Yes, it does come with a screen protector. I left that factory protector on for 6 months of heavy usage. It was very scratched by the end (you could see wear marks along the scrollbars ), but the sceen was in perfect shape when I peeled it off to replace it with a real protector (gotta do that **** in a damn clean room O_o). You can leave it on for a while without worries. The removal tab will come off fairly easily if you do it gently. (I'm getting fast on this thumbboard typing every post on here on it )