I recently tried the Otterbox Alpha Glass Screen Protector for a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. This product, made by Otterbox, is designed to work with their line of cases. The fortified glass custom fit protector is made to help protect an expensive smartphone from screen damage.
A photo of the Otterbox Alpha Glass Screen Protector for a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge retail package accompanies this article.
There are a lot of companies that make tempered glass, albeit not as any for a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. So how is Otterbox Alpha Glass different from the rest?
What sets Otterbox Alpha Glass from other manufacturer’s tempered glass screen protectors is the size of the screen protector. Otterbox Alpha Glass is made a little smaller around the edges so that an Otterbox Commuter or Otterbox Symmetry can be used in conjunction with it. The Otterbox Alpha Glass product curves where it’s supposed to so that it doesn’t get in the way of their protective cases.
Based upon my experience, Otterbox did what they were supposed to. The Otterbox Alpha Glass fit perfectly with a Commuter case. Unlike some other brands of tempered glass, it didn’t get in the way of the case. When tempered glass gets too close to the edges of the display, it can get in the way of a protective case. This becomes an issue as you need to squeeze the tempered glass between the display and case and should be avoided.
The shortcoming of my Otterbox Alpha Glass Screen Protector was how it attaches to the phone. There are a few issues. The most significant being glue at the top and bottom and just a little amount at the sides. This left a gap for dust at the sides. Within a few days, I noticed dust and dirt wedging between the Otterbox Alpha Glass and the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge display.
It’s also a bit tricky to place onto the phone. You start with a typical tempered glass installation. Clean the display with the included alcohol wipe. Wipe it clean with a small cloth. Then peel off the backing and install the Otterbox Alpha Glass.
This was the cause of another issue for me. A Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge has two lit indicators for the back arrow and the application display. The Otterbox Alpha Glass has a black strip at the bottom with clear areas for the arrow and application display. Those need to be lined up to the millimeter or the lit displays will not show as completely lit.
After a few more days, I noticed the top of the Alpha Glass began to peel away ever so slightly at the upper right corner. This effected screen sensitivity forcing me to press more than once when interacting with the upper right quarter of the phone display. So now the Alpha Glass was getting it he way of me using the phone on a day-to-day basis.
Based upon my experience, I can’t fully recommend Otterbox Alpha Glass which is a shame. It’s a perfect fit with their Otterbox Commuter case. It fits the crazy beveled display of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge perfectly. However, the issues that I encountered rendered this product to barely usable after a few days, requiring me to abort and go back to my original configuration of the Otterbox Defender which includes an integrated screen protector.