Curved screen protector review: will LK keep your phone safe?

Screen protectors are a right pain. They’re incredibly fiddly to apply with the annoying habit of growing bubbles right where you don’t want them. And things get even worse if you buy one of the new generation of curved-screen phones.

That’s why I was intrigued to hear about LK screen protectors, made from “premium soft TPU flexible film”, from one of my sons. They’re cheap, they work and while they have foibles, they’re easy to live with (the screen protectors, not my sons).

Curved screen protector: what LK promises

The promises boil down to five key elements:

• No bubbles
• No lifted edges
• Works with contoured screens
• Self-healing against minor scratches
• Works with in-screen fingerprint readers

You can’t buy one generic protector. Each is tailor-cut to the design of your phone, so it won’t go over a notch (for example). Fortunately, they’re sold on Amazon under different and well-labelled pages, so you shouldn’t buy the wrong one by mistake.

We provide a list for five curved-screen phones at the foot of this review.

How to install

LK helpfully provides a detailed video on how to apply the screen protector, and it’s vital you take note: do it wrong and you’ll end up wasting one of the three protectors included in the pack.

Everything you need is in that pack, too, including three cleaning wipes, three dust removal stickers and a microfibre cloth.

Could the process be easier? Absolutely. Does it work better than any other screen protector we’ve tried? 100%.

So does this curved screen protector work?

The simple answer is yes, the LK screen protector does work. It will add a handy layer of protection to your screen and, once on, you’ll barely notice it’s there.

It doesn’t get in the way of the screen and passes the all-important test of “does the in-screen fingerprint reader still work?” In fact, we found little difference in the reader’s effectiveness before and after applying the protector.

This doesn’t mean it’s perfect. While LK describes the film as “self-healing”, after a month of use we noticed several tiny pock marks on the surface. With the screen switched on, you don’t notice these at all; switched off, and when the light catches it at a certain angle, they’re quite obvious.

You will find yourself battling the occasional bubble, too. These sometimes appear at the edge of the screen, but are easy enough to iron out with a firm push.

One final bugbear: the screen protector doesn’t extend to the very edge of the screen, leaving a couple of millimetres at the edges. A big issue? No. But unexpected if you’re used to protectors that cover every inch of the screen.

Which one to buy?

While this isn’t the most exciting product we’ve ever reviewed, it could extend the life of your phone. Or at least, for how long you want to use it. We suspect that a lot of people now dump their phones in favour of newer models merely for cosmetic reasons.

That’s why we’re happy to give it a Big Tech Question Recommended award.

So which one to buy? Here’s a handy set of links for the major curved-screen phones:

Huawei Mate 20 Pro, £9

Huawei P30 Pro, £9

Samsung Galaxy S10, £7

Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus, £6

OnePlus 7 Pro, £6

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