As reflective as a black hole

My favorite S24 Ultra upgrade is its screen. Samsung’s displays are always fantastic, but the S24 Ultra uses anti-reflective Gorilla Armor, and that glass has fundamentally changed how I use my smartphone outside. The S23 Ultra was more than usable in direct sunlight, but as with any phone pushing its display to maximum brightness, battery life would suffer immensely.

The S24 Ultra is a different animal altogether. It doesn’t bother maxing its display unless the sunshine is directly on the screen, and even then, I find myself turning the brightness down slightly. It’s easy to see why it’s one of our favorite phones. Sadly, using a conventional screen protector dilutes this effect significantly, so I was excited to try Samsung’s anti-reflective screen protector. For $30, is this protective film worth the cost?

Price and availability

Samsung’s anti-reflective screen protector for the Galaxy S24 Ultra is available from Samsung, Amazon, and other retailers for $30. That’s on the pricy side for a screen protector that isn’t made of glass, but first-party accessories are always more expensive than the third-party alternatives, and the price does include two protectors and a rig for easy installation.

What’s good about Samsung’s anti-reflecting screen protector?

Easy to install

The installation experience is good. I’m obsessive about installing screen protectors and unhappy if even the tiniest speck of dust invades the experience. Thankfully, Samsung makes the process as simple as possible. A plastic frame sticks to the bottom of the phone with nubs that the screen protector locks onto to ensure proper alignment.

The edges of the screen protector are visible when the screen is off, but as soon as it’s powered up, they are almost entirely invisible. Despite being a film protector, it feels great to use. Most screen protectors of this type offer too much resistance as you drag your finger across them, but this feels like glass.

This is just my theory, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this film is closely related to the preinstalled screen protectors on the Z Flip 5 and Fold 5, as they feel identical to the touch. S Pen users should be grateful for that. Too much screen resistance can ruin the stylus experience, but Samsung nailed it.

The anti-reflective coating does the trick. In the last two photos of the above gallery, my S24 Ultra has a Pixel 6a blasting its torch at it. The screen is easily readable in both pictures even though neither has the S24 at max brightness. The first image was taken at about 10% brightness, and the second was 45%.

If I cranked the screen up to 100% brightness, the camera had to change its exposure drastically to compensate. This screen protector does a great job of complementing one of our favorite phones to come out in 2024 so far.

What’s bad about Samsung’s anti-reflecting screen protector?

This is one of the best protective films I’ve ever used, but it still suffers from a common flaw: fingerprints and smudges. As you can see in the photo above, fingerprints love this screen protector, and you’ll be wiping it down a lot. When the screen is on, you can’t see most of them, but at least once a day, they’ll build up to the point of needing to be wiped away.

The other drawback is durability. In my experience, Samsung’s film protectors—I used the S23 Ultra version extensively—last better than most, but after six to eight weeks, expect minor scuffs and scratches to appear.

It won’t offer the best impact protection, either. The Galaxy S21 Ultra came with this kind of protector preinstalled, and two days into ownership, I dropped my Pixel 4 on it while taking a photo. That £350 mistake left an impression. If you require more than basic scratch protection, this won’t be your product. Of course, you can negate that risk by using a case.

Should you buy Samsung’s anti-reflecting screen protector?

If you’ve fallen in love with the way Gorilla Armor battles reflections but must ensure your screen remains unblemished, the answer is an easy yes. Aside from the slightly different feel and smudge retention, this screen protector perfectly mimics the glass beneath. If the anti-reflective coating doesn’t matter to you, or you need something even more durable, a tempered glass screen protector might be better.