[Huawei P9 Accessories] Umb0:
Hi,

I've read this thread post-by-post months ago. I still read the new posts in it from time to time. It's good to finally see a solid recommendation for a glass protector. Well done!

However, after my purchase (time ago) I had to pick something fast and there was no good glass in sight. In the end I chose a film protector, not a glass.

So here's my .02 € for those who think that they'd like a film.

The film from ScreenKnight is my recommendation.

http://www.screenknight.com/huawei-p9-screen-protector-military-shield/

It comes in 3 variants: Full-Body protection, Front protection, Back protection.

Pick the one you want by using the combo labeled: *Protector Type -- but of course I recommend the Front only. The rest of the phone is best shielded in a case, no?

This film protector has been mentioned already a few times (in the thread), but never properly praised for how good it is. Now, having used 2 of them myself I can talk from personal experience.

And before you ask: I'm at the 2nd film because the 1st one remained on my former P9, which got bricked and substituted wholly by the tech assistance. And so with the new P9 I had to buy another film protector. That is all.

The film from ScreenKnight is quite good. Barring the weird installation process, the product is worth every penny. Just as they say: after the installation, bubbles and/or mist may show up under the film. Let it be, it all disappears in a day or two. It's important that during this period you don't stress the film trying to make the bubbles go away by force. There's totally no need for that.

As for the interesting "self-healing" property of the film... modern day nano-materials are amazing and scary at the same time. The film really heals back from dents, bumps, and scratches.

Granted, it takes time. And I don't quite understand whether it's just time that it needs, or if it's aided by the warm coming from the smartphone during use. Whatever, the damage autonomously regress to the point of becoming nearly invisible. Or at least this has been my case when I hit the screen with a hard metallic object and the film protector got dented and bumped up (but not cut! It remained integer despite the shock it absorbed).

The bump was well visible and ugly, but instead of tearing the film away, I remembered of the self-healing behavior and decided to see if it was true. It took many days, but for real the bump did progressively flatten, becoming nearly invisible. A month later I found myself examining the screen surface to spot where the bump was. It wasn't easy, and I needed specular lighting in order to see it.

Regrettably I cannot tell whether the bump would have gone away completely, if given enough time, because I don't have that device anymore (the why is explained above).

So that's it, a film protector that won't cost you a fortune and it's every bit as good as they claim it to be.

The screen's clarity is superb, just as they say.

And the touch sensitivity is unhindered. If anything, I believe it's improved by the film, because the film's surface isn't as slippery as the bare glass underneath. This makes it easy for you to stay put with the finger when you don't mean to swipe or slide. Also, the film is not a fingerprint magnet, and what prints you manage to leave anyway are easily wiped off with the hand. If you think a film protector is your thing, give the ScreenKnight's a try.

And now a few tips for a painless installation process.

1) Be sure to watch the instruction video and do what they do. Don't stray, don't get creative -- unless I tell you to.

2) Take advantage of the P9's perfect flat structure. Put some adhesive on its back, and secure the device to the table. You will thank me later.

3) You don't need to clean the P9's glass with alcool or other products before application. If you prefer to do it anyway, I guess it's okay. But there's no need. Just make sure that there are no fingerprints and dust left.

4) The video doesn't tell, but is the water supposed to be cold? hot? mildly warm? I used warm water and it went smoothly. My guess is that the water's temperature is irrelevant.

5) Wash your hands with soap _before_ you even begin doing what's in the instruction video. The soap will remove the natural grease off your fingers and you won't leave fingerprints for a while. That said, you will still bathe your fingers in the water with the soap later (as shown in the video) to further ensure that you don't leave a single fingerprint.

6) This is silly, but you want to have a bit of nails on your fingers, otherwise once you bathe your fingers in the soapy water you become so slippery that you can't peel the film from its counterpart.

7) After you peeled the film, do generously bathe it in the soapy water. Yes, let it have a good bath. You'll surely wet the front side of the film as well. It's all according to plan, don't worry.

8) Don't get paranoid when you wipe off the excess water from the film. Just wipe it so it won't drop water all over the place. You don't need to make it dry, and don't worry if soap bubbles are everywhere on the surface. They are totally not a concern. Apply the film as-is.

9) The application of the film onto the P9's glass can be Easy or can be Hell. It depends on how you do it. The key-point is that once the screen is fully onto the glass, that soapy water is nowhere near as slippery as you imagined it to be, and if you need to make large adjustments now... mman! No, the trick here is to remember that it's a film which you can bend. Therefore: lay only _half_ of it onto the P9's glass, keeping the other half in the hand. The film will have very low grip allowing you to make the finest adjustments with ease. Once you are satisfied with the alignment, drop the other half slowly. Now the film doesn't slide as easily as before, but chances are you need only make very tiny adjustments.

Do you remember point 2), where I suggested to attach the P9 to the table with adhesive? Thanks to that, now you can use both hands to make adjustments quickly, instead of having to fight with a film that doesn't want to move over a device that's way too slippery for its own good. Have 10 seconds of patience and you can do a perfect job.

10) When you start pushing the soapy water away from the film (like in the video), don't apply too much force. Press down enough to bend that white card thingy (what's the name of it?), but be gentle.

11) Here's where you differ from the video. After you pushed the water away, DO NOT use the microfiber cloth to clean up/dry the film. You push too much -> you misalign the protector. The film has to be left alone to dry and get fixed to the screen, anyway. So why not wait the 5 hours like they say? You can clean it up safely afterwards.

12) The P9's glass is 2.5D -- Even if you perfectly align and center the film protector, its sides will remain slightly lifted. It's expected. Watch your clock, let 20 minutes pass, so those sides of the film can dry up a little, and then gently push them down on the glass. Use your thumb. Make several short movements going from the inside to the outside of the screen. Don't do the single movement that runs the length of the side (ie: from top to bottom) or it ends badly. For correct results it's important to wait the right amount of time. 20 minutes is fine: the sides of the film should stick to the glass at the first try. When they do, don't pass with the finger over them again. That is, don't stress the film unnecessarily while it's wet.

One last note :D

If after the film protector is dry (and you turn On the smartphone), you find that the touch sensitivity is strange... it's probably because your fingers are still without grease, because you washed them with soap -- remember? Go pet your dog or cat for a while, or find a source of human grease like someone's hair and touch it real good (:laugh:). You'll notice the difference.

You're welcome :)