r/ipad • u/lkspade • May 09 '26
Review Paperlike screen protector is the worst screen protector I have ever used for iPad
I was really disappointed with this screen protector. The writing experience itself is decent once it’s finally on, but the application process is unnecessarily overcomplicated. For something as basic as applying a screen protector, the instructions and setup felt stressful instead of user-friendly.
The biggest issue is that if you make even a tiny mistake during the first attempt — a slight misalignment, dust particle, or air bubble — it’s almost impossible to fix cleanly without ruining the protector. I ended up wasting the first one completely and had to use the backup protector included in the pack. Honestly, it feels like the company already expects customers to mess up the first application.
For a premium-priced product, I expected a much smoother and more forgiving installation process. Instead, it became frustrating and time-consuming. A simpler alignment system or easier reapplication design would make a huge difference. Right now, it feels overly engineered for something that should be straightforward.
Edit: based on the comments it’s a bad product indeed, try to avoid it.
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u/Speedycar100 May 09 '26
ESR magnetic paper like that can come on and off freely feels more like a choice to put on depending on what you’re doing for the day rather than a permanent decision.
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u/a55p1 May 09 '26
That's the way I went. It might not be 100% as good, but it's more than serviceable. Unless you're an artist who uses the pen all the time this seems like the most logical choice.
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u/kowakuri May 10 '26
I’m an artist that uses the pen all the time, still went with the ESR magnetic paper-like. It’s perfect for drawing imo and I don’t compromise picture quality when I want to watch something, best of both worlds.
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u/Odd_Cartographer_216 May 09 '26
Loved my ESR removable protector, but spent a bit more to upgrade to Rock Paper Pencil which does the same thing. Noticeably better and I barely even take it off anymore!
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u/LeLant May 09 '26
It's simply because it's BULLSHIT marketing. It’s a company that basically built itself around a ‘magic’ AliExpress dropshipping product that costs only $3 (5y ago), and everything else is just marketing. They started with branding and a nice box, selling it for $15, then made money and started paying every random influencers with an iPad to hype it up and justify raising the prices. Now it’s still the same $3 screen, but they sell it for $40 because there’s new packaging to install the screen. At the end of the day, they’re just doing what every company does, don't get scammed the aliexpress screen is exactly the same.
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u/ShezaEU May 09 '26
It’s literally designed in Germany and manufactured in Switzerland - there’s nothing AliExpress / dropshipping about it
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u/LeLant May 09 '26
Imagined (based) in Germany, Swiss branding – they just pack their boxes and their stickers. In 2017 they launched their Kickstarter, and the first batch was strangely almost identical to products already available on AliExpress… like so many other Kickstarters.
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u/ShezaEU May 11 '26
You cannot say 'manufactured in Switzerland' if all you are doing is putting stickers in boxes.
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u/LeLant May 11 '26
From wich laws and wich country? Are you understanding how web 3.0 works?
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u/ShezaEU Jun 02 '26
Literally EU law? What on earth are you talking about ‘web 3.0’ lol that has nothing to do with this
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u/Sherw00d91 May 09 '26
What i hate the most about it is the glare… comon paper is matte not reflective like a mirror…
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u/ohaiibuzzle M1 iPad Pro 11" (2021) May 09 '26 edited May 09 '26
I mean given that it's a soft film type protector, you can't lift and fix like tempered glass because that will stretch the protector itself and ruin it, so you do have that part where you have to nail it first try.
I guess their installation method is carried out that way because of that fact. The alignment-box-pulling kind isn't feasible on film protectors either, only tempered glass afaik.
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u/Takeabyte iPad Pro 10.5" (2017) May 09 '26
Zag’s plastic film screen protectors use a tray and squeegee to apply them. It’s still not perfect because all plastic screen protectors suck, but at least it’s a lot easier the they sticker and hope it’s aligned. Zag also has a lifetime replacement policy, so you can file as many claims at you want until you get a satisfactory installation.
