Keeping a smartphone clean usually only extends as far as ensuring you can see the screen clearly, but what about any build-up of bacteria? Otterbox's latest screen protector solves that problem by including microbial technology approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
As 9To5Mac reports, Otterbox is using CES this week to unveil its new Amplify Glass Antimicrobial screen protector. Existing Amplify screen protectors were introduced back in August last year and are made from aluminosilicate manfactured by Corning, most well known for its Gorilla Glass. The end result is long-lasting, high-strength glass protection for your phone display. Now Otterbox is improving Amplify protectors with antimicrobial properties.
Otterbox CEO Jim Parke explains, "We use our phones every day and take them with us wherever we go, including to some not entirely sanitary spaces ... Amplify Glass now features proprietary anti-microbial technology that suppresses the growth of several common stains and odor-causing bacteria to protect the surface of the screen protector, so you don't have to give phone grime a second thought."
Antimicrobial is simply an agent that either kills microorganisms of stops their growth. Otterbox's solution uses a proprietary ionic silver infused into the glass. That way, the antimicrobial property doesn't degrade over time while the protector retains the ability to stop your screen being scratched or cracked easily. There's no impact on your display's optical clarity or touch sensitivity, either.
No pricing or availability information has been revealed yet, but hopefully Otterbox makes antimicrobial versions of the Amplify screen protectors available to Apple, Google, and Samsung smartphone users. Existing Amplify protectors are available for the iPhone, Google's Pixel phones, and Samsung's Galaxy A range of handsets.