pebble-time-steel-gadgetwraps-screen-protector

Choosing screen protector for tiny device is not as simple as choosing screen protector for normal-sized smartphones. I tried using few screen protectors for my original Pebble smartwatch. Some didn’t look good. Some got peeled very quickly. Then I settled with Skinomi wet-installation screen protector. The screen protector is durable, but it’s expensive and has some visible imperfection that does not disappear after years of usage (they promised all imperfections will disappear within few days). So I decided that I need to find something different for my Pebble Time Steel.

The first thing I needed to consider was the fact that the screen of Pebble Time Steel is not a flat surface. From my experience, dry-installation screen protectors will not look good and usually less durable for non-flat screens. So my choice goes to GadgetWraps screen protector this time. It’s cheaper than Skinomi, and I read many good reviews about this brand, so I decided to give it a try.

When the package from GadgetWraps arrived, I must admit I was a little surprised. My experience with Skinomi screen protector was some fancy packaging with spray bottle filled with installation solution inside. GadgetWraps packaging is very simple: totally flat, no box, basically just a piece of hard paper and the screen protectors, wrapped in plastic. It did make me wonder, is this really a wet-installation screen protector?

Turned out, GadgetWrap screen protector for Pebble Time Steel is indeed wet-installation screen protector. There’s a warning at the packaging to watch how-to video from their website first before attempting to install the screen protector. Plus, there’s a funny suggestion NOT to do the installation on the weekend because if we mess up, they won’t be able to help. This suggestion did make me postpone my plan to install the screen protector since I originally planned to do it on Saturday.

After watching the how-to video, I finally installed my screen protector on Monday evening. The video basically told me that I need a spray bottle for the installation, and the installation liquid is basically water with a tiny drop of detergent. This is how GadgetWrap could have very simple packaging: because they do not provide the spray bottle. Skinomi’s fancy packaging did give me a spray bottle with ready-to-use installation solution.

Since Skinomi’s “installation solution” is also water with mild detergent (written on the bottle), I decide to use the spray bottle from Skinomi, along with its existing installation solution.

The video from GadgetWraps told me to remove the straps from Pebble Time Steel, then spray on the watch and the screen protector. I did not like the idea of spraying water to my device (even though the device is supposed to be 30M water resistant), so I spray the solution to my hand, and use my wet finger to wet the screen. The installation itself is pretty strightforward (shown clearly in the video) and I successfully installed mine within few minutes. In less than 15 minutes after installation, the screen already looked good. But I decided to wait another 24 hours before start wearing the watch again.

Overall, I am happy with this purchase. GadgetWraps screen protector for Pebble Time Steel is a lot cheaper than Skinomi, easy to install (even though admittedly I use the spray bottle from Skinomi) and looks very good on my new smartwatch.