Case Mate Clear Armor Review
Clear Armor Transparent Film From Case Mate Provides Superior Crystal Clear Screen Protector & Body Shield For Treo, Centro, iPhone, BlackBerry & Other Smartphones
After buying a case, charger and battery for their smartphone Treonauts typically also look for the best possible screen protector in order to ensure the maximum overall defense against possible scratches to their expensive and beloved business tool.
Until now my biggest problem with screen protectors has been the fact that they’re not all created equal. More often than not while existing screen protectors do provide adequate scratch protection, most if not all of these have the unpleasant side effect of “clouding” your screen as the level of transparency they offer can vary widely from as low as 75% visibility to some 95%.
Thankfully in my continued search for a screen protector that offers “crystal clear” 99.99% visibility I finally stumbled upon the newly released Case Mate Clear Armor scratch-proof translucent shield – a far superior solution that has left me very, very thoroughly impressed and which is currently available for the Treo Pro, Treo 800w, Centro, iPhone and BlackBerry Bold among others.
These Clear Armor transparent films are made from the same materials used on military helicopter blades and help keep your device fully protected from the elements while at the same time being almost completely invisible to the naked eye. Additionally, in the case of my ultrashiny Treo Pro I happily discovered that the Clear Armor also greatly reduces smudges and fingerprints on my smartphone.
Each Clear Armor pack contains two full sets of front+back films, a microfiber cleaning cloth, a bottle of application solution, an applicator card and full instructions on how to apply it to your smartphone. The actual application is unusual insofar as it involves spraying the film with a liquid solution before applying it to your smartphone but once you understand the process it’s actually extremely simple and straightforward.
The video below provides a very good overview of how best to apply your Clear Armor:
A few additional tips that I learned by trial and error for applying the Clear Armor to your device includes:
- Use a pin or needle to pull out the small excess portions of the cutouts that you will not be needing.
- Ensure that your screen is virtually 100% free of any dust particles whatsoever to ensure that these do not become permanently bonded to the Clear Armor film
- Applying the film to the back of your smartphone is always a bit more tricky and requires some patience – particularly for the edges.
Overall there’s no doubt that I have been extremely impressed with the Case Mate Clear Armor solution. The 99.99% crystal clear transparency of the film on the screen is absolutely superb, the way it protects against scratches and smudges is great and the $19.95 price for two full front+back sets in each box (backed by a lifetime guarantee) makes this without a doubt the best value body & screen protectors available for your smartphone today.
Get your own Case Mate Clear Armor for:
Treonauts always have the strongest armor… 
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Comments
How does this screen protector compare to the Invisible Shield?
@Eduardo - overall the BodyGuardz and Invisible Shield are very similar to the Clear Armor but personally I found the film on the Clear Armor to be 1) more transparent for the screen; 2) somewhat easier to apply and 3) better value at $19.95 compared to $24.95.
For these reasons the Clear Armor is in my opinion the very best screen protector that you can get your hands on today.
I hope this helps.
Cheers, A.
Thank you for your review. I have a question since you have a Treo Pro. I have a Palm Treo case and a Palm Treo craddle charger. Will the Clear Armor installed on the Pro interfere with placing the Pro on the craddle or case? Thank you.
@Roger - surprisingly the Clear Armor does not interfere with any of my favourite Treo Pro cases including:
1. my favourite ultratight Incipio Orion slip case
http://shop.treonauts.com/incipio-orion-sleeve-case/4A132A2770.htm
2. Incipio Bond Street Leather Side Case
http://shop.treonauts.com/incipio-bond-street-leather-case/4A120A4021.htm
3. Body Glove Side Case
http://shop.treonauts.com/body-glove-side-case/4A120A2701.htm
Cheers, A.
Thank you Andrew. What about the micro usb port on the bottom of the Pro? Does clear armor provide an opening for the device to be charged on the cradle? By the way, how long did you have to wait for the moisture to clear, and is it really clear? How does the screen on the Pro look with clear armor?
I've been waiting for egrips to release a set for the Pro. The Pro is so "slippery" I'm bound to drop it without any protection.
How does this product compare, grip wise, to egrips?
@Roger - no problem with the USB port. What I particularly liked with the Clear Armor compared with the BodyGuardz is that moisture cleared within minutes instead of within days. The screen protector is "ultra" clear which I love and you can barely tell there is a difference compared to a "naked" screen.
@Jberger - the eGrips are great BUT they are so grippy that it's nearly impossible to use them with any case. This is why I personally much prefer the Clear Armor which offers some additional grip but not as strong as eGrips.
Cheers, A.
Hi,
Thank you for the great review.
Is it easy to remove the Case Mate Clear Armor? And will it leave a sticky Treo afterwards? (say I want to sell my Treo and the Case mate clear armor is scratched so i want to remove it before selling my Treo)
Thanks for your answer,
Cheers,
Olivier
Hello Andrew,
I received the Clear Armor kit today. I have a question. On the case-mate website, it appears that there are 3 pieces (i.e., back and front top and bottom top parts). My kit came with the back part and the top bottom part. Am I missing the lower top part (that goes around the keyboard?). Thanks.
@ Olivier
I purchased the Case-Mate Clear Armor for my Treo Pro. If you peel it off very carefully and slowly from the edges working your way in, the clear armor will come off without damaging your device or leaving a sticky residue. That was my experience. To be clear (no pun intended), the clear armor contains only two pieces, the for the back and for the screen. There is no piece for the keyboard surrounding. I confirmed this with Case-Mate yesterday despite that in Andrew's review, the diagram shows three pieces instead of two. Personally I would have liked three pieces to offer all around protection. Nevertheless, from what I saw, the Clear Armor works as advertised, be patient, the moisture will clear up and it is truly clear. I found it to feel better (grip wise) and it is less of fingerprint magnet than the naked case. The clear armor does not increase the thickness of the Pro as it fit well in my Palm case. The Pro also fit on the Palm craddle, however, it is very tight and you have to kind of apply pressure to put in on the craddle. The palm logo on the cradle will be imprinted on the film of the clear armor for the back of the phone but with a little buffing, it will look normal again.
Thanks for your answer Roger!
Too bad that there are only 2 pieces and not 3...
Cheers
Olivier
My package ordered via this store came with neither the microfiber cloth or the applicator card. Obviously a used/broken into/stolen from package I was sent.
I have emailed the company in hopes of a quick resolution of this issue. Will post the outcome, but for now not very impressed with this review, this online store or Case Mate.
Once you put on the Clear Armor, is it possible to open up the back case? Thanks.
I bought this product for the new Motorola Droid. It does not work. You cannot turn the phone on with the armor in place
Referencing George's comment: I applied the Clear Armor to my Droid and found no issues whatsoever - powers up fine.
Here is a side-by-side photo screen comparison between two Droids - one with Clear Armor and one without, as well as a general review of the product:
http://viewfmhere.blogspot.com/2009/12/droid-with-clear-armor-applied.html
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