What’s up Members!
I’ve written a review on the Whitestone Dome Tempered Glass Screen protector. After a lot of research and thought, I finally purchased and installed the protector one month ago. For anyone who has an S10/Note 10, you'll know that finding a proper screen protector is a PAIN, and at $59.99 CAD, this is NOT a cheap option, but Whitestone’s made a bold claim about how theirs is the only solution to the fingerprint sensor: let’s put that to the test.
This is my one month review of the Dome Glass for the S10 Plus.
Disclaimer: This isn’t a paid review – I bought this with my own money. I wrote this review myself to provide insight or assistance to anyone who may be looking for a screen protector themselves. Might seem counter-intuitive to write a review for a screen protector for a phone that’s nearly a year old, but if this helps one person then I’m satisfied. Also, this review's kind of long.
TL:DR for those who don’t want to read: This is a fantastic investment and worth the money. The installation is a little painstaking but be patient and all will work out. The fingerprint sensor does work and there are no major issues, even a month later.
Installation
The Dome Glass came with the following:
- Microfiber cleaning cloths, alcohol wipes, dust removal stickers and speaker cover stickers.
- A UV light with an included micro-USB cable
- A labeled plastic tray with an included bridge and clip.
- Two bottles of adhesive
- One glass screen protector
- A manual detailing the installation process and additional warranty
Here’s how the installation process went. If any of you want to use this as a potential guide then be sure to do the installation in a room with little to no dust/air circulation and on a level surface.
- I started by removing the pre-installed film protector on the S10 Plus and took off the case that I was using. Additionally, I turned my phone off to prevent any distraction. This installation needs to be done with the phone in its naked state.
- I removed one of the included alcohol wipes and began wiping down the screen, making sure not to touch the display as to leave any fingerprints. I then removed any dust using the dust removal stickers and placed the phone down into the included tray. Be sure that all and any fingerprints/dust particles are cleaned off!
- The tray comes in two components. I placed the phone on the bottom component of the tray and attached a speaker sticker to cover it. Once I placed the top component of the tray down, I placed the bridge onto the tray and used it to securely attach the bottle of adhesive. I started by unscrewing the coloured end of the bottle and allowed the adhesive to drip onto the phone’s display, then removed the bottle and bridge.
- I placed the included plastic clip into the tray, which is meant to act as a placeholder for the screen protector to sit on. Before putting on the protector I patted down the screen one final time to get rid of any dust.
- Taking the screen protector out, I peeled back the sticker covering it and placed it on the plastic clip. The protector is now sitting slanted, with the bottom portion touching the phone and the top resting a little above the phone, sitting on the clip.
- At this point, the liquid adhesive is still sitting at the top portion of the phone. I pushed down on the bottom of the tray slightly to move the liquid towards the center. Once the liquid reached the center, I pulled the clip out and the liquid began spreading over the protector/phone.
- You have to wait for the liquid to spread completely, which takes anywhere from 2-5 minutes. It took me a solid 7 minutes of waiting. Not fun.
- Once the liquid has fully spread over the phone, pull out the UV light and begin curing. I cured for 30 seconds at the top and 30 seconds at the bottom. This is called the “initial cure.”
- After the initial cure, I took the phone out of the tray and transferred it to my table. Pulling out another alcohol wipe, I lightly brushed at the sides of the protector, making sure to clean up any liquid glue that may have spilled over. Be very careful in this process as too much pressure will move the protector.
- I began the final cure phase. Repeat the same process as before but instead cure for about a minute at the top and bottom. I cured for a minute and a half at the top, middle and bottom to be safe.
- Whitestone recommends that you apply pressure to the area where the fingerprint sensor is but I personally skipped this step as I found more cases of the installation failing/protector lifting afterwards. I assume this is because forcing pressure in a concentrated area where glue has already started to cure creates lifting.
And I was done! But how did I do?
Afterwards, and Now:
Initially, the fingerprint sensor wouldn’t recognize my fingerprint, but I went into the settings and removed and re-registered my print. This is the step where many, many people have claimed failure but I was surprised to find the phone began re-registering my fingerprint with no issue! I did have to press harder than usual, but not to an extent where it felt like I was crushing the display.
After re-registering the fingerprint, it worked. I notice there’s a slight delay in unlocking and I have to press with a little more pressure but I’m happy to report that the fingerprint sensor indeed DOES work.
And now, one month later, I’m happy to report there’s still no issue. The glass has accumulated some dust in the camera cutout and edges of the display, but the protector has not peeled or lifted in any way. I assume the additional curing I did is to thank for that.
The protector fits fine on my case (currently using the Spigen Ultra Hybrid, though I’d be wary to try any bulky case like an Otterbox), and touch responsivity is unaffected. The screen looks and feel fantastic.
I’ve included some photos of the phone plus protector in its current state. Thanks for reading.
Side note: It’d help me tremendously if you provide feedback on this review. I want to start writing more reviews for other products like a long-term review with the Galaxy Buds or even the S10 Plus itself. If that’s something you’re interested in, let me know.
Until next time, see ya.
Photos
