There’s a new Wizard in town, and his name is the UAG Flex Shield Plus screen protector. Screen protectors are a dime a dozen and there are a ton of crappy ones out there so when a new one is brought to our attention we like checkin it out.
Flex Shield Plus is a flexible hybrid polymer based screen protector for Galaxy S23, also available for iPhone 14/pro. Unless you’ve got unlimited funds then a screen or glass protector is mandatory. When you consider the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will run you $1400 if you opt for the 12GB (RAM) variant, a $50 screen protector doesn’t sound so crazy if it’s good.
Specs
There aren’t many specs to mention here except that the screen protector comes with an applicator / guide tray that will help you install the Flex Shield centered on your Galaxy S23 and cleaning kit.
The Flex Shield Plus is made of a “hybrid polymer” that is scratch resistant and fingerprint resistant.
The Flex Shield Plus is indeed one of the best screen protector films we have ever used with regards to oleophobic properties and for it’s smooth tactile feel. We are happy to report that the fingerprint scanner is fully functional without any noticeable degradation in performance.
UAG has provided us with the Flex Shield Plus screen protector so that we could bring you our first hand experience and review of the installation process and product.
Installation
Using the guide tray from the applicator kit installing the Flex Shield is a breeze. The adhesion is good and installs like many films that use static adhesion. Personally don’t like to spray any wet solutions on the screen to install.
The process is the same as the majority of phone film protectors. Wipe with alcohol pad, use the sticker to stick and pick off any dusties from your screen. Place phone in the applicator/install tray. Peel back the protective layer on the backside of the film (there is a top half and bottom half) and gently let the film fall onto your screen. The Flex Shield will begin to adhere to the screen and you use the supplied squeegee to iron out the air bubbles.
It is possible to lift corners or the sides to reapply the Flex Shield and get some stubborn bubbles out but be mindful not to let more dust in when you do that. Any spec of dust will be seen later and cause the film not to adhere as well as it can.
Pros
- We love that this install requires zero solution and is applied with static adhesion.
- The oleophobic properties keep the screen super clean, love it.
- The tactile feel of the Flex Shield is unmatched in our opinion. This is the smoothest screen protector we have ever used hands down.
- The cut or template on the Flex Shield is accurate and consistent. The film covers the screen very well less some margin so you can add a UAG case without issue.
- Fits without issue with UAG’s Monarch Pro and Plyo Pro cases.
Cons
- Although the applicator tray makes it easy to install, ours was an *ss hair off the center of the camera hole.
- We ran into adhesion problems. 80% of it sticks great! the remaining 20%, primarily along both left and right edges of the curved screen and then some. The Flex Shield keeps lifting up so to speak. You can see the result in the photo below. This was installed onto a pristine, brand new Galaxy S23 Ultra device that just came out of the box.
Conclusion
Flex Shield Plus is the smoothest, most pleasant feeling screen protector we have ever used. It’s oleophobic powers would impress even Gandalf the Grey; it’ll keep your screen completely free of fingerprints and the scratch protection is great. We’ve given the Flex Shield Plus high marks but the adhesion issue could be a deal breaker. UAG offers a 50% discount if you purchase the Flex Shield Plus ($49.95) with a UAG case.
