TV screen anti-reflective coating is an important part of the screen because it can reduce glare and improve production efficiency. But what exactly is the anti-glare coating?
The main key point in the anti-glare or anti-reflection coating process is to control light reflection on the surface of the glass substrate form, in order to achieve certain visibility. Therefore, the effective application of antiglare glass depends on good quality optical films, easy processing technologies, and transparent glass substrates with high purity.
The basic components for the anti-glare film are metal oxide nanomaterials of various sizes and thicknesses. It uses nanoparticles when making this type of movie, which is why these films are also called nanometer films.
Qualitative anti-glare screen
There are many factors affecting the quality of anti-glare screens. They include the thickness and type of nanomaterials, flatness of substrate surface, light source consistency, etc. So which factor is more important? Is there any anti-glare screen protector that can pass all 5 test conditions:
- thin anti-glare screen: thinness is key. It can eliminate secondary reflection caused by the thickness of the coating, so it will be very clear to see the image on the other side of the screen protector. Also, because it's less thick, it's easier to process into different shapes for phones or any other gadgets that are curved around the edges. So I think thinness is a very important factor.
- high hardness: antiglare film needs to have good toughness and scratch resistance in order to ensure long-term usage after being put onto smartphone screens or other glass surfaces. However too high hardness will make it difficult for end-users to put on their devices. So hardness is also an important factor.
- high transparency: ultra-thin design can provide a clear and distinct view of the screen underneath the protective film, so it needs to have high transparency with no cloudiness or discoloration at all. If you see any of these problems in the antiglare screen, then it means the quality isn't good enough.
- low reflective: with less light reflection from the surface of the antiglare film, the viewing angle will be wider and the contrast image becomes clearer when facing a strong light source from behind. It's even more obvious in outdoor usage under sunlight conditions. Therefore anti-glare screen protector with low reflective property is better in this case.
- good anti-scratching property: you wouldn't want to scratch up your phone or other devices, especially when you spent a lot of money on it. So if the screen protector is easily scratched by keys and other sharp objects, then it's not practical for daily use. Scratch resistance property is another important factor that needs to be considered at the same time.
Glass manufacturers don't make it easy for consumers to understand the product quality and materials contained in them because they think consumers won't buy their products if they know what exactly is made inside of their touch screen glass even though most people will still purchase no matter how bad glass is, just ask yourself how many times you purchased a product and it turns out to be cheap in quality and breaks in a few weeks or months even when the warranty is still good.
Which one do you choose - glossy or matte screen?
The glossy screen is more beneficial for a clearer display of shadow details. But the problem with glossy screens is that they are easy to be scratched or even cause fingerprint spots on them after being used regularly, which will decrease the value of your phone over time.
The reason why mobile phones come with matte screens now is probably that mobile manufacturers want to protect their products from becoming defective due to scratches and fingerprints.
Is an anti-glare screen better for your eyes?
Some people may think that using an anti-glare screen is better for your eyes. But in fact, it's not. An anti-glare screen is actually more harmful to our sight because of the design and its purpose. As a result, you might get eye diseases due to prolonged usage on a daily basis while watching phone screens with antiglare protection- which makes your vision blurry.
The difference between anti-glare film and non-glare film
Anti-glare films are made up of metal oxide nanomaterials, so they have the ability to penetrate deep into the surface of the glass substrate during the heating process in order to form a thick layer on the top side.
When the light source hits liquid crystal molecules at the liquid crystal panel, it will come to a halt. Then it bounces back from the surface of the glass where the anti-glare film is present and it goes back toward the device user, which makes the light source become softer and clearer.
Without the antiglare film, you're going to feel a lot of glare on your screen because light sources will bounce back directly towards your eyes causing eye strain and making it hard to read or use a touch screen at all. That's mainly why mobile screens now have a feature called automatic brightness adjustment that allows users to change their display's brightness manually according to ambient lighting conditions where they are using their phones.
