# Does the Kindle Fire need a screen protector?



## Sticks and Stones (Jan 5, 2012)

I'm looking to buy myself a Kindle Fire in the near future but I'm kinda on a budget, so I won't have any money left over for spending on accessories right away. I plan on getting a cover for my fire once I can afford it, but I was wondering if I should bother buying a screen protector, since I've heard that the screen on the Fire might be made of "gorilla glass," and was practically impossible to scratch. I was wondering if this was true, and if everyone's personal experiences line up with the glass supposedly being indestructible.


----------



## VarangianGuard (Apr 21, 2009)

I received my Fire for Christmas (BEST PRESENT EVER) and also still need to purchase a cover.  I am a bit clumsy and live in the middle of the desert.  I dropped my Fire face down onto my driveway...which consists of lots of caliche rock.  I happened to be running while this happened and my dear Fire slide across the driveway for a few feet.  The damage to the screen was a minuscule scratch to the screen, which is hardly noticeable when a book is up or an app is running.

That being said, I am NOT going to purchase a screen protector for my Fire.  I am going to purchase a cover for instances like the one mentioned above and feel very confident that is all I will need.  Some folks purchase the protector for outdoor reading to reduce glare, but I don't read outdoors in direct sunlight all that much.


----------



## Sticks and Stones (Jan 5, 2012)

Thanks. I guess I won't bother buying one then, I mostly just wondered if I needed one to protect the screen. If I need to read outside, I'd just use my KT.


----------



## MartyS (Feb 3, 2011)

I recently replaced the glass on someones Macbook, so had some of that glass to play with.  Even pressing hard with sharp tools I was unable to scratch it.  Only way I found to damage it was to use sandpaper and a lot of pressure, so much pressure that if it was mounted normally I would have broken the glass before scratching it.  I've heard people talk about sand being a problem, so probably sandpaper with less pressure but a lot more time would also do damage.

So those videos of people trying to scratch the glass and failing are true!

After this I'm no longer worried about scratching devices with this type of glass on them.


----------



## sparklemotion (Jan 13, 2011)

I just have a book type cover with a strap around it. I don't feel any need to use a screen protector personally.


----------



## Sticks and Stones (Jan 5, 2012)

I'm glad it's scratch resistant, since I've never been fond of screen protectors. I did get a chance to play with a demo Kindle Fire at Target today, and I noticed it only had one scratch on the screen. Which I suppose is pretty good for a device that's handled so often, and maybe not so carefully at that - and I only noticed it when I tilted the screen to the light, not when I was using it.


----------



## Hoosiermama (Dec 28, 2009)

> I plan on getting a cover for my fire once I can afford it, but I was wondering if I should bother buying a screen protector, since I've heard that the screen on the Fire might be made of "gorilla glass," and was practically impossible to scratch. I was wondering if this was true, and if everyone's personal experiences line up with the glass supposedly being indestructible.


It is made of gorilla glass, and so is my Droid phone. I've had my phone for 2 years, and toss it in my purse. DH has a Droid phone that goes in his pocket (along with his keys). Neither phone has a scratch on it yet. I don't have a screen protector on mine, but my son bought one that's got a matte finish and he says it shows fewer fingerprints with that. If mine gets fingerprints, I just run it across my pant leg or shirt to wipe 'em off.


----------



## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

As I have recorded elsewhere, I believe the gorilla glass to be indestructible.  But.....
I have a screen protector on my Fire to eliminate any question about scratching and more importantly to cut down on the glare, which I consider pretty bad.  And the gorilla glass is a fingerprint/smear magnet.  The protector resists smearing better than the plain glass does.
And yes, I have an Oberon Leather cover for it as well, but still want the protector.
Just sayin......


----------



## Vegas_Asian (Nov 2, 2008)

I have a case and still have a screen protector. I am too afraid of getting a scratch when its chilling in my school bag

Sent from my HTC Inspire via Tapatalk


----------



## tinytoy (Jun 15, 2011)

I don't have one nor do I intend to get one. I do have a cover though.


----------



## Tip10 (Apr 16, 2009)

geoffthomas said:


> As I have recorded elsewhere, I believe the gorilla glass to be indestructible. But.....
> I have a screen protector on my Fire to eliminate any question about scratching and more importantly to cut down on the glare, which I consider pretty bad. And the gorilla glass is a fingerprint/smear magnet. The protector resists smearing better than the plain glass does.
> And yes, I have an Oberon Leather cover for it as well, but still want the protector.
> Just sayin......


