Why you Don’t Need a Screen Guard on a Kindle Paperwhite

I see a lot of you Googling: “Kindle Paperwhite 10th generation screen protector,” or “Kindle Paperwhite 2019 screen protector.” Somebody even looked for a “tempered glass for kindle.” Why do you want to spoil your reading experience? The Kindle Paperwhite does not need a screen protector! You will only spoil the reading experience! Okay, I was rereading the rest of this article and noticed that it contains a lot of fluff. For those that simply wish to know why it’s not necessary to have a screen guard on a Kindle Paperwhite, here are the reasons;

  1. Most of the screen guards that are out there will introduce glare onto the Paperwhite screen.
  2. Screen guards are difficult to put on and you are bound to have air bubbles, thus diminishing the reading experience.
  3. The Kindle Paperwhite’s screen does not scratch easily. The only thing that you need to protect it is a case for the Paperwhite.
  4. The Paperwhite is all about the e-ink screen that makes reading such a joy. You do not want to spoil this by installing a poorly designed screen protector.
  5. So, how do you protect your Kindle? Get a cover! Some call them cases. You can check out this Kindle Paperwhite 10th Generation cover on Amazon. And if you have the Kindle 10th Gen, here is a good cover for it. A cover is the only thing that I have on mine.

How to Protect your Kindle

But a cover. It will do the trick. It’s all that you need. I have had my Kindle for over 2 years and it doesn’t have a scratch on it. And I am an obsessive reader. I always have the thing in hand. If the Kindle could be scratched, I would have scratched mine already. Below are some of the best Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite covers on Amazon;

Note that we are Amazon affiliates and we stand to benefit from qualified sales. Having said that, the recommendations that are contained in this article are based on our own real world experiences.

Do you need a screen protector for the Kindle Paperwhite?

No, you don’t need a screen protector for the Kindle Paperwhite! And here is a narration of how I discovered this;

Today, the case that I bought for my Kindle Paperwhite finally arrived. I do have to say that I was happily surprised, because I had expected shipment to take a month or so. It was only when the case arrived that I noticed that the item had shipped from Belgium, instead of China as expected. Okay, so maybe I had not bothered checking where the seller was based.

Screen Guard on a Kindle Paperwhite
Should you have a screen protector on a Kindle Paperwhite?

Kindle Paperwhite Screen Guards

Anyway, along with the case, I had also ordered Screen Guards for my new Kindle Paperwhite. Indeed, I had ordered two screen guards from the same seller. An advantage of doing this is that your packages arrive at the same time.

The first thing that I did when I received my package was apply one of the screen guards onto the screen. Doing so, as you will realize should you ever try it, is surprisingly difficult. For one reason or the other, I can never quite get rid of all those pesky air bubble.

Botched

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the first application of the screen protector onto the Kindle Paperwhite turned out to be a complete failure. There were so many air bubbles that I had to remove the thing and try again.

By the time I was done with the first screen protector, it had become so smidgen with fingerprints and lint that I was left with no option but to remove it with the disdain that it deserved.

The Second Kindle Paperwhite Screen Guard

At this point, I have to say, I was not really worried, because I had that other screen protector for my Kindle Paperwhite. After a few minutes of contemplation, I decided to take the plunge and apply the backup screen-guard.

The process was only less messy than the first instance, however. A major challenge in this regard was that the second screen protector appeared to be slightly larger than the screen. No matter how much I tried, I could never appear to be able to apply it onto the screen.

Botched Again

After going at it for about 20 minutes, I finally gave up and removed the screen guard. Like the first one, it had, by that time, become smidgen with fingerprints and dirt.

The Saving Grace

Having given up on the Screen Protectors for my Kindle Paperwhite, I decided to turn to the case. Imagine my surprise therefore, when I discovered that there was another screen protector attached to the case! This one was different and appeared to have been manufactured by a different manufacturer.

Resuming the Struggle

Now that I had another screen guard for the Kindle Paperwhite, I decided to resume my attempts to fit one onto the device. I do have to say, after two failed attempts, I now had a clear idea of what I was supposed to do.

Success!

It wasn’t surprising, therefore, that I succeeded in applying this latest screen guard onto the Paperwhite. There were only two or three barely visible air bubbles on the screen by the time that I was done.

Fitting the Case onto the Paperwhite

Even I couldn’t botch the simple process of putting the Paperwhite into its case. The thing is beautiful, by the way. A great thing about it is that it comes with the functionality that allows the Paperwhite to be woken up by the simple process of flipping the lid open.

