Oh man, you just described the exact trap. People see a screen protector as this simple piece of plastic or glass, so they grab the cheap one. But the adhesive layer and the oleophobic coating, that stuff that keeps it from feeling sticky and smudgy, is where the real cost is. That cheap one probably has awful adhesive that grabs dust and creates bubbles, and no coating so it feels gross. You're not just paying for the material, you're paying for the tech that makes it disappear on your phone.

It's not just a filter, it changes how the whole thing builds the image. The right model is like having a real artist in the software.

My peace lily in Seattle gave up after two years of my tap water kindness. I guess I was just slowly poisoning it.