It's already 2026. Why do some people still use mobile phone lens films?

On January 23, 2026, on the same day when the two new mobile phones, Honor Magic8 RSR and Magic8 Pro Air, went on sale, @Honor Official Flagship Store posted a message saying that users should avoid using the integrated all - around lens film because it "easily blocks the air vents, which may cause noise in the speaker".

Interestingly, this is not the first time that Honor has spoken out about the "lens film". Previously, in November last year, Honor imaging system expert @Aaron is a science guy once said on Weibo that he strongly advised users not to use the "lens film" because it would seriously deteriorate the imaging clarity and contrast.

The picture is from Honor's official community

Even earlier, Luo Wei, the chief imaging engineer of Honor, also posted a message advising users "not to stick a lens film" because the high - strength glass used in current mobile phones "doesn't need" additional protection from the lens film. Moreover, the lens film will affect the photo - taking effect and may also cause noise in the speaker.

It's not hard to see that Honor has almost reached the point where it mentions the issue every time it launches a key product in order to dissuade users from using lens films. But this also shows in turn that some users' superstition about the "lens film" may have reached an almost uncorrectable level. Moreover, it's very likely that after sticking the lens film, when these users find that the phone's photo - taking quality has deteriorated and the speaker has noise, they are still "unwilling" to remove the lens film. Instead, they may argue with the phone manufacturer, which forces Honor to speak out again and again.

So, why does the lens film deteriorate the photo - taking effect and affect the performance of the phone's speaker? And why do some users insist on using it? Today, we at 3eLife will talk about these issues.

First of all, the principle of how the lens film deteriorates the photo - taking effect is quite simple. The lens film has a certain thickness and can never achieve "100% light transmittance". When it is stuck on the camera, it's like the phone is taking photos through a thick and not - very - clean glass. Light will reflect on the surface and inside of the lens film, forming glare. At the same time, since the surface coating and the internal adhesive used in most lens films have even worse light transmittance, it further deteriorates the phone's optical path, making the sensor unable to "see clearly". Naturally, it's impossible to take clear pictures.

Some friends may say that the phone's own lens glass is also glass. Why doesn't the phone's lens glass reflect light, but the lens film does? On the one hand, of course, there are differences in materials. After all, if lens film manufacturers really use high - quality optical glass of the same grade as phone lenses, the price may not be as cheap as it is now.

On the other hand, during the R & D process of a phone, the optical characteristics of the entire lens group are measured and compensated. Even if the phone's own lens has reflection, it will be eliminated by the algorithm. However, the lens film is like an "interference factor" that the algorithm can't solve, so it will naturally show extremely strong reflection, glare, and may even cause problems such as difficulty in focusing for the phone.

Secondly, why does the lens film "interfere" with the phone's speaker? This is mainly because whether it's a phone speaker or common earphones, they all have a structure called an "air vent" in their structure. Its function is to immediately discharge the part of the air squeezed inside when the speaker is working, maintaining the air pressure balance inside and outside the speaker.

For most models with dual speakers (top and bottom), the air vent of the bottom speaker is naturally at the bottom of the phone body, while the air vent of the top speaker may be hidden in the rear camera Deco. At this time, if you stick a "lens film", it may just block the air vent of the top speaker, causing the speaker to work abnormally. Naturally, it will cause noise in the speaker and may even damage the speaker's diaphragm.

Now that we understand the various disadvantages of smartphone lens films, we can answer why some people still always want to use them.

Based on the current public information, we can roughly divide the users of "lens films" into three groups: the practical group, the psychological - comfort group, and the aesthetic - pursuit group.

First, there are the "practical" users. This group of users is probably the most "reasonable" because they often know that the lens film will have a negative impact on the phone's photo - taking, but they have to accept this cost due to their usage environment or personal needs.

For example, food delivery workers, couriers, mine workers, or outdoor explorers are all typical representatives of this group of users. For them, protecting the phone from damage is obviously much more important than ensuring the photo - taking effect. In addition, some users are used to changing phones frequently and rely on second - hand platforms to get some money back. So, they may wrap the phone tightly with a protective case/lens film in daily use in order to maintain a better "appearance" when selling the phone.

Secondly, there is the user group that pursues "psychological comfort". There are also typical "phone - playing enthusiasts" in this group. They may not care much about whether the phone is easy to use, but they must ensure that there are no stains or scratches on the phone body. Another part of the users may overly "cherish" their beloved phones and worry about whether the phone will lose its paint or get worn. Therefore, they have to buy a full set of protective cases and films to make themselves "feel better".

As for the last group of users, they are often the most "difficult" group, that is, the group that pursues the personalization of the phone's appearance. This group of users is not satisfied with the same phone appearance as others. They use protective cases and lens films mainly to make the phone body more personalized to meet their aesthetic needs. But from our experience, this group of users is often also heavy - demanders in terms of phone functions. That is to say, they may be the typical ones who stick a lens film on the phone, but after sticking the film and using the case, they will complain about the deterioration of the phone's photo - taking and the poor heat dissipation.

[The pictures in this article are from the Internet]

This article is from the WeChat official account "3eLife" (ID: IT - 3eLife), author: 3eLife Guy, published by 36Kr with authorization.