I am a huge advocate for the use of screen protectors. I have been a fan since the beginning; starting with those overpriced, thin sheets of plastics to the messy liquid applied protectors to tempered glass and now engineered systems to keep your smart device’s round-edged screen safe and protected. The engineers at Bodyguardz have created The Crown, a two piece solution designed to protect the latest and greatest smartphones from the perils of everyday life. So, let’s see if the Crown lives up to my hopes and dreams…
Note: Photos may be clicked for a larger image.
Package Contents:
- A ScreenGuardz Pure tempered glass screen protector (1)
- The Crown anodized curved aluminum rim (1)
- An Express Align installation tray
- A microfiber cleaning cloth
- Dust removal stickers
- Installation instructions
The current trend of manufacturers is to engineer curved screen devices such as the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, Galaxy Note 4 and S6 making it (nearly) impossible for a tempered glass screen protector to provide edge-to-edge protection. So you had to choose between either insetting the coverage of the screen protector, leaving a gap and exposed area along the edges and corners or extend the screen protector to the edge of the device. The overhanging of the curved portion of the screen’s glass caused a “halo,” that does not adhere completely and allows dust and debris to collect. As seen here…
This is what my Note 4 looked like before I installed the Bodyguardz Crown. While the glass screen protector covers the entire screen, you can see the relatively large halo effect area transitioning into the dust accumulation edging.
The Crown system utilizes the Bodyguardz Pure tempered glass screen protector with the Crown being a thin perfectly formed piece of aircraft grade aluminum that spans the gap between the edge of the glass and metal band that surrounds the Note 4. The Crown system provides a complete and nearly seamless solution.
The Bodyguardz Express Align system enables you to flawlessly install the Pure glass screen protector onto your smart device.
After cleaning your screen, you remove the plastic protecting the adhesive layer of the glass screen protector. You then place the Express Align on top of your smartphone lightly pressing down. The glass screen protector settles/sucks itself onto the screen.
The Express Align system perfectly places the glass sheet onto your phone.
No more hoping that you line everything up well enough. The Crown system depends on precise placement, even being a millimeter off could compromise the install.
Once that was done and I was satisfied with the screen protector install, I grabbed the Crown, pulled off the adhesive and put it in place. You definitely need to be careful to not tweak the shape of the aluminum band because once out of shape, it is highly doubtful you could fix it or get it to sit correctly. The Crown is CNC machined to mate up perfectly with the shape of the Pure tempered glass screen protector and edge of the Note.
The Bodyguardz Crown has rekindled my love affair with my Note 4. It looks and feels brand new. I was very tired of seeing the halo around the screen and the ever growing ring of dust, both of which made my Note look old and tired.
The bottom lip of the Crown (where it curves around the Notes home button) is raised just a bit, creating a pointed edge that takes some getting use to. Not really a problem, just worth mentioning. Funny thing is, that I swear it increases the accuracy of the fingerprint reader. Best I can figure, is that it forces a slightly different angle of attack for sliding your thumb over the reader.
There is a slight halo running along both sides of the Pure tempered glass screen protector. It is minor but there nonetheless. It doesn’t appear that a dust ring has or will form. The halo strips are much less noticeable on the Crown system than my last screen protector.
The Crown is available in black and white and comes with a lifetime warranty.
Silly as it sounds to be giddy over such a common accessory, I love this screen protector. But as I have explained, the Bodyguardz Crown is much more than a simple sheet of glass. The combination of current generation tempered glass and precision cut/shaped aluminum bezel takes protection to a new level finally catching up with the curved screens of the latest and greatest smartphones. If you have a Galaxy S6, Note 4, or iPhone 6/6+, I highly recommend considering the Crown to protect your fancy tech-toy.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Bodyguardz. Please visit www.bodyguardz.com for more info.
Product Information
| Price: | 44.95 |
| Manufacturer: | Bodyguardz |
| Pros: |
|
| Cons: |
|
Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
I have the white Note4 The “halo” is not very noticeable on the white. Guess I’m glad now they were out of black.
Looks very nice … Thanks for the review.
Will the phone fit in another case after installing this ?
Very impressive delicate machine work for such precise fitment. Have you noticed any signal interference from the aluminum “crown”?
@vn33 – I don’t use a case very often, but it appears a bumper case might work. Tho I doubt anything that comes over the edge to cover the bezel of the screen would fit.
@AB6DO – I would say there is zero interference or signal loss.
I have The Crown on my Note4 and a RingKe SLIM case and it’s a perfect combination for this phone. It couldn’t fit better and still feels thin and light. It’s even survived a drop on cement and being tossed across the lawn by the belt on top of the mower deck of my riding mower with NO damage whatsoever to the phone and only light scratches to the case. I’d recommend this combination to anyone with a Note4.
Unfortunately, this product has problems not mentioned. In particular, I am a dissatisfied customer after having installed this product twice with bad results. Quality control and instructions for installation are bad. On neither installation was I able to get the crown to adhere to my phone. At least compared with prior products (pure alone), the screen finally has no bubbles.