Mobile Technology

Review: Rhino Shield impact-resistant smartphone screen film

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Gizmag puts Rhino Shield to the test
A Blackberry Z10 protected with Rhino Shield
Gizmag puts Rhino Shield to the test
The supplied Rhino Shield testing rig
An unprotected piece of Gorilla Glass 2, post ball-drop
A Rhino Shield-protected piece of Gorilla Glass 2, post ball-drop
A Rhino Shield-protected piece of Gorilla Glass 2, with a sheet of rubber underneath, post ball-drop
One multi-layer Rhino Shield film is 0.29 mm thick
Two pieces of Ziplock bag plastic also kept the glass from breaking ...
... but a piece of clear packing tape didn't
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It was just a month ago that we reported on Evolutive Labs' Rhino Shield, a 6-layer transparent polymer film designed to protect smartphone screens. Not only is it said to ward off scratches and fingerprints, but it's also reportedly five times more impact-resistant than Gorilla Glass 2. Evolutive recently sent me a testing kit, so I could see first-hand just how tough it is – without endangering my smartphone in the process. Here's how things turned out ...

The testing kit consists of two pieces of Gorilla Glass 2, two Rhino Shield films fitted to those pieces, a block of granite (or something like it – I'm no geologist), a steel ball bearing, and a cardboard box with a built-in 15-cm (6-in)-tall "drop tower."

The supplied Rhino Shield testing rig

The idea is that you first drop the ball from the top of the tower onto an unprotected piece of the glass, which is lying on the granite. That glass should break, which is indeed what happened when I tried it. Next, you apply a Rhino Shield film to the other piece of glass, then drop the ball onto it from the top of the tower. This time, the glass should remain intact, which mine did. So far, so good.

Rhino Shield produced a video of more or less the same setup, which we featured in our previous article. One reader commented that it wasn't really an accurate test, as the hard surface upon which the pieces of glass were tested didn't allow them to flex as much as they would if they were part of a phone. With that in mind, I repeated the experiment, this time with a sheet of rubber between the Rhino Shield-clad glass and the granite. Once again, the glass survived.

I was also curious to see if just any old thing would offer the same level of impact protection. As it turns out, two sheets of a cut-up thick Ziplock bag did. A piece of regular anti-scratch film, however, did not. Likewise, clear adhesive packing tape wasn't enough to save the glass from the steel ball.

My two pieces of Gorilla Glass both now thoroughly smashed, the experimenting came to an end.

An unprotected piece of Gorilla Glass 2, post ball-drop

Evolutive Labs also sent me a piece of the film custom-fit for the screen of a Blackberry Z10, so I could try out the functionality of the product. Putting the film on the phone proved to be pretty easy, although I did have to give it a couple of tries before lining everything up properly. I ended up with a few small bubbles under the film, along with a section along the bottom edge that refused to entirely stick to the glass – that last part, however, was likely due to my botched first attempt at aligning the film with the screen. Additionally, other protective films offer up the same sort of challenges.

Once applied, the Rhino Shield appeared to have no noticeable affect on the appearance of the phone's display (the polymer has a transmission rate of over 95 percent), and touchscreen functionality likewise seemed to be unchanged. Although some particularly greasy fingerprints did show up on the film's outer surface, there were certainly far less than would accumulate on an unprotected phone.

A Blackberry Z10 protected with Rhino Shield

Additionally, the film left no gunk behind when it was subsequently peeled off the screen.

Needless to say, there are plenty of other things that could have been done in order to truly test the Rhino Shield, if more pieces of Gorilla Glass were available – in particular, it would have been good to see how much protection it offers to a dropped phone that lands on one corner. Nonetheless, my tinkering was certainly enough to convince me that a phone with Rhino Shield on it is definitely better off than one without.

Prices range from £17.99 (US$29) for a smartphone-sized film (users can select the proper make/model when ordering) to £25 ($40) for a film that fits a tablet.

Product page: Evolutive Labs

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11 comments
Anne Ominous
You know, I have probably written more negative comments than positive on GizMag, but the primary reason for that is simple: I have been constantly and consistently amazed at the quoted prices for devices.
$29 for a few square inches of polymer? REALLY?
I can buy an Otterbox for significantly less on E***, and I daresay it offers considerably more overall protection.
notarichman
my puppy bit my phone, destroying both the glass front and the camera lens in the back...good test for this thing!
Gregg Eshelman
When they come up with an anti-static adhesive that doesn't attract every floating dust speck within three feet - then they'l have something.
About the only way one can get a protector on a phone or other device without junk stuck under it is to do it in a glove box with HEPA filtered air.
DonGateley
Shiny or matte?
Aeronick
I ordered a set of these, and they came in relatively fair time (about 12 days). Application was straightforward, pretty much the same as any screen saver, only slightly thicker. To be honest, I don't see anything particularly special about this film. If one were to put a 3+ mil sheet of optically clear film of almost any type on top of Gorilla Glass 2, you could claim the same effect. It scratches - that was clear on the second day when my phone pushed against the tip of my mechanical pencil in my pocket.
It doesn't have the nice smooth feel of the real glass screen protector I had on there before either (brand long since forgotten).
Conclusion: A strong 3 out of 10.
Dena
I brought one Rhino screen for my iPhone 5s . worked perfectly with Touch ID. I personally think this product is a lot better than the glass screen protector which crack and chip really really easily. I would say this is one of the best one i have used.
The Creator
@Anne Ominous yeah, that may be true, but otterboxes and similar cases are horrendous looking. With these and similar products, you're device essentially has no visible change. --------
I wonder if there is any difference between this product and the tempered glass screen protectors that have already been available for quite some time. Check out spigen.com, mimeusa.com, and iloome.com some or all of them have also released "flexible glass" products that look just like this one.
Moira Nell
I've used the Exskins one from moamtech.com.au and theirs is pretty much the same but also has 99.9% antibacterial properties which I find perfect knowing my kids play on my phone and tablet so much. They most definitely are better than just the scratch resistant ones out there. I've dropped my phone 100 times and have nothing more than a very little chip out of the corner of my phone's glass. I replaced it the other day and the skin was so scratched up, after putting the new skin on it looked like I'd bought a new phone! Bonus.
Atina Wilson
I also ordered this and it's definitely not worth the money. Like what Anne said before, you are paying "$29 for a few square inches of polymer"!
Also buyers beware, they are an oversea company so there will be a foreign transaction fee despite their website doesn't mention this since the final amount is displayed in USD. Prettyyyy sneaky.
I wish I have known all this before purchasing anything from this company..
JackLee
actually tempered glass could perfectly protector the mobile screen. While need a real TEMPERED item. Market full of glass film but not tempered enought. Therefore some could not protect well. tested iloome glass, nilkin glass, fomax glass, while similar function.