Even though the Nexus 5 uses Gorilla Glass 3, it’s still a good idea to protect your display with a dedicated protection film. Tech Armor’s HD Clear screen shields are an excellent choice, especially considering its price of just $5.95 (Tech Armor, Amazon) for a pack of three.
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Everything that you need to install the screen protector comes included in the packaging, including the three films themselves, an application squeegee, a small microfiber cloth (which you’re better off trashing, as it leaves more bits of dust behind than it should), some instructions, and some handy strips of “dust removal tape.”
If you’ve never installed a screen protector before, then don’t worry, since it’s a very easy process, so long as you take your time. Alignment is key, and that’s where the Tech Armor screen protectors make things difficult. The default alignment point would be the bottom of the Nexus 5. I believe that it would’ve made much more sense to use the top of the phone as the main alignment point, as the three cutouts would greatly helped with that. I ended up peeling the entire first layer of the screen shield off and manually installing it from the top of the phone instead of the bottom. Don’t be afraid to lift the entire film off to try again. If you have any debris under the film, or maybe some bubbles, you can use a piece of tape to lift a portion of the screen shield up, and another piece of tape to go in and grab the debris.
If you took your time to get the alignment just right, and to remove any bubbles that might’ve been leftover, you should be left with something that mimics the look and feel of the original Nexus 5’s slab of glass. One thing to note is that the screen protector doesn’t seem to be as resistant to fingerprints/smudges as without using a screen shield at all, but fortunately, they wipe off very easily.
Other than the odd alignment points (the tabs should basically be reversed), this is an absolutely fantastic deal for a 3-pack of screen protectors that really do get the job done of protecting your Nexus 5’s large and gorgeous display. Just take your time with installation, and you’ll be very happy with the results.
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