Modern phones are beautiful feats of engineering. Many are also smudge magnets. It’s difficult to appreciate high-end industrial design through a thick coating of fingerprints and smears. Fortunately, a change in screen protector might be the only solution you need.
Most screen protectors are glossy. Whether made of thin plastic or reinforced glass, they attract fingerprints in their own right. That’s why it’s worth trying out a matte screen protector instead.
HTG Wrapped 2025: 24 days of tech
24 days of our favorite hardware, gadgets, and tech
A life with fewer smudges
What sets a matte screen protector apart from a glossy one? It comes down to the texture. Glossy screen protectors are smooth and shiny, not unlike our phones themselves.
Credit: Nathaniel Pangaro / How-To Geek
Matte screen protectors are a little rough. Their surface is less conducive both to forming a fingerprint and to showing whichever ones are there. You’re less likely to see streaks build up over time from all the hours you spend swiping up on your screen.
A matte screen protector will change the look of your phone in more ways than one. For most of those ways, whether people feel they’re an improvement is a matter of preference. Few, however, argue in favor of seeing more smudges.
A phone with less screen glare
A matte screen protector doesn’t just make your phone less ugly. One can also make your screen feel more legible. They reduce glare, making it easier to use your phone by a window or outdoors. This can make a big difference if you regularly use your phone in public spaces, such as college libraries with giant windows or a seat by the window on a train.
This is an advantage rendered moot on phones whose peak brightness is able to overcome the challenges of trying to read in direct light, but that’s an approach that taxes the battery. A matte screen protector is a passive solution available regardless of which phone is currently in your pocket.
If you really want to block light, you can opt for a matte privacy screen protector. This will not only reduce glare, but it will stop others from being able to look over your shoulder or glance over from the seat next to you and see what’s on your screen.
A better display for reading
When I installed a matte screen protector on my previous phone, it wasn’t because I was fed up with smudges. Rather, it was because I heard that a matte screen protector could improve the reading experience. Some Android devices, like TCL NXTPAPER phones and tablets, use matte screens to help them emulate an E-Ink display.
I installed a matte screen protector on my foldable phone. Let me tell you, that was a nerve-wracking experience. Foldable phone makers explicitly tell you not to replace the included screen protector on the phone’s inner screen, but the internet told me that with enough care, I could do so without damaging my device. So far, this has turned out to be true. My wife is using that phone now, and the internal screen is still going strong.
Credit: Bertel King / How-To Geek
I had mixed opinions about the matte screen protector, but I did like the way it made my ebooks feel. The digital text felt like it had extra bit more texture, and it wasn’t just how they looked. This is why I considered a matte screen protector one step in creating the perfect way to read digital books, comics, and magazines.
A digital world that’s a little less flat
So much of our lives now are mediated through smooth, glassy screens. A matte screen protecto is more tactile. It’s not going to revolutionize your life, but it does make your phone feel different from the other devices in your life, like your tablet or smartwatch. Granted, if you really enjoy the experience, you can find matte screen protectors for all of those as well, including your Steam Deck.
I no longer have a matte screen protector on my phone. I went from the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 to the Galaxy Z Fold 6, both of which I purchased second hand. While I didn’t suffer any downsides from swapping out my screen protector the first time, that’s not a process I want to go through again. But when I’m reading ebooks now on my Z Fold 6, I think back fondly to how they used to feel.
An iPhone or any other traditional slab phone doesn’t involve the concerns I’ve expressed here. A matte screen protector is no harder to apply than any other type of protection for your screen. And unlike others, it’s one that needs to be experienced to be understood. Texture isn’t something that can be conveyed by a photo or video. It’s hard to depict all of my other points, too, for that matter.
Installing a screen protector isn’t as frustrating as it used to be, but the process can still be a pain. Fortunately, we have a fool-proof method to make installing a screen protector easier.