My devices have a hard life,and probably no device has as tough a time as my iPhone. This thing has been dropped more times than I can remember, but the other day it took a rather nasty fall onto rocks, and a screen protector that's been fitted for almost a year finally broke.

The iPhone survived unscathed, but the screen protector was badly cracked. It was time to replace it.

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I thought this was a good opportunity to test new screen protectors that make it simple to fit a screen. These screens not only make aligning the screen protector easy, but also eliminate the problem of dirt and dust being trapped underneath during the process.

First off, let me answer a question I get asked a lot -- is a screen protector still necessary?

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Yes, I think it is. I see smartphones covered in scratches and chips, and broken displays are commonplace. While a screen protector won't make your display invulnerable to damage, it helps shed off some nasty impacts that might otherwise harm the screen.

So, I think screen protectors are still worth fitting. And as it happens, I havea number of protectors that are supposed to be easy to fit. 

The good news is that not only do these screen protectors align perfectly and go on without having ugly trapped air bubbles present, but they also have a 'dust elimination' feature that means the display is cleaned immediately before application, so no unsightly dust is sandwiched between the display and the screen protector.

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What's more, after testing several screen protector kits, I have to say that they are so easy to fit that I could do the task with my eyes closed. I've tested kits for theiPhone 14 , iPhone 15 , and even earlier iPhones, such as theiPhone 11 and X .

The application process is simple. I begin by removing my iPhone from its case, removing the broken screen protector, and giving the device a clean with a few alcohol wipes. Many kits come with a wipe, but I like to start by giving the while smartphone a wipe to get all the grime off.

Next, I take the screen protector kit out of the box and have a quick read of the instructions.

This kit even came with protectors for the camera lenses.

I pop the iPhone in the supplied frame, and give the screen a final quick wipe, giving the alcohol a moment to dry off.

Next, I close the alignment frame, making sure the tab is sticking out the bottom.

With the frame snapped shut, I give the tab a firm tug, and this action simultaneously pulls the dust eliminator strip across the display and applies the screen protector.

Next, I press the spot marked on the frame to allow the screen protector to stick to the display.

Now, I open the frame and take a look at the job. I have a couple of small air bubbles, but I can deal with those using the applicator tool.

The end result is perfect. The application process was so easy that I now can't imagine using the older-style screen protectors, where I had to dab out dust manually and hope no more dust fell on the display before I applied the protector. If you've struggled to apply screen protectors in the past, I strongly recommendgiving these a try . 

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