Anti-glare films also have the ability to eliminate fingerprint marks so they don't look dirty as soon as they are used regularly, which makes it easier to clean them up. That's the main reason why mobile screens have matte surface now because touch screens with high glossy property are difficult to be cleaned and it becomes dirty soon when in contact with skin oils, fingerprints, dirt, and dust.
A glossy screen may suffer from color differences when you view your device at different angles, which is not a big issue though since most people only use their phones or tablets at one viewing angle all the time. But when it comes to fighting against glare reflection caused by lighting sources, the anti-glare film has a stronger advantage than non-glare films.
This is because light sources will bounce back on non-glare screen protectors differently compared to antiglare protectors during usage.
The last benefit that anti-glare films can provide is they can help you to fight against eye strain. This is the main reason why mobile phones now are coming with matte screen protectors over glossy panels.
Although most users will not understand this issue because they are too addicted to their phones and tablets, which means most people won't care about whether the phone or tablet has a matte or shiny surface as long as it works fine for them without any problems occurring.
Other considerations on anti-glare screens
Easy to clean, very durable, and easy to be removed. This is the main reason why matte screen protector has become the standard for most mobile manufacturers in recent years. So unless you're choosing the latest or latest model of phones with high-end specs, then the anti-glare film will always be built into your device's glass surface during the manufacturing process.
Anti-glare films don't just protect glass against scratches but they also help to decrease dust build up inside them by creating a barrier between dirt particles and touch screen panels. That way it becomes easier for users to clean their phones or tablets' screens without worrying too much about them becoming scratched while cleaning up the devices using microfiber cloths.
Antiglare films can serve as screen protectors too. You can choose between vinyl, PET, and the latest Sintec film to follow your device's surface. This is perfect for business users who need more than just protection against scratches on their screens because the durability of anti-glare films is better than any other type of sheet protector available so far.
The latest Sintec anti-glare sheet protector is made up of a flexible membrane that sticks onto glass totally thanks to an adhesive layer at the backside so it doesn't come off even when you're changing batteries or SIM cards regularly inside your devices.
That means this form of sheet protector lets you change whatever needs to be changed without worrying about pieces of sheet protectors coming off during the process, which can be found in most traditional screen protectors like PET sheet protectors.
The transparency level of anti-glare films is almost close to 100% so there's no problem using these screen protectors outdoors. That said, the only time that you may experience difficulty is when you're viewing your devices at extreme angles because a matte surface can cause color shifts even though it depends on lighting conditions where your phone or tablet is being used.
The best manufacturers of anti-glare screens are
They are also the ones who provide screen protectors that can help to fight against eye strain issues that many people do not know about yet.
- 3M - they are known for the high-quality products that they provide to their customers. Zagg - another reputable brand of screen protectors with anti-glare film
- Clarivue - the latest technology provider of screen protectors
- Dicota - one of the best brands which become preferred because of durability
- Concept - this is Taiwan based brand so it became popular not only in Asia but also worldwide for quality products provided.
- eLander - Japanese-made anti-glare screen protector has good quality so it's another trusted brand to choose from.
- GGMM - you can choose a matte or glossy anti-glare protector, depending on your needs.
- Glass Pro - known for high quality and transparent anti-fingerprint film
- Jetech - one of the top-rated brands whose screen protectors provide an edge to edge protection against scratches and dust particles
- iCarez - superb quality and anti-glare protection against fingerprints
- iVooMi - their screen protector's surface doesn't reflect light effectively so it has a matte effect that can improve user experience a lot.
- PanzerGlass - come in different colors so it can be matched to your device's color easily
- ProWear - one of the durable brands to rely on that provide high anti-glare protection and also fingerprint resistance.
Final Word
This article talks about what is an anti-glare screen and how it can be useful to help you decrease eye strain issues. You also know the best brands of anti-glare screen protectors so you have a better idea of which one to choose from depending on your needs.
With this knowledge, you'll be able to protect your device from unwanted damages as well as improve user experience without worrying too much about eye strain that occurs when using devices outdoors or in brightly lit rooms.