What I like about this is that I don’t have to press the power button each time that I need to wake up the device. I always have a morbid fear that I am going to break the power button on my devices and that will be the end of me.

Using the Kindle with a Screen Protector

It was fairly night by the time I was done applying the screen protector onto the Kindle Paperwhite. I then browsed through a few pages before calling it quits. Everything appeared to be in order, save for the fact that the texture of the screen had changed as a result of the protector.

Where previously it had a rough feel to it, the screen guard makes the Kindle Paperwhite’s screen feel rather smooth. I like it rough, but the change was not reason enough for me to immediately dump the protector.

Why the Kindle Paperwhite does not need a Screen Guard

The following day, I tried reading a book on the Kindle Paperwhite. That was when things really began to get serious. You see, I had a sudden realization that a screen protector negates all the advantages of reading books on the Paperwhite.

Suddenly, I had glare on my screen and it was like i was reading books on my tablet. After squinting through a few pages, I disdainfully removed the screen protector before throwing it into the bin. As soon as I did that, the glare disappeared.

I suppose that are some anti-glare screen guards out there, but I am rather skeptical. The truth of the matter is that the Kindle Paperwhite is not supposed to have a screen protector. The screen is specifically designed to be non reflective and introducing a screen guard negates all the advantages that you get from this.You really do not need a Screen Guard on a Kindle Paperwhite!

9 thoughts on “Why you Don’t Need a Screen Guard on a Kindle Paperwhite”

  1. Thanks so much this is really helpful! I just purchased a Kindle Paperwhite 3 and was going to get a screen guard. After reading your article I went ahead with a case instead. The 4 summary points are SUPER HELPFUL and easy for readers to arrive at a practical conclusion. Thank you and Happy Easter!

    Reply
    • Hey karen! I also have a Kindle ppw3 and I am thinking whether I should take my screen guard off. How is your kindle’s screen now that you did not apply any screen protector after 2 years?

      Reply
      • No. The Kindle does not come with a protective file on the screen. Seriously through, you don’t need to put anything on there. I know people feel protective about their gadgets but I have been using mine for years and it’s still scratch free. It’s a different kind of screen, not glass like tablets.

        Reply
  2. Thanks for your help! Your info. makes a lot of sense. I certainly don’t want to lose clarity from a screen protector. Right before the holidays I dropped my Kindle flat on it’s face and it cracked completely. I replaced with a Paperwhite with a really good case and now I’ll just need to be careful.

    Reply
  3. I had an older Paperwhite seventh generation which ended up with a crack in the screen somehow, maybe because it was always in my pocket with other things that bumped it. So I bought a new tenth edition this year in sparkle vampire blue. I realized, the reason I get this and not an IPad mini, is the functionality, and ability to lug it everywhere.

    So, it may get dinged, or scratched, let’s hope not- but it’s also not a aluminum and glass screen $599 device, and it fits in my pocket and is light, which is why I wanted it and bought it. I think sometimes when we add all this stuff on, we lose the true engineering marvel that these devices are by making it an inch thicker with bumpers and an alarm every time we are thinking of dropping it. Maybe it’s like a car, and we just need to freak out when we first scratch it, but then move on…continuing to use it.

    Reply
    • Good day nick. It’s uncanny how you have put it exactly the way that I wanted to put it. I mean, if you handle a Samsung phone or an iPhone, it’s a marvel of engineering ingenuity. Yet the first thing that we all do is to distort all that work by wrapping the thing in a pouch and buying a shatter glass and or a screen guard. Now when you handle the phone, it feels like you are handling a brick. The Kindle Paperwhite does not need all that. As you say, it’s not glass. Mine has a tiny scratch that show the backlight. I accidentally hit it with car keys. Anyway, I have gotten used to this defect near the bottom. And the thing is a wonder as it is! I also always have mine nearby, particularly these Covid times. And it still does it’s job great

      Reply
  4. Hi,

    I‘m using the kindle devices since beginning. My first kindle was one with keyboard and speakers, so you could play mp3‘s during your readings, genius….
    I think i used 5 different generations of devices and loved every single one of them. And i didnt had any problem with scratches despite of really using the kindle daily and careless ( put it in bags / backpacks along with other stuff, lay other things on it etc.)
    As a christmas present i got the new paperwhite 11 generation, despite the fact that my old paperwhite is totally fine. I love the bigger screen and the new size, also the possibility of changing the colour of white is nice.

    BUT: my display has so many scratches yet!! Tiny little scratches, which you can see only in daylight, but you can feel them when you slowly go with your finger over them…

    I think the new generation is way more sensitiv for scratches!
    Greets
    Stefan

    Reply

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