good, but this one goes above and beyond. The incredible brightness levels it reaches are cornea-burning, but the best part of the display is that it rarely needs to crank up the brightness, thanks to how Gorrila Armor negates reflections.

Screen protectors are important if you want to keep your S24 Ultra looking fresh, but they can interfere with reflectivity. Zagg’s InvisibleShield XTR3 promises to preserve the S24 Ultra’s display quality, but can it deliver?

Price and availability

The InvisibleShield XTR3 is available from Amazon for $60. That price is steep, given that you only get one screen protector in the box, unlike the competition, which will usually include at least two of them. It’s also steep for a plastic screen protector, in my opinion.

What’s good about the InvisibleShield XTR3?

Anti-reflective and sturdy

Installing the XTR3 is simple enough, but there are some issues that we’ll discuss later. Once it’s on, everything is pretty promising at first glance. The protector feels nice and smooth to the touch, and it handles reflections almost as well as the S24 Ultra’s Gorilla Armor or Samsung’s official protective film. Even when watching a dark scene, reflections are only an issue if you hold the phone at an off angle. When you look at it straight on, those reflections disappear.

Samsung’s official screen protector feels close to glass, much like the protectors the company uses on its foldables. Zagg has managed to achieve the same thing here. Aside from a few telltale signs, the XTR3 feels a lot like glass.

What’s bad about the InvisibleShield XTR3?

It feels cheaper than it should

The installation of this protector is simple. You remove the protector’s backing, place it on the install guide your phone is in, and push it down. The problem was that the backing on my copy was already hanging off, so as I removed it from the packaging, I left a fingerprint in the adhesive, which is prominently on display. I’ve reached out to Zagg to see if the included warranty covers this and will update you when I hear more.

My biggest issues with this screen protector are touch sensitivity and fingerprints. I feel like I have to be more accurate with each press of the screen, and for some reason, it collects skin oils at an alarming rate. It isn’t as bad as Samsung’s plastic protector, but it’s far worse than I’d expect from glass, especially at this price.

Maybe there’s something about an anti-reflective coating that makes fingerprints build up faster. Then there’s the price. I could stomach the $60 if this was a tempered glass protector with this anti-reflective coating, but it’s made of plastic. $60 for a single plastic screen protector feels overpriced, especially when sacrificing impact protection.

Should you buy the XTR3?

If you can overlook the cost and fingerprint build-up doesn’t bother you, you’ll be happy with the XTR3. However, the price can be offputting for most people, and a more affordable option makes the most sense.