Do screen protectors interfere with touch?

Screen protectors are a popular accessory consumer use to protect device screens from scratches or even cracking. They are made in various materials, including glass and a variety of plastics. Usually they are easy to apply, and do add protection to the screen... but they have an effect on touch performance.

Any increased separation from the device screen, such as the gap created by the screen protector, results in reduced capacitance and consequently reduced touch accuracy. The wider the gap, the greater the capacitance loss.

We tested the three most popular screen protectors sold in Amazon. Two made of tempered glass, and one made of plastic film.

Effect of screen protectors

Touching the screens with the screen protectors with bare fingers makes little difference to the device, but as soon as gloves are used, things change. Some glove and screen protector combinations will work with reduced or intermittent accuracy, while others become so inconsistent that you have to take the gloves off to operate the device.

The following table illustrates how screen protectors affect touch:

		Screen Protector
		No Protector	Ailun 0.48mm	Glass Pro 0.44mm	TechArmor 0.13mm
Glove	Regular Glove
	Leather glove with GloveTacts
	Ski glove with GloveTacts
	Rubber dipped glove with GloveTacts
	Motorcycle leather glove with GloveTacts
	Alpinestars SMX2 glove with touch compatibility
	Reax Superfly glove with touch compatibility

Legend:

Touch works consistently

Touch works most of the time

Touch does not work reliably

Our recommendation is to use a screen protector that is very thin. Anything over 0.15mm is going to limit or completely remove any touch effects, regardless of the glove used.