Changing the plastic cover on the camera

[pengyou]

I am putting this question in the lounge category because it seems to be a universal issue. I have a couple of Android phones - one about $100 and one about $200 - and I have looked at many other phones as well that all look the same in one aspect.

The lens on the camera seems to be covered with a piece of plastic to protect it. Is this true? I have tapped on the lenses on my phone, as well as dozens of other in a shop - when the clerk wasn't looking - and they don't respond like glass.

If so, is it possible to remove this piece of plastic? If so, I would like to take a glass uv or haze filter to an optical lab and have them cut out a piece of the filter that is the same size and shape as the plastic, though perhaps it is going to be a little thicker. UV and haze filters are flat.

My goal in doing this is to improve the quality of pictures from my phone. I am also going to install a new app to use the camera...and if things are "looking good" I have seen small polarizers that have been made for cell phones.

Any thoughts?

 

[mikedt]

If the phones are in the $100-200(unsubsidised) range those are budget to lower midrange, and the covering window over the camera lens is very likely to be plastic, as is the camera lens itself. So changing it to glass very likely won't make any noticeable difference. On the other hand if the specs are claiming something like Carl Zeiss glass optics, there's a good chance the covering window is optical quality glass as well, e.g. an $800 high end flagship.

 

[funkylogik]

Tbh I've had a