The differences between the film thickness and pressure profiles predicted by the two models are clearly visible in the case of an elastic ball sliding against a rigid plane. In a more complex problem of a rigid cylinder sliding against a coated layer, the differences are even more pronounced. In particular, in all cases considered, the film thickness is underestimated by the geometrically linear model. At higher loads, the difference may reach 20% for the elastic ball example and even 60–70% for the coated layer example. Such differences may be crucially important in the thin-film regime when surface roughness influences lubricant flow.