The concepts of 3D, 2.5D and 2D are associated with the rounding of the smartphone screen, which results in a three-dimensional effect. For example, in the Samsung Edge series, the 3D display is presented in the form of smoothly but deeply curved glass at the side edges of the case. Thanks to the rounding, the gadget acquires a modern design, expands functionality and “animates” the image on the display, giving it realism.
Possibilities of 3D glass and screens
The side edges of smartphones with 3D screens are illuminated even when the phone is face down. Samsung has turned this nuance into the user's favor. By setting a personal color for selected subscribers, you can determine from a distance who is calling. Taking the device in your hand, you can call up an additional menu from the curved area of the screen, install applications and contacts for quick access, and much more.
Another manufacturer that has brought 3D display technology to life is LG. The G Flex smartphone is rounded according to a different principle: if you turn the gadget horizontally, the display will resemble a screen in a cinema: it is curved with a microphone and a speaker towards the user. This achieves a high level of realism while watching movies and creates comfortable conditions when communicating on the phone, since the gadget more clearly follows the contours of the user’s face.
The trend for 3D glass will continue in the coming years among Chinese manufacturers. The most obvious example. Despite the fact that this technology cannot be called cheap, manufacturers understand that the demand for such devices is fueled by powerful marketing from A-brands.
Differences between 3D and 2.5D glass
3D glass, in the correct sense, is only relevant for gadgets with rounded screens. Chinese inventors often call ordinary 2.5D glass three-dimensional (3D), but in reality this is just marketing. There are also glasses marked 5D and 7D, but this is a banal deception.
Disadvantages of 3D glass
Despite the impressive picture, visual beauty and pleasant tactile sensations, smartphone users also talk about the negative side of such a purchase: protecting a curved screen is much more difficult than a flat one. To minimize the risk of deforming the screen, you have to resort to using special 3D protective glasses or limit yourself to applying a protective film. The protective glass familiar to many does not cover the curve of the screen, which means they cannot provide protection against scratches or cracks.
Having familiarized yourself with the detailed characteristics of the smartphone you are interested in, you could probably come across the marks “2D”, “2.5” or “3D” in the screen characteristics. If you are not familiar with these terms, then perhaps you are wondering - what is it? In this article we will tell you what these 2D, 2.5D and 3D screens are, their main differences and properties.
How 2D, 2.5D and 3D glasses appeared
Over the past few years, the development of mobile phone and smartphone production has skyrocketed. Smartphones have evolved both in hardware and design. One of the design decisions was the introduction of 2D, 2.5D and 3D glass.
These glasses have replaced transparent plastic, which protects the display from various kinds of “threats”. Tempered glass is stronger than plastic and better withstands long-term loads, since plastic coatings often had abrasions that appeared after some time of use. Glass was an ideal solution, and relatively inexpensive, since fastening the glass was no different from fastening a plastic plate. And now about each glass in order.
What is 2D glass
2D glassIt is characterized by the fact that it is completely flat, its edges rest against the body, or are completely recessed into it and hidden behind the frame. The edges of the glass are not polished, since they are not visible beyond the edges of the phone and the user does not come into contact with it. The only type of processing that glass encounters is the removal of sharp parts and nicks.
The main advantage of 2D glass- inexpensive production. The 2D screen perfectly fulfills its main task, namely protecting the display at its low cost.
What is 2.5D glass
With the development of the production of smartphones with touch screens, they have become more common 2.5D glass, which differed from 2D glass with rounded edges, which gave smartphones aesthetics and comfort in use. They are used to cover regular, flat-panel smartphone displays.
With this design, the sharp edges of the smartphone body no longer cause discomfort when you hold the smartphone in your hands. The design of the smartphone case, in order to harmonize with the glass, has also become more rounded. 2.5D screens began to be used starting with the release of the iPhone 6, which had just such glass, although Apple called such a screen a little differently - Zopo Touch. Later, this design of glass on the front side of the smartphone began to appear more and more often, and received a wide production volume and a lot of fans.
