iOS iPad Air vs iPad Pro for an illustrator

M

mallik

Adept
My partner is an artist and she's been using iPad 2018 with Apple Pencil since 2020 (Pandemic) for her art. She has a Wacom Intuous as well, but since she has become used the iPad, she uses Wacom sparingly. I want to buy her a better display with better sensitivity. However, I also do not want to spend a bomb. I don't