Does Paperlike Ruin Apple Pencil

PaperLike reviewed: The iPad screen protector that promise a writing experience like on real paper

Typing has been the dominant way of input into a digital device throughout the beginning of the 21 century. With the introduction of the iPad Pro and the Apple Pencil, handwriting and freehand drawing experiences it's second spring. Google joins the party with the Pixelbook and Microsoft released the Surface series and the compatible stylus years ago. Pen and paper found their legitimacy in the digital world and are much more powerful than ever before. Designers can zoom in closely to draw tiny little details, students can reorder things on the page to craft perfect learning resources from their lecture notes. However, the iPad screen is still a slick surface. It doesn't offer the haptic feedback that you get when you write with a pen on paper. That was until the PaperLike Screen Protector recently landed a hit on Kickstarter. The product promises to make writing on the iPad with the Apple Pencil feel like writing on paper. Of course, we were eager to try it out.

Here's what we observed after a few weeks of testing:

The PaperLike screen protector keeps up with its promises and makes a big difference for people that write and sketch on their iPads with a stylus. Mounting it to the iPad's screen can be complicated at first. Good thing that the PaperLike always comes in double-packs.

PaperLike double-pack with wipes and dust-absorber

Once you managed to stick the screen protector to the iPad's surface, you'll get experience surprisingly great writing feeling. Thanks to the PaperLike's coarse-grained texture, writing on it with the Apple Pencil really feels like writing on paper. You can feel the friction of your pen when it is gliding over the surface and if you listen carefully, you can even hear the sound that reminds of a pencil "scratching" on a piece of paper. PaperLike gives you more control over the strokes when you write or sketch with the Apple Pencil in apps like GoodNotes or Procreate.

We were worried that the coarse-grained texture would harm the Pencil's tip but it did not turn out to be true. The screen protector is a great addition for people that write, sketch or take notes on their iPads. It sticks to the surface well and does not peel off easily (we tested it for over 6 weeks and it is still sticking to the surface).

Pros & Cons

Where there is light, there is shadow. The writing experience feels much more natural than before but sacrifices have to be made. In the case of PaperLike, it is the screen's resolution and brightness, which is reduced a bit due to the coarse-grained texture.

Pros:

makes writing, sketching, and note-taking feel more like real paper
reduced the glare in the sun
protects the screen from scratches and finger prints

Cons:

screen resolution reduced due to the texture
color noise
it takes some practice to mount it perfectly

Official picture from the PaperLike manufacturer — We made similar observations in our tests

If you're mainly using your iPad to watch movies, or present photos to people, you might want to invest in another screen protector, that does not reduce the screen's brightness and resolution. However, if you're looking for a way to enhance the writing and note-taking experience with the Apple Pencil, PaperLike and other similar products will be a good fit for you.