I have loved my book-style foldable phone from the moment I got it, and despite initial anxieties, it has proven to be a rugged and durable device. Then one of my fears came true: the inner screen protector that Samsung advised me not to replace started to come off. First, it bubbled up a little—then, by a lot.
Foldable phones come with a thin pre-installed screen protector
Unlike conventional screens, this is considered part of the display
My phone’s outer screen is made of glass, just like any other phone. It’s Gorilla Glass Armor, meaning I can expose it to all kinds of abuse and expect it to come away scratch-free. I chose to put a thin screen protector on regardless, based on experience seeing durable screens eventually pick up scratches over time. I do, after all, prefer to use my phone naked.
The inner screen is a different story. It’s made of a flexible material that is not built to withstand such punishment. A super-thin screen protector, one flexible enough to fold with the similarly super-thin display, comes already installed. Folding screens are vulnerable enough that all companies making foldables, not just Samsung, advise people not to replace the inner screen protector. I have a book-style Galaxy Z Fold 6, but the story’s the same if you have a flip-style Moto RAZR.
To be clear, it is entirely possible to replace the screen protector myself. I did it before when I swapped out the screen protector on my previous foldable for a matte one. It was harrowing, but nothing bad happened.
This time around, I didn’t want to take such a risk when all I wanted was another version of the screen protector from the factory. The one I had started peeling right at the bottom of the crease. This unsightly blemish largely stayed the same for weeks. I tried to push it down, but it would immediately reappear. Then, one day, the air bubble started to race all the way up the crease. How long before the screen protector itself becomes a potential source of damage?
I wasn’t sure how much a replacement would cost
Or if it would be covered by Samsung Care
When I dive into the settings for my phone, it shows my device is protected by Samsung Care. I did not buy that protection—I apparently inherited it when I purchased my phone second-hand. Unfortunately, trying to confirm this was a mess. I can sign in to my account online and see my phone, but when I try to file a claim, no record of my phone exists. When I called the support line, I got an AI system that did not detect an account associated with my phone number, did not give me another option to verify, and immediately hung up. Life’s too short to deal with automated voice answering systems, especially our modern, less predictable ones, so I gave up on trying to figure out where in the system Samsung was confused. If this were an actual screen replacement, that would be a different story.
Samsung says an authorized repair shop can replace screen protectors on foldable phones for $20. That’s not a bad deal, considering I spent around that much in the past buying a screen protector to apply myself. After I botch the first attempt, as I tend to do, I come away with a single screen protector for the money either way. Better to save myself the time and stress by letting someone else handle it.
The question was: would a repair shop actually do the work for $20, or would they tack on extra fees? I looked up my local UBreakIFix, gave them a call, and got an actual person on the line, who then quickly confirmed that they had screen protectors for my phone in stock and that it would only cost me $20. Awesome. Appointment set.
Would the shop do a good job replacing my screen protector?
I’m not the only one who might damage my screen
My phone is vital to me. I don’t mean this in the usual way that many of us are dependent or addicted to our phones. My phone is my primary work computer. Now that I’ve bought a smart monitor, I’ve started using Samsung DeX again, but for months, I did all of my work on my phone’s inner screen. Even now, I still go back and forth. I’m writing these words by swiping across my virtual keyboard with an S Pen, which is the kind of workflow a peeling screen protector interrupts. My stylus gets thrown off by the bumps and stops being detected.
I hopped in my car, arrived at the shop, and handed over my phone. Then I gave them the number to a review phone I conveniently happened to have on hand (the Google Pixel 10a), left the shop, and waited. Just short of an hour later, they called me to come back. My phone was ready, and I was happy to see that it looked as good as new.
Then I, quite happily, paid the agreed-upon $20. If, by this point, you feel this is a sponsored post, I don’t blame you—but it’s not. I’m just happy to have my phone back, and I want others who own or are considering a foldable to know how this story played out.
Not as bad as I expected
For a few weeks there, I started to sour on foldable phones. Maybe they’re too much maintenance after all. But now that my phone is back to looking virtually new, it’s again hard for me to imagine going back. If the screen protector starts to give me issues again after another year, I now know exactly where to go.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