The main advantages of 2.5D glass: it is of higher quality than the 2D version, and not as difficult to produce as 3D. It is not for nothing that they are called the “golden mean” in protecting the display with glass.
What is 3D glass
3D glass noticeably different from 2D and 2.5D in that its edges are curved and rest against the body. The most famous current examples of such a screen are the Samsung Galaxy line with the Edge, S8, S8 Plus or Note 8 prefix. There is also another design of a 3D screen - this is a curved glass that follows the shape of the body (as in the LG Flex or Samsung Galaxy Round). This design allows you to get a larger picture volume and new feelings while using your smartphone.
Advantages of 3D glass You can call its unusualness and increased display depth.
What's better?
In the end, I would like to say that everyone chooses a smartphone for themselves: for some it is more convenient to use a 2D screen, for others 2.5D or 3D - it’s a matter of taste and convenience. But given the popularity and number of fans, smartphones with 2.5D glass are very much in the lead. This may be due to the fact that this design makes the smartphone more solid. 3D glass still looks very unusual, and sometimes even strange, but on the other hand, it’s quite futuristic. 2D glass is now very rarely used in devices and is gradually leaving the market, giving way to more modern options.
2.5d
This is glass with rounded edges, which are created using special equipment.
I would like to immediately say that 2.5d glass is no better than 2d. Because this is just a marketing ploy. Sellers motivate this by saying that they will not catch on the edges. The question immediately arises: how and what can ordinary glass with a thickness of only 0.33 mm catch on? It is so thin that it is barely visible to the eye. The bumper always protrudes from above. When dropped onto a flat surface with its front side, the protruding edges of the bumper usually prevent it from even touching the front of the mobile phone. Therefore, we advise you to comprehensively protect against injury and purchase a bumper. See the example below.
The image shows how much the glass is below the Case protrusion. As they say, there is nothing better than practice, so we advise you to check it out for yourself. Then you will definitely be sure of this yourself.
3d
This is curved glass that really, almost completely covers the screen of your flagship. This must be installed on curved displays, for example iPhone 6, 6S, Samsung Galaxy S6 EDGE, S8 and so on. I think there is no point in listing everything, there are quite a lot of them. It looks like this:
Conclusion
Do you have any questions? Write them in the comments section, I will try to answer you as quickly as possible.
How to correctly distinguish a real 3D protective glass for iPhone from a fake or cheap analogue? After reading the article, you will know the main advantages and disadvantages of rounded glass using 3D technology. Information materials will help you make the right choice and decide on the purchase of the best protective glass for iPhone 7/8, the characteristics of which will allow you to keep the smartphone display in factory condition.
Advantages and disadvantages of 3D curved glass on iPhone
The mobile accessories market is filled with various options for protecting the iPhone display. Among which the most popular are 3D glasses. If we consider in detail the advantages and disadvantages of this display protection format, we can make an unambiguous conclusion about the reliability of rounded coatings.
Advantages
Full coverage of the front of the iPhone;
Modern high-precision equipment allows us to produce protective glass for iPhone that fully corresponds to the dimensions of the front of the smartphone. Such glass is commonly called 3D Glass.
Air and dust free under protective glass
In addition to the 3D rounded edge, premium manufacturers, for example, Benks, apply an adhesive layer over the entire surface of the protective glass, which makes it possible to stick the glass without an air gap. A high-quality adhesive base and comparable size of the protective glass relative to the iPhone body allows you to reduce the amount of defective goods to a minimum.
- Appearance
What's the point of having a protective glass if it ruins the appearance of your iPhone? That's right, none. This is why you should buy glass from manufacturers who know exactly the Apple color palette and have conducted more than one tinting experiment. Make sure from reviews or reviews on forums/websites that the product presented is authentic.