Basically Ditto This

Between my original K2 and my K3 I've carried a cased Kindle for many years "unprotected" and never ever had a scratch issue.
I've carried various varieties of PDAs/Cell Phones/Smart phones for way too many years and never had a scratch issue.
I'm not worried about scratches at all.
On the other hand, the glare and the fingerprints drove me very quickly to a screen protector


----------



## sbell1 (Mar 31, 2009)

I did get a screen protector for glare/fingerprints. I did not like it at all. It did away with the crisp, clear look of the text in my books.

I took it right back off.


----------



## Cyanide5000 (Aug 30, 2010)

It needs a greasy fingers protector! but thats about it, the screen is pretty tough


----------



## rabernet (Jan 3, 2012)

I had a Droid Incredible with Gorilla glass that did get some scratches on it, so I use a screen protector on my Thunderbolt now.

I have not gotten one for my Fire,but I have it in a M-Edge Latitude case.

Gorilla glass can be scratched, it's just harder to do than regular glass.

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk


----------



## MicroBeta (Jun 9, 2009)

Gorilla Glass can be scratched by sand, as in beach sand.  Keys, coins, a screwdriver...none of these will scratch it but sand and other minerals with a hardness of 7 mohs or higher.  

I wouldn't take it to the beach without protection but unless you expect it be exposed to quartz sand or sandpaper grits I wouldn't worry too much.

Mike


----------



## marzbe (Dec 16, 2011)

I have it for the fingerprint factor.  The Gorilla glass is undistructable, but it glares and gets filfthy. I was getting tired of constantly wiping down my screen.


----------



## littlebitsnana (Aug 29, 2009)

What kind of screen protector are all of you using? I think I want to get one, mainly for fingerprints.


----------



## Malweth (Oct 18, 2009)

To reduce fingerprints, the best option is a stylus. Make sure it is a conductive stylus, as not any surface can interact with the screen. The screen is capacitative, so the stylus must be finger-like (though not oily).

I don't personally see a need for a screen protector.

(via Tapatalk on Kindle Fire)


----------



## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

The stylus is great for everything except typing - I find that typing is really slowed down when using a stylus.
Unless, that is, you are only typing in something like a password; if you're trying to use it to type notes, the stylus is slow


----------



## BiggJ (Jan 11, 2011)

Once I tried a stylus, I knew I'd never be without it.  It ends fingerprints, and without the stylus, I often had to touch the screen more than once, or I missed touching the right spot on the first try. I even use the stylus to play Angry Birds.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

The other reason most people get a screen protector is to cut down on the glare.  I don't have one, I like the shiny screen; but others say it helps if it does bother you.

Betsy


----------



## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Like Betsy said, it cuts down on glare.
I have my Fire in an Oberon case to protect it.
I have a Decal Girl skin to "dress it up".
I have a BoxWare protector to cut the glare.
And I use the Amazon Basics stylus to get to the little things.

Just sayin......


----------



## TLM (Apr 8, 2010)

My beloved K2i got scratches on her screen because I didn't always close my cover when I put her in my purse.  It looks like the keys rubbed on it.  Drat.  Only an issue when the light glares on the screen.  Same with the droid screen, but far less noticible.  I now have a tiny almost missed it scratch on the Fire.  I have no idea how that one happened as I do have a cover and make sure I close it when not using the Fire.  Very careful after what happend to the K2i.  So, yes, the Gorilla Glass will scratch.


----------



## legalbs2 (May 27, 2009)

I have a cover and added a screen protector that acts as a sunscreen when I am outside and makes it much easier to read a direct sunlight.  With the sun screen, it was nearly impossible to read in direct sun.  The Fire's screen is too reflective for reading in direct sun without a sunscreen.  I have a Kindle DX too and it reads better in direct sun.

I dropped my Fire with the cover on and open and the screen helped.  I would advise buying a sunscreen protector.  You get two in a package.  I bought mine from Amazon.


----------



## MicroBeta (Jun 9, 2009)

I'm thinking getting protector for my phone.  I'm finding that the very smooth surface causes me to be less accurate for sliding motions...ok I'm mostly talking about games. 

The Invisible Shield I used to use didn't hinder touch sensitivity but provided just the most minuscule amount of drag making movements more accurate.  You can’t even really call it drag because it’s imperceptible.  I recently used a friend’s phone and I forgot how it made playing Angry Birds a lot easier. 

I think I’m going back to a protector on my phone and getting one for my Fire.

Mike


----------



## Seamonkey (Dec 2, 2008)

Back in the ancient days, we used to have glare screens we'd put in front of our dumb terminals (I was working on Tandem minicomputers and we all had two terminals going at once.. and they made it much easier on the eyse and also made more difficult for someone to read your screen from the side or over your shoulder too.  Maybe I can find a small one to use just when I'm reading in the car, and just reach under to tap for page turn.  Other than for reading in the sun I love the shiny display, so far.  Not SO fond of the fingerprints.


----------

