Screen too soft..easily scratches?

[Vantage1]

I have had my Sony Xperia Tablet Z now for just a few weeks. It's my first tablet after many years of owning smart phones. I have never needed a screen protector on any of my devices. The standard materials used on my devices have always coped with my normal use and not resulted in any noticeable permanent scratch marks on their screens.

It is with utter disappointment that I noticed this morning that my Sony Tablet Z, after just 3 weeks of careful use, has permanent scratches all over the screen surface :smileysad:. I noticed these by holding the tablet at an angle to a light source while switched off.

My real concern is that I have so many scratches after careful handling and only 3 weeks of use, the tablet hasn't even left the house yet. I paid for the confidence that comes with the Sony brand having owned many Sony products over the years and found them to be durable and reliable and built using quality materials. That confidence has been damaged now since I believe the material used for the screen on this tablet to be too soft to cope with normal use where other devices from other manufacturers have coped just fine.

I have heard that the glass screen is scratch resistant but that Sony place a soft film over the top holding the Sony logo which is not resistant. Is this true? If so, is it possible to remove it to expose the hard durable glass surface underneath?

I am intending to return the product and get a replacement and buy the screen protector, but this will be the first device i have owned that has needed this and in my opinion something Sony need to review to improve product quality. Since most smart phone and tablets come with gorilla glass (or equivalent) as standard I assumed this was the case.. it sadly appears not and looks like a screen protector is an absolute must for this device.

I would be interested to hear if others have experienced screen damage after just a few weeks of normal use too?

There are also major supply issues in the UK for accessories for this tablet as of July 2013. I ended up leaving the tablet behind on a business trip to Switzerland because I was unable to source a case for it in the UK only to find that a Sony Centre in Switzerland had plenty in stock. No screen protectors were available either.

Other than that and a few YouTube lockups I have found the tablet to be meeting and exceeding all my expectations. Just wish Sony had put gorilla glass on it.

[krravi]

I have wondered about this as well. I heard SONY uses Corning Gorilla Glass on it's tablet? Not sure.

But SONY gave me a screenprotector which was top notch quality. It does give the screen a light matte finish to avoid reflections but the colors are not affected and boy the screen is pitch black when it needs to be. Loving it.

[Uliwooly]

most likely the scratches are not on the screen/glass itself but on the ASF (anti shatter film), you should apply an scratch resistant film

[ancientferguson]

Indeed, it seems even fingernails can scratch the anti-shatter. Disappointing really.

[Uliwooly]

no one quite understand this, a scratch resistant glass with an ASF on top thats great but if the ASF its not scratch resistant its a bit confusing

[ancientferguson]

Yep, I got a small hairline scratch whilst swiping on the first day. Not visible until viewed from the side in daylight, but nevertheless, poor.

[Rickard]

Sorry to hear that you've got scratches on your tablet.

The display on the tablet uses the same solution as most of our phones, a scratch-resistant glass with an anti shatter film (ASF) on top. The ASF is made of plastic and is not as scratch-resistant as the glass.

I do not recommend that you remove the ASF (doing so would also void the warranty for the display and the ASF can't be replaced). It's recommended that you put a screen protector on top of the ASF.

I've tried to scratch my tablet using my fingernails but even though i press so hard that my fingers hurt it doesn't leave a mark. You must have really strong fingernails

[dnastase]

Are you using a case when transporting ?

I use my tablet a lot, it has no protective film on the screen, but I always use a case when putting in bag. And it has no scratches.

[Vantage1]

@Rickard Thanks for your advice. I'm not sure how the tablet became scratched and to be fair the scratches are only visible when holding the tablet at an angle to a light source, in normal use I do not notice them thankfully.

I've seen the videos of folks removing the ASF and might give that a go once the warranty has expired.

I'm not impressed by the idea of needing to put another plastic film on top of one Sony has already had to place on top of the glass panel, that frankly should have been gorilla glass in the first instance thereby negating the need to use films altogether. Besides which I am unable to buy a screen protector in the UK from Sony as at Aug 2013 due to ongoing supply issues with accessories (no stock until end of Aug!!).

On a positive note..having used the tablet now for a month I am very impressed with it and would recommend it to others looking for an android tablet. I know Sony have a good developer community from the old days with Ericsson and being a Snapdragon based device I know that other developers will get on board and cook some nice roms. So the tablet should have quite an extended life in a similar manner to that of the classic HTC HD2/Leo I reckon.

[Vantage1]

@dnastase Yes, I managed to buy a Sony case from a centre in Switzerland (no luck in the UK). Although I mostly use it around the house.