Flaws
Quality
It is quite easy to come across a low-quality fake 3D protective glass. Most retail stores sell safety glass without an official warranty from the manufacturer. This means only one thing: it will be very difficult to return or exchange such a product. To avoid this problem, we advise you to ask the seller in advance about the terms of warranty service.
How does poor quality affect the use of an iPhone screen protector? Determining the quality of glass is simple, but difficult to do without installing it. After gluing, local accumulations of air appear under the protective glass, which are not removed over time. Carefully read customer reviews online.
Strength
“9H Hardness”, “Diamond Strength”, “Meteor Protection”, all kinds of marketing gimmicks you won’t see these days. 3D protective glass is durable if the force applied to it is applied in a plane perpendicular to the base. The end edge of such glass is the most poorly protected and fragile place. Entrust the choice of protective glass to our specialists. They will provide professional advice in selecting the most reliable accessory.
The most durable protective glass on the iPhone that we have seen in several years of work is the protective glass from Benks King Kong series (formerly Sapphire). The structure uses composite materials of synthetic sapphire and glass from Gorilla. This gives increased strength even to the end face of the 3D safety glass with rounded edges.
Expensive does not mean high quality. The cost of 3D glass for an iPhone is several times higher than the price of standard glass without a rounded edge. This is due to the complexity of the manufacturing process.
Case compatibility
Not every rounded glass is capable of protecting the display together with a hardened case. In this case, you should choose standard 2.5D tempered glass or change the case to the appropriate size. In turn, we guarantee you that Banks protective glasses are fully compatible with the cases of this company, as well as original Apple silicone cases.
How to distinguish real 3D from a fake or two-component protective glass?
First of all, let’s figure out what “3D protective glass” means?
In Russia there is no GOST, which characterizes protective glass with curves as 3D. Relying on experience, we will consider each sample that has a non-flat edge in its composition to be rounded glass using 3D technology. Many buyers may think that only the front part of the glass has a rounded edge. In fact, the protective glass should completely follow the curves of the iPhone case from the side of the adhesive layer. Only in this case will it be called 3D Glass.
Options for 3D iPhone display protection
Cast glass with rounded edges. Type "Real 3D"
An accessory of this type is the most expensive, both in production and in retail sales, when compared with other options in a similar segment, which we will consider below. The high price is due to the complex manufacturing process. Real 3D - means rounded glass of a cast structure, which is produced without differences in thickness and has a uniform shape.
The photographs show a sample of rounded glass using the “Real 3D” technology. XPro+ sample from Benks. The glass is glued to a transport plate, which prevents it from bending during transportation and also maintains the quality of the adhesive base.
On the back of the glass, if you remove it from the plate, there is an “Edge to Edge” adhesive layer. To test a single "molded" structure, it is not necessary to break it, as shown in our demo. Simply run your finger along the opposite adhesive side. If you do not feel a difference, then the protective glass can be classified as “Real 3D” type.
When buying cheap glass of this shape, you may encounter a fake from an unscrupulous manufacturer. As a rule, a low price indicates a low-quality adhesive layer. It is quite problematic to stick such an accessory on the iPhone display.
Two-piece glass with curved silicone/metal frame
As we said earlier, one of the disadvantages of 3D glass is its high price. Not every buyer can afford expensive display protection from scratches and falls. If you have never dropped your iPhone on the display and handle it carefully and carefully, there is no point in buying expensive “Real 3D” glass. Cheap two-component glass with a silicone or metal frame comes to our aid.
What is their fundamental difference? Everything is very simple. The main composition of such an accessory is 2.5D protective glass, which is glued into a frame made of silicone or metal. This solution results in their low cost in exchange for the loss of strength. This glass can only protect the display and front of the iPhone from scratches.
The main advantage of two-component glass is not only its attractive price, but also its thickness of ~0.2mm. The owner of the iPhone simply will not feel the protective glass glued on.
There is a significant drawback. Over time, the frame in which the glass is glued begins to scratch, which leads to the unusable appearance of the gadget. Most retail or online stores do not reflect this property in the product characteristics. We advise you to find out in advance detailed information about the composition of the protective glass.
