Tech Armor Apple Macbook Pro Retina Privacy Screen Protector Review

Privacy when using devices in public is essential for many people, but with laptop displays becoming better and better, with wider viewing angles, this causes an issue for some users. I mean, no one really wants the guy sat next to them on a train peering in to their digital life do they? The Privacy Screen Protector, from Tech Armor, for MacBook Pro is the solution, and priced at just $27.95 (£22) it provides privacy by only allowing users directly in front of the screen to see what’s happening.

The Tech Armor Privacy Screen Protector is also available for Apple iPhone 4 and above, including SE, Apple iPad Pro (12.9-inch) / Air / Air 2, Samsung Galaxy S6 and the Blackberry Q10 among a few others. You can view the entire range of privacy screen protectors here.

Personally, I didn’t really have the need for a privacy screen protector prior to being sent this product to review. However, upon using the screen protector for the past couple of months I can certainly see both the advantages and disadvantages of using a privacy screen protector.

Upon installation, which is achieved by using the four included double-sided adhesive stickers, I immediately had a couple of minor issues. As you can see from the picture below, the stickers are actually slightly larger than the MacBook Pro bezel resulting in an overlap on to the actual display. Not a massive issue, but once they’re applied it’s not really possible to resize the stickers and rectify the issue.

I also made sure I thoroughly cleaned the display before applying the screen protector, however a stray eyelash appears to have made its way on to my screen and is now staring back at me, probably laughing at my misfortune. I’d attempt to remove the protector and reapply, but that’s never gone well for me before (and there were no spare adhesive stickers) so I opted to just put up with it.

A massive pro for the screen protector is the lack of bubbles after installation. I’m sure most of you will have experienced putting a screen protector on a smartphone and ending up with a bubble-ridden mess over your display. Well, Tech Armor promise a bubble free installation and that is definitely what I got.

Obviously with privacy screens you’re going to be lacking some of the brightness on your display. This can’t really be worked around and is just something you’ll have to live with. Personally I haven’t had an issue with this because the Retina display on my MacBook Pro is extremely bright to begin with.

Testing

I’ve tested my MacBook, both with and without the screen protector for quite some time, and I have to say that the results have been great when using the screen protector. There’s really not that much of a loss on display quality.

I’ve watched countless films, played many games and written many articles with ease. Even with the screen brightness at 25% I was still able to work effectively and see most things on the screen. Videos, however, should always be viewed at 100% brightness.

The viewing angle at which you stop being able to see the display is great. When sat next to the laptop, at 100% brightness, you can see that the display is on but everything is slightly blurred and unreadable. Reduce the brightness down to around 50% and it looks like the display is actually turned off, making this screen protector great for those of you concerned about privacy when out in public.

I’ve seen a few of the Amazon reviews of the Tech Armor Privacy Screen Protector and feel the need to address a few points that people have made.

Some users have commented that the protector does not fit the screen properly, or doesn’t cover the entire display. This is a completely false statement, which I can prove by showing you a photo of the screen protector installed on my MacBook Pro Retina 13-inch.

Another point was that the protector did not “stick”. Well, I’ve personally been using the protector for around 3 months, and I’ve never had an issue with it either falling off or not sticking to the display. The only point I’d make is that the adhesive stickers could be a better size, or perhaps in strips so that you can cut them yourself.

Verdict

Overall I’m extremely impressed with how the Tech Armor Privacy Screen Protector for Macbook Pro has performed.

Not only has it increased the amount of privacy I have when using my laptop in public, it does a great job at slightly dulling the incredibly bright retina display; great for the eyes when you’re in front of a screen all day.

The only issues, which I mentioned earlier, were the odd-shaped adhesive stickers that overlapped on to the display, and the lack of any spare stickers. Perhaps with some modifications, such as binning the stickers and giving one side of the protector an adhesive coating instead would improve the product.

Also, the display is obviously slightly dulled due to the privacy screen but it’s obvious that this would happen so I can’t mark it down for this.

All in all the Privacy Screen Protector from Tech Armor is a great value product for those of you who wish to have a little more privacy when using your laptop in public.

8/10

Original Article