There is no shortage of screen protectors on the market. Buying one for your smartphone should not just be a matter of getting the screen protector with the lowest price, however. You should buy your screen protector based on the amount of protection it will provide your phone. Expensive smartphones are an investment, and that makes the purchase of a good screen protector a necessity.
It can feel like you’re looking into a bowl of alphabet soup when you start looking for a screen protector. Upon investigation, you will notice that each screen protector is labeled with several different markings or codes, usually a combination of letters and numbers.
One of these codes that you should pay attention to represents a screen protector’s hardness. Because not all screen protectors provide the same level of protection, we have to take into consideration its hardness factor. The rating 9H is regarded as the hardest screen protector on the market.
But where does the “9H” label come from? Interestingly, this references the different levels of hardness of drafting pencils’ lead. The lead ranges from 6B (the softest) to 9H (the hardest). During testing, manufacturers scratch the surface of screen protectors starting with a 6B pencil all the way up to a 9H pencil. The hardness rating is determined at the point the pencil lead scratches the surface. If the pencils are not able to scratch the surface of the screen protector until a 9H pencil is used, it means that the screen protector has a 9H level of hardness.
Manufacturers also test for hardness using everyday objects such as pocketknives and safety pins. If nothing can nick the surface of the screen protector, it means that it has a 9H-rated surface.
In addition to hardness, thickness also contributes to the protection provided by your screen protector. The harder and thicker your screen protector is, the more protection it provides your smartphone. A thicker screen protector will help guard your phone against disaster if you accidentally drop it, but keep in mind that the severity of the fall can still impact your phone’s chances of survival.
While the risk of damage to your smartphone is always present, you can have peace of mind that your phone has exceptional protection after you install one of the thick, 9H-rated screen protectors from Red Zombie.