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Motorola Droid: Scratch Test With Car Keys

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Usually the way I find out whether a phone’s screen is resistant to scratching is ACCIDENTALLY scratching it and being disappointed I didn’t get a screen protector in advance. Then there is eL777 from AndroidForums who took his car keys and purposely slashed the heck out of the screen to see what would happen:

First of all, I’m impressed by the scratch resistance… good stuff.

Second of all, OH. MY. GOD. That was painful to watch. I have to echo the sentiments of members like raventhegreat2000:

man that was like watching a horror film

And Graz:

Wow you are the man. I sat there cringing

He DID mention that the painted finish of the device elsewhere on the phone (not the screen) sometimes scratched off but the screen itself is looking really good in terms of durability. Glass it is (we assume)!

Rob Jackson
I'm an Android and Tech lover, but first and foremost I consider myself a creative thinker and entrepreneurial spirit with a passion for ideas of all sizes. I'm a sports lover who cheers for the Orange (College), Ravens (NFL), (Orioles), and Yankees (long story). I live in Baltimore and wear it on my sleeve, with an Under Armour logo. I also love traveling... where do you want to go?

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38 Comments

  1. Wow, thank you very much. It takes a lot of balls to try something like that with your droid but it worked out in the end. I just hope the scratches don’t get to bad on the metal around the screen. I think I have a couple specs of paint taken off mine so far. Not noticeable now but maybe something to watch out for.

  2. After watching this, did anyone else then pull out their keys and try scratching the screen in the corner (where it wouldn’t be noticeable)?

    I did it with the corner of a steel ruler, pressing much harder than keys would in your pocket. NOT SCRATCHES!

    No need to try it on the painted metal or plastic though.

  3. jeez wash the grease off your hands first buddy…

  4. The screen is glass, keys won’t scratch it. BUT, glass, quartz, sand WILL SCRATCH IT.

  5. Wow! I mean WOW. No, really, WOW!
    I can not imagine doing something like that with my phone.

  6. On Page 48 of the manual, there is a warning about the device containing glass. The paragraph says:

    Glass Parts
    Some parts of your mobile device may be made of glass. This glass could break if
    the product is dropped on a hard surface or receives a substantial impact. If glass
    breaks, do not touch or attempt to remove. Stop using your mobile device until the
    glass is replaced by a qualified service center.

  7. A little off topic but is the Droid’s touchscreen heat/thermal sensitive or by touch? I know the iPhone/iPod touch is heat and it’s a whole lot easier to type on than my POS Dare that is touch sensitive.

  8. This is good to know. I couldn’t get a screen protector reasonably seated on the device. Got a case with an edge around the screen to protect it. But now that I am using the car/media dock I had to get rid of the case too. So it’s nice to hear it’s safe in my pocket.

    … though, can you now do the same experiment on the camera lense?

  9. BLASPHEMY! Who does that? This guy must make bank to have the balls to do something like that.

  10. god why would you even try that for the sake of a demo vid for youtube?? lol

  11. Well that guy’s got balls

  12. Or the smart fellow has insurance on his phone so only has a $50 deductible to replace the phone.

    Gee, novel concept that… I once had to replace a phone three times in a year, only cost me $50. Best part was, one of those times was my fault for laying on gravel while pulling parts in a junkyard. They just saw that it was broken and got me a new one from the back.

  13. @Meefle

    It’s capacitive, not heat, same with the iPhone/iPod touch. It senses the electrical field in your finger, not the heat of your finger.

  14. Better you than me! I wouldn’t have had the courage to do that!

  15. That was painful to watch!

  16. METDeath… FYI… Droid phone insurance through Verizon is $7.99/month and you will need to pay an $80 or $90 deductible (can’t remember which). Compared to having to replace a $500 phone (as a replacement w/o the subsidy) I thought it wasn’t a bad deal. Does anyone know if there third party reliable providers that are less expensive?

  17. Bestbuy insurance on droid is 9.99 a month with no deductible. Also if you dont file a claim for a year they give you $50 back..However does not cover lost or stolen

  18. I got insurance offered through best buy when i bought my droid. If you pay up front ($170) it averages out to about $7/month for 24 months, AND that is WITHOUT any deductible. If you go the pay per month route thru them, it’s $10/month…again without a deductible. Seemed like a no-brainer to me at the time…and still does.

  19. @bking: No amount of handsoap is gonna keep that finger print magnet of a screen from collecting yer prints. XD

    I found this to be very reassuring, as I plan to carry my Droid in my pocket most of the time, and I don’t want to be concerned with whether I’m damaging the screen or not.

    Still, nice to know that Zagg now has our back, should we decide to invest in some protection. InvisiSHIELD ftw.

