Astropad today announced the launch of Fresh Coat, a new anti-reflective screen protector that's designed to make the iPhone easier to see outdoors and under bright lights.
Fresh Coat is a glass screen protector that cuts down on up to 75 percent of reflections while preserving color accuracy.
We were able to try out Fresh Coat ahead of launch, and can confirm that it does indeed cut down on reflections without impacting the iPhone's color or display visibility, with no sign of haze. Astropad includes a tray that ensures a precise alignment and makes applying the screen protector foolproof, and it comes with an app clip that walks you through the installation process.
Astropad uses a five-layer system for Fresh Coat, including a flexible bonding layer to cushion drops, a dust barrier to protect from debris, "armorine" tempered glass for screen protection, an oleophobic and hydrophobic coating, and finally, the anti-reflective coating. The entire package is 0.6mm thick.
The same type of anti-reflective technology is rumored to be coming to the iPhone 17 Pro models, and now the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro can get it too. Fresh Coat will also benefit the iPhone 17 models, providing extra reflection reduction. In fact, Astropad says that standard screen protectors will cancel out Apple's antireflective coating, but Fresh Coat will preserve it.
Fresh Coat is priced at $27.99, which includes a 20 percent launch discount. The screen protector is available now from the Astropad website for the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. An iPhone 17 version is also available for pre-order.
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I wonder how this compares to Flolab. Flolab charges $40 for theirs. ('https://flolab.io/collections/iphone-15-pro-screen-protectors/products/iphone-15-16-pro-max-3d-screen-protectors?variant=43315920437399')
I'm currently using an anti-reflective protector on my 16 PM. From 'Omoton'. I have no idea if it's any worse or better than the one from Astropad. But I will say it works very well.
My issue, and I suspect a problem with anyone else who is case-less like me, is that it can easily chip and crack on the edges and corners.
I'd really prefer an anti-reflective screen on the iPhone itself. Like what we have on the S24/25 Ultra.
Apple offered the nano coating on the display, why are they not offering a glare-reduction feature option on the iPhone, or building in and just raising the price? (Unless it is fragile?) This is a very useful feature.