Don't forget about marriage. According to sales statistics over the past few years, two-component protective glass comes off much more often than Real 3D glass. In the case of Benks products, we provide a guarantee for each protective glass, which can be replaced at the discretion of the manufacturer.
conclusions
We advise you to use protective glass that will exclusively meet your requirements. Based on daily use, choose the XPro series from Benks if your phone falls out of your hands quite often. To protect your display from scratches, use two-component hardened coatings KR+Pro.
You don't need any special knowledge or experience to choose the best screen protector for your iPhone. If you doubt your choice, contact our specialists for help, who will help you resolve any issue related to the selection of premium and high-quality glass for your iPhone.
If you have any questions, ask them in the comments to this article.
Details Benks Created: September 19, 2017 Updated: September 19, 2017Let’s try to figure out what this glass technology is.
For a long time, the English abbreviation xD has been used to indicate the number of dimensions, indicating their number. 2D is a flat two-dimensional space that has width and length; in the case of 3D, thickness or depth is also added. Against this background, the term 2.5D does not look entirely clear: it would seem, how can one add another half to the two existing dimensions? But in reality everything is much simpler.
2 D-glass
Traditionally, mobile device displays have been equipped with a protective covering made of transparent plastic. Later (with the development of touchscreens and an increase in screen area), it was replaced by tempered glass, which was designed to increase the device’s resistance to shocks and scratches. However, the use of new materials did not change the technology itself. As in the era of plastic dominance, the display cover was a piece of glass cut to the shape of the front panel of the smartphone. It was conditionally two-dimensional, since the insignificant thickness of the coating (up to 1 mm, against a background of 5-7 cm in width and 10-15 in length) can be neglected.
The edges of 2D glass are processed at the factory to remove any sharp edges that can cut your finger. No particular attention is paid to careful grinding of the edges, since in most cases they are recessed deep into the body or covered by a side edging. Thus, the user does not see the thickness of the glass: only the front surface of the coating is open to him.
3 D-glass
The term 3D glass (as opposed to 2.5D) was introduced even before the first devices using this technology appeared. Smartphone manufacturers have been fascinated by the idea of a curved screen for a long time, but for a long time the level of technology did not make it possible to create a high-resolution matrix other than a flat one.
In 2013, Samsung and LG announced smartphones of the Galaxy Round and G flex series, the displays of which received curved shapes. In such screens, a glass layer covers the matrix, repeating its bend, and the third dimension (thickness or relief - whichever is more convenient) is always visible.
2,5 D-glass - the golden mean
2.5D glass, as you can easily guess from the above, is an intermediate option between 2D and 3D. This coating is used to protect conventional flat screens, but differs from 2D in its rounded edges. It allows you to give the display a three-dimensional effect, round the outlines of the body, and make it visually smaller and more refined. The main advantage of 2.5D glass is the ability to obtain a slight bend without resorting to the use of expensive 3D matrices.
One of the first modern smartphones to have a screen with glass smooth around the edges was the iPhone 6. But Apple has never used the term “2.5D glass” in relation to its products. In 2015, Zopo Touch was advertised as one of the first smartphones with 2.5D.
If you delve deeper into history, you can see that curved edges were found even when touchscreen smartphones were just gaining popularity. In 2009, the Nokia 6700 Slide had a similar coating, and in 2011 the touchscreen N9 was released. That same year, HTC introduced a device whose screen had rounded edges, but they curved upward rather than downward, forming a small depression.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that 2.5D glass technology is a successful technique that allows you to add variety to the design of mobile devices. But it is not something new and revolutionary, but merely serves as an example of how old technologies find new life.
2.5D glass is not without its drawback: when pasting a regular protective film or glass, it will not be possible to completely replicate the shape of the screen, and an air gap will form at the edges under the coating, but it copes with these bends and holds up well, covering the entire surface.
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