  20. What do people think about screen protectors. (I’m talking about the thin sticky plastic things that fit right over the screen).

    When I *cough* almost bought an iPhone, the sales lady practically insisted I get screen protector.

    I know they are available for the Droid – what do folks think?

    Also, any cases that people would recommend? I’m carrying in a belt pouch at the moment, but would like to ditch it and carry in the pocket most of the time.

  21. I bought the screen protecter from verizon made specially for the Droid, but I have yet to put it on. It’s cool it’s a privacy screen so others can’t see what you are doin like on a PC. 12.99 from the store.

  22. Athena, they sold me one of those privacy screens and it worked horribly…took it off the same day and i also hated how it darken my screen, those rich lovely pixels are meant to be enjoyed!

  23. I put a screen protector on mine – got a pack of 3 at VZW store along with my Droid. The screen feels about same with/without protector. I work with tools a lot – never know when my Droid might end up next to some silicon carbide (material commonly found in sandpaper/grinding wheels) or some similar stuff.

  24. I got a screen protector on my Droid…took it off only an hour after I got the phone. It made the touch screen an unusable experience for me, especially when it came to typing on the virtual keyboard, even in portrait mode (which rocks). Once I removed the screen protector, it was heavenly; so smooth, so exact, all as I expected it would and should be.

    Plus, the amazing screen looks best naked. Skip the screen protector, u’ll enjoy the phone MUCH more.

  25. Damn, guess I can’t carry my Droid around in the pocket I keep all my diamonds in!

  26. Yes, the screen is glass. I dropped mine yesterday and it shattered into pieces. Luckily i have the insurance…

  27. wow i held my breathe till the end of the video scare the crap out of me….

  28. I have a screen protector on mine. It works great. I don’t have any problems with touch sensitivity. But I got the 3 pack Verizon screen protector, not the privacy screen protector. I heard the privacy ones cause the screen to be less responsive. One nice benefit, is the glass is less likely to break with the coating on there.

  29. Will Verizon install the screen protector at their store?

  30. Somehow I did manage to get a little scratch on mine. I was wondering if it could be buffed off.

  31. Tried all three. Naked, screen protector, and privacy protector. Privacy protector wins all day for multiple reasons. First, anti glare, no greasy finger prints, and lastly privacy. Regular screen protector is almost as greasy glarey as naked. Ill surely trade a bit less touchy (get used to it very quickly) and 35% less bright for no grease and no glare…oh and the privacy thing is cool too.

  32. the screen is made of a special tempered glass by corning. “gorilla glass” is the brand name i think they use.

  33. My screen protector started coming off at the top right corner but I don’t wanna take it off because I think I may scratch the screen the corner of the protecor has dust and other things collecting on it and its really annoying because its ugly but it was installed by best buy mobile so does it sound like an improper installation because I may just see if they can install a new one.
    But on the topic of the protector itselfis awesome my screen responds normally since the day I bought the phone 12/20 I have had it installed and I love it but its rather unnatractive with the corner all dusted up n stuff.

  34. Through a company called “Cellular Connection” that is a Verizon Agent, they sell an insurance package for $99.00, which covers EVERYTHING, including if I just bought it, set it right on their counter and smashed it with a hammer. The deductible is $39.00. So, that’s $140. Verizon’s $7.99 plus $80 comes out to $271 over the course of 2 years, Best Buy’s comes out to 289.00 (if you pay the $50 deductible). I think the Cellular Connection one is a good deal (and the phone’s were buy one for $99 and get one free, two Droids for $100, plus $200 in insurance. Not bad…

  35. On my second driod now. Broke the screen on my first one while on a cruise. No insurance so I was expecting to pay through the nose but Verizon gave me a “certified like new” replacement for $50. Cheaper than the deductable if I had insurance. I decided to do some testing since it was broke anyhow and pressing with all my strength did not break the glass, it must have been stepped on or something while in our beach bag to break. Overall a very resilient screen, I’ve been impressed.

  36. This is bullshit .. because I have a couple of scratches on my Droid and I have not even dropped it …

  37. I had one of those lifetime screen protectors installed at the mall. Its made by 3M, they install it with a tiny bit of 50/50 water and alchol mix. You cant even tell that it is on there and it works perfectly. Only $15 compared to the verizon 3 pack that start to peel off in a week. This is garenteed for life not to peel or scratch. (can be removed with a tiny bit of 50/50 mix of water and alchol if you wish)

  38. Actually, the glass is a Dow Corning product called Gorilla Glass. Google it and you’ll find very interesting information about it. The actual product has been around for a while but the Droid and the iPhone are the only two cell phone products that use it, so far, that is.

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