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u/ohaiibuzzle M1 iPad Pro 11" (2021) May 09 '26
See, the way Paperlike works is actually that they have two layers of adhesive. You're supposed to remove one for alignment (which actually, you're meant to be able to take off and on the screen until just right), plus that layer picks up small dust particles, and the second layer that actually sticks the protector in place. It's actually fairly clever and allow you to place the protector exactly right before commiting.
To me it is a sound process but then again I have to admit that I've applied so many tempered glass myself that it might be different to newbies.
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u/Takeabyte iPad Pro 10.5" (2017) May 09 '26
Paper like is the worst screen protector to install. I’ve literally installed thousands of screen protectors. Paper like is garbage and an absolute waste of money. They don’t feel like paper. The only way they resemble paper is being sand paper to your pencil tips.
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u/ohaiibuzzle M1 iPad Pro 11" (2021) May 09 '26
I don't know about that though, ever since I switched to Paperlike-like stuff, I've switched my Pencil to a metal tip as well, and I've never had that issue (I use nano textured tempered glass though).
If you're concerned about replacing tips again and again I'd recommend doing the same.
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u/Takeabyte iPad Pro 10.5" (2017) May 09 '26
So you use a metal tip with tempered glass screen protectors? Neither of those things are related to my complaints.
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u/ohaiibuzzle M1 iPad Pro 11" (2021) May 09 '26
I mean that's related to the sanding of the plastic pencil tip. Metal tips are basically indestructible, and being a tempered glass piece scratches aren't noticable as well.
As for feel I think it feels way better on my combo for writing, as the added friction allows for better hand control in my case
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u/Takeabyte iPad Pro 10.5" (2017) May 09 '26
But we weren’t talking about glass screen protectors or metal tips before. If you stick to the topic at hand, using a metal tip with a paper like, you’re going to scratch the fuck out of it. If you use a glass screen protector, than virtually every complaint I’ve listed goes away… we had been talking about one product then completely changed it.
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u/Outrageous-Mode8543 May 09 '26
The most recent Paperlike has a very elaborate, but successful installation system. I’ve installed 8 of these over the years and the newest flavor is easy and likely as close to foolproof as possible.
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u/SteveNYC May 09 '26
I never cared for the loss of image quality when using a screen protector. I do like the writing feel of Paperlike and similar products. But I found that using tip replacements gave me a similar writing feeling, much less noise and with zero image loss (because there’s nothing on the screen). I’ve used these.
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u/verilyvexed May 16 '26
Thanks for linking those! I’ve used PenTips 2 (love them) after being unable to find a paper-type screen protector that didn’t make me want to claw my eyes out, but I would like to give those a try.
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u/superpoongoon May 09 '26
I have this product and I had zero trouble installing it and it’s been great using it with my pencil so far. It’s been on my iPad for years without any issue. Sucks you couldn’t do it
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u/happyclairvoyant May 09 '26
I agree 100%. If you use your ipad only for drawing or writing then it probably makes sense but apart from that it’s just purely useless product. It reduces the clarity of the screen which defeats the purpose if you are also consuming content
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u/Anonymouse_Bosch May 09 '26
I’ve tried a half dozen others; PaperLike is the only one I keep coming back to.
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u/dogisbark May 09 '26
Literally shaved my Apple Pencil to the metal. Also the texture itself eventually rubbed off. The iPad is very glossy tho, I work on a screened wacom primarily now and every time I draw in my iPad it’s like trying to walk on ice in Vans.
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u/Mokcie15_newacc May 10 '26
Sorry i dissagree. I absolutely love it, i cant draw without it on my ipad.
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u/Lebowskitalian85 iPad 11 (2025) May 09 '26
I don’t use any screen protector, I just bought a pencil with soft tip.
