Removable iPad Matte Screen Protector from Benks (review)

Product provided by Benks

Removable matte screen protectors for the iPad are quite common nowadays. In this review, you'll find out whether this one from Benks is any good or useful. Short answer, it is but there are compromises just like all matte screen protectors.

The screen protector is priced at US $30 (find the 15% off code at the end) and is available in sizes for the 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro tablets. The 11-inch is also compatible with iPad Air 4 (2021) and iPad Air 5 (2022) as the physical dimensions are similar to the iPad Pro 11 (2018 or newer).

Included in the package are:

• Matte screen protector
• Screen protector sleeve
• Micro fiber cleaning cloth
• Installation kit: alcohol wipe, dust removal stickers
• Installation guide

Installation is as simple as aligning and placing the matte screen protector on the tablet.

The two long black bars are where the magnets are and will make it easier to get the alignment right. The magnets aren't that strong but strong enough so that the screen protector doesn't move while you're writing or drawing.

The screen protector is thicker than I expected but still thin enough. Just make sure you don't cut your finger at the edges. And make be careful not to crease the screen protector because a crease, like a paper fold, is permanent.

The surface is only textured on one side while the other side is glossy.

The anti-glare isn't particular aggressive in the sense that I can still make out the shape of my window from the diffused reflections. The anti-glare is quite glaring though personally for me. The glare is alright for indoor use but will be too glaring when used outdoors with ambient light.

The matte screen protector is on the tablet on the right.

It's actually not easy to tell the difference from these small photos I'm sharing here.

Having the matte screen protector feels like you're apply 1-2% opacity white on the original image quality.

This is the original image quality of the display.

This is with the matte screen protector. There's slight gain, colour noise and the colours are slightly washed out.

All matte screen protectors will introduce grain, colour noise and affect colour contrast and vibrancy. It's just a question of how much image quality is affected. With the Benks screen protector, image quality is affected slight and not to the extent where I would consider it problematic. In other words, the image quality still looks good enough with the matte screen protector on top.

The textured surface is nice to draw on but it has a more plasticky feel compared to the paste-on matte screen protectors I've tried in the past. Maybe it's got to do with the fact that you know you're drawing on a piece of plastic sheet.

The main selling point here is the matte screen protector is removable so when you want better image quality you can just remove that easily and quickly.

As to whether it's worth US $30. You can decide based on the findings I've presented.

I've done a search online and was able to find similar products for US $12 onwards. I can't tell you the quality you can expect from those cheaper ones though since I don't have those to test.

If you're interested to get this one from Benks, you can find it on Benks online store. Use the coupon code YC15 for 15% off all Benks products.