Just on a month ago Motorola announced their 2017 flagship, the Z2 Force. With it came a new addition to the Moto Z line, a shatter-proof display. The shatter-proof display has been on other Motorola phones but never their Moto Z line. As it has not been on many devices most people have not seen it in action so to prove it’s effectiveness Motorola have released a video showing Motorola employees dropping their Moto Z2 Force devices.
The video demonstrates more than 100 Motorola employees in Chicago dropping their phones from shoulder height and then showing the un-broken display as the camera rolls around. It is a clever method by Motorola to demonstrate their displays but you wonder how many eyes it will reach. This would make a great TV ad in my opinion; so many people consistently drop phones and break displays.
The shatter-proof display, dubbed ShatterShield by Motorola, has a multilayered approach to the display and instead of a glass OLED it uses a plastic OLED (P-OLED). It is designed to survive a fall from five or less feet without cracking or breaking. The five layers that make up the ShatterShield are:
- Scratch-resistant replaceable lens
- Primary polycarbonate lens
- ShatterShield touch sensor
- Flexible OLED display
- High strength aluminium core
Apparently by using the plastic outer layer the display is prone to scratching, as many users have found. This layer though can be replaced for a small fee. For many people out there who have had broken displays in the past this may be an option for them.
Would you consider buying a phone that has a shatter-proof display even though it may be more prone to scratching?
I’ve had a Z Play, without any case or protector, for awhile now and dropped it from pocket height maybe 5 times. There are a couple of small dents in the surround but the screen is just fine without the shatter-proof feature. I’d say it’s not a huge selling point.
Hoping I haven’t just jinxed myself though!
Nope, day to day usability (or visual ascetic) by a scuffed up screen is not going to be chosen over enhanced shatter resistance.
So far screen breakage is a 1 in 10 year event so i don’t see it necessary to protect against it in this way. (touch wood)
Screen protectors that have gotten scuffed up in the past have been frustrating … it was good that they could be changed out.
But the reports so far have been that the Moto plastic scuffs up really easy, far faster than the screen protectors.