Kerry Wan/ZDNET
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Considering how much personal information we store on our smartphones, I wouldn't be surprised if the demand for privacy screen protectors is at an all-time high. From bank statements to email credentials to photos and videos, the need to keep our digital footprint safe and secure, especially from the prying eyes of strangers, has never been more necessary.
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Earlier this year, I gave the privacy-enhanced accessory a try, installing a variant from ESR on my Galaxy S25 Ultra. The installation process was the same as any other modern-day screen protector, with a guide tray that you set your Samsung phone into for near-perfect placement. The sheet of tempered glass lay centered on my phone, and the few air bubbles trapped beneath were easily scrubbed off. Things were off to a great start.
Works as intended
The ESR screen protector worked exactly as intended: when staring at the S25 Ultra from the center, the display still looked bright, sharp, and vibrant. When I moved my head just a little bit to the left or right, the image quickly faded into black, as if the phone screen wasn't turned on.
The two-way privacy filter worked like magic, and for the first time in a long time, I felt comfortable answering work emails and exchanging personal messages while on the New York City subway. Even if a stranger wanted to peek, they couldn't.
Where things took a turn
Things took a turn when I was catching up on Lakers highlights -- and the display suddenly dimmed itself. Sure, my brightness setting is typically set to auto, but unless I'm moving between two drastically different lighting environments, which I wasn't at the time, the shift in brightness should never be as dramatic as it was.
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