I’ve used Paperlike screen protectors for every iPad Pro I’ve owned starting with the first generation 9.7″ iPad Pro. But Paperlike is one of the most expensive screen protectors out there so for my M1 iPad Pro I decided to look at alternatives and landed on the JETech Write Like Paper Screen Protector.
But Don’t Screen Protectors Ruin the Beautiful Screen?
Let’s start with the first thing I’ve been asked about, does it hurt the performance of the screen? Yes, the screen looks less awesome with a screen protector on it. The screen also looks pretty terrible with a bunch of fingerprints on it. Seriously I tried to use the iPad with its new fancy screen without a screen protector and a few days after the JETech one came in I couldn’t stand the fingerprints on the screen anymore and installed the protector in a fit of rage.
Productivity is more than tools
A good process will work no matter what tool you choose to use. It will work on paper or in a digital task manager. If you’re looking to build a productivity practice that will help you get more done without being overloaded, this is the course you want. Become a member to get all my courses.
$49 USD (30-day guarantee)
The second thing I always consider when I look at a screen protector is that I have at least one fairly active child. With my previous iPad Pro she managed so get a burr in the tip of my Apple Pencil and then scratch the screen of my device. Luckily it was simply the Paperlike that got scratched and I put a new one on. Total cost, one screen protector and one Apple Pencil tip.
It could have been an iPad Pro screen replacement, which would be far more expensive.
Paperlike vs JETech
In my use over a few weeks, these are about the same. They both degrade the performance of the screen about the same to my eye. The only differentiator to me is that the JETech feels a bit thicker under my thumb when I swipe up from the bottom of the screen. I can feel my thumb scrape across the edge, which is something I never noticed on my Paperlike.
Both protectors are installed in about the same position and now that I’ve written about it and tested with the old iPad, I can also feel the Paperlike, but I never felt it before I noticed it with the JETech.
Both of them had good instructions and tools to perform the work. I had no problems installing either screen protector.
Apple Pencil Feel
It’s about the same between the two.
Purchase Paperlike or JETech?
So for $92 (CDN) for Paperlike vs $21 (CDN) for JETech, is the Paperlike really $71 of more value? Nope.
Sure you get a spare Paperlike when you order but even if we divide the cost in half I could purchase 2 JETech protectors for the cost of 1 Paperlike. So I’m unlikely to purchase a Paperlike again. It’s a good product and when it originally launched it was by far the best option out there, nothing else was even close.
When Paperlike V2 came out, it was an improvement and was head and shoulders above the competition again. Now…the competition has caught up and the JETech is just as good for far less money.