[Google Pixel 3 XL Accessories] TraderJack:
Hey guys. I've never used TGSP before. I've always opted for the wet-install self-healing ones and am quite used to those. They do have some cons, but I have felt the pros outweigh them. OTOH, I've never had a $1000 phone and I'm wondering about the true benefit of TGSP.

I realize that a TGSP will give a glass feel and some people opt for it over the others for that sole reason. I'm more interested in the actual protection offered. For sake of this conversation let's dismiss clarity, fingerprints, etc and talk about actual protection offered from impacts (and to a lesser extent scratches, though I think any protector will protect against a scratch).

My questions are:

1) Do those of you using TGSP simply not care about laying the protector in direct contact with the surface? Because it isn't the original screen you aren't as concerned if scratches were to appear? Or the TGSP just have a good enough scratch resistance that you aren't concerned? I ask this because I can see just by looking at many of your user installed pics and looking at the cases on my current phones (different makes/models) and all 16 cases I reviewed here. I would say that none of these cases have a high enough lip that I don't forsee a TGSP making the screen flush (or even past) the lip of the case.

2) How well does a TGSP actually protect against a break of the glass compared to the actual screen? I mean the screens are made of break resistant glass and are much thicker than a TGSP. I have seen quite a few people with phones with what looked like cracked screens, but turned out it was just their TGSP that broke and they hadn't replaced it yet. My belief/guess though is that whatever cracked their TGSP wasn't necessarily powerful enough it would have cracked their actual screen. IOW, I feel that they would break more easily than the actual screen and anything powerful enough to break the actual screen the TGSP probably wouldn't do much. Now saying this I realize it isn't completely useless - there is probably a level of pressure which the TGSP might protect, but clearly it isn't 100%.

I've looked extensively online and found lots of videos that show people surviving stress/drop tests with TGSP. Many times they break, but the phone is undamaged.

I have not found a SINGLE one where they take the same phone, one with TGSP and one with nothing and do the same test. Can anyone point me to any?

I guess many of you might say that it is only $5 for an average one, so why take the risk? I guess there is logic there, but it really isn't $5 if you don't want so many of the issues presented in this thread. You either spend $40+ on a dome or you spend half that for a DIY LOCA install or you suffer with halo, raised edges, etc. Again many of you may argue that even $40 for the Dome is worth the cost just for the piece of mind. Again, there can be logic there - but peace of mind/"just in case" is just that - it isn't fact and I have a really hard time spending the money for what might just be a placebo. I haven't used TGSP in the past and never broke a screen. Additionally, to the best of my knowledge phone screens have only gotten better over time (higher levels of Gorilla Glass, etc) that as time moves on I'm less likely to break one.

Can anyone offer anything more than anecdotal evidence that TGSP really have major benefits in this area? Again, I'm not saying they don't have benefits over other types of protectors, I'm just not convinced that protecting the screen from shattering is one of them.

Thanks.