Astropad launches Rock Paper Pencil 4.0 with an Apple Pencil tip that mimics a 2B pencil

Astropad has launched Rock Paper Pencil 4.0, giving buyers a choice between two writing feels for the first time. The kit pairs the company’s textured iPad screen protector with custom Apple Pencil tips, and the new version adds a graphite option alongside the ballpoint tip that has been there since earlier releases. It costs $49.99 and ships worldwide.

The graphite tip is built to imitate a 2B pencil, with the heavier drag artists tend to want for sketching, shading, and looser strokes. Astropad says it spent about a year developing the tip using a standard 2B pencil as the reference, and that the result reproduces the look and the sound of graphite on paper as well as the friction.

The steel ballpoint tip stays in the range for writing, inking, precise linework, and notetaking. Each kit now contains four tips rather than two, split evenly between the two types. Astropad lists the graphite tip as POM, a hard-wearing plastic, while the ballpoint remains steel. The company described the tip in the 2024 version of the product as having a copper alloy core with a palladium coating, so the materials have changed across generations.

The screen protector carries over unchanged. Astropad’s NanoCling system holds it to the display using static cling rather than adhesive, so it can be applied, peeled off, and reused without leaving residue, and the company says the bond is stronger than magnets while still allowing bubble-free application.

A microscopic texture across the surface imitates the tooth of fine-grain paper to add friction and control, and a storage sleeve is included for when the protector is off the screen. Astropad treats the tips and the protector as one system rather than two separate upgrades and says the custom tips are designed to work exclusively with the textured protector. Using them on a bare display will not reproduce the intended feel.

The tips work with every Apple Pencil model, including the Apple Pencil Pro. Protector compatibility depends on the iPad, and Astropad keeps a model list on its website rather than covering every tablet in the range.

The price has risen across generations. The 2024 version sold for $40 with two tips in the box, against $49.99 and four tips now. US orders pay $5 standard shipping, while international buyers are charged VAT and duties at checkout depending on destination. Version 3.0 is being discounted while stock lasts.

Astropad is also running a promotion called Peel It Off, which offers $20 back to anyone who switches from an adhesive screen protector and posts the removal on social media.