Review: LensPen SideKick Fingerprint Remover for iPad and other devices

Touchscreens make fingerprint smudges a way of life. And while most people choose to ignore those smudges because they’re not easily visible while a device’s backlit screen is turned on, turning that screen off reveals just how smudged the screen on an iPad or iPhone or other touchscreen device can get. The most common cleaning device is a microfiber cloth, but LensPen offers a tool called the SideKick which claims to do the job more efficiently.

The product consists of a plastic capsule about two inches wide and about half an inch tall which slides open to reveal a square shaped wiping surface. Brush it against you device’s screen like a paintbrush, and sure enough, the fingerprints go away. It is in fact easier and more thorough than the microfiber cloths I’ve tested in the past. Only the nastiest of smudges required more than one pass.

LensPen says that the reason it works so well is that the surface is made of carbon, which absorbs fingerprint oils. Regardless of the science behind it, what matters to you is that the SideKick works easily and works well. At twenty dollars (twenty-five with an extra cleaning pad), the SideKick will cost you about twice as much as a cleaning cloth. Is it worth it? That depends on whether you’re going to use it as often as you should.

Price: $19.95 to $24.95 • lenspen.com

About Bill Palmer

Bill Palmer is Editor in Chief of Beatweek Magazine. His editorial contributions include interviews with musicians and iPhone industry coverage.