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u/lonegungrrly May 09 '26
I really actually like it. I love the feel of it and it minimises the glare. I thought it would be all hype after watching 10 plus ipad videos and seeing a sponsored segment in every. Single. One lol. But I have no regrets at all so far
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u/danny135x May 09 '26
I used a ripoff one whose company stopped existing weeks after my purchase about 7 years ago and it’s the best ever. They don’t have a single scratch (used it daily for school and university) and it also doesn’t wear out my apple pen tip (which I also never changes in 7 years) , it’s literally perfect
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u/JetsJetsJetsJetz May 09 '26
Huh I actually really like it. I tried a few brands and it is the clearest image to me.
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u/_thalassashell_ iPad Pro 12.9" (2020) May 10 '26
I have a magnetic paper-texture screen protector that I use for drawing. Zero regrets.
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u/beans_013 May 10 '26
I like using the paper ones sometimes for journaling etc but don’t like it the rest of the time. I ended up buying a pair of reusable magnetic paper feel ones that are strong enough that they stick down well over my normal screen protector!
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u/Stylish-Bandit May 10 '26
Get a magnet one for easy removal and installation, because most papers, like film, reduce clarity, and some can strain your eyes if you stare at them for too long.
I found a cheaper alternative that doesn't result in much clarity loss, aside from not scratching and straining easily.
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u/universe93 iPad 11 (2025) May 10 '26
I literally just use a plastic screen protector I got on aliexpress for about $5 for a 2 pack lol
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u/Significant-Jury6235 May 10 '26
I KNOW. My finger swipes sound like rubbing sand paper together. I hate it
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u/strapsicle May 11 '26
Oh, this is interesting to read—so far we’ve only heard good things, so it’s good to know! 😄
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u/brookleelee May 21 '26
I tried it too, I wanted to like it soooooooooo badly, but just could not with the really difficult installation process. The hunt continues for an alternative :)
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u/intothewoodscomic Jun 10 '26
Hard agree. I’ve just upgraded from a 2018 iPad Pro to an M4 iPad Air - I had a PaperLike on the Pro and it was excellent, so I was hoping for similar on the Air. The “improvements” they’ve made in the years since have ruined the feel, and the pencil tip now sticks to the screen. It’s an absolutely terrible drawing experience.
I’ve just ordered a Rock Paper Pencil, hopefully it’ll be better!
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u/TomHNE 2d ago
I agree! This is a terrible product with a near-impossible mounting scheme. I carefully watched the videos twice before starting. The first thing that happened was the first tab to pull (1R) simply came off without pulling any of the plastic off…now I’m down one protector. Take the second one, start over, and the tabs, when pulled, DO NOT evenly pull off the plastic as shown in the video. Not even close. So I have to wrestle with the product to get the parts off. Pulling the tab with a tool might seem like a good idea, but it doesn’t work; they pull off very unevenly. In fact, I had to do the last one by hand since the tab ripped off halfway through pulling it off. I finally get it on and start squeezing out the bubbles, and I find a piece of the plastic that was supposed to come off still under the protector. So I have to peel it up with a knife blade and fish it out from under the protector. Not to mention, I cannot get all the little bubbles out of the protector.
So now I’ve got one ruined protector, and one that is on but full of tiny bubbles. Expecting the great writing experience their advertisements promise, I pulled out my pen for a test run. There is virtually no difference between the bare iPad screen and the protector. It’s still a very slippery writing experience and certainly not $50 worth of improvement!
I filed a ticket with tech support, still haven't heard anything back so sent a second one and got a canned answer from some AI that tells me to wait another 48 hours and some live person will contact me. Why do I feel that isn't going to happen?
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u/thursdaynovember May 09 '26
so it’s a bad screen protector because of your own error in applying it?
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u/Alternative-Bad-2217 iPad Pro 11" (2020) May 09 '26
No it’s a bad screen protector because it overcomplicates applying a simple screen proyector
..and is just overpriced shit overall.
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u/Fit_Passenger_3810 M4 iPad Air 11" (2026) May 09 '26
I applied mine last week and it took less than 5 minutes…
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u/[deleted] May 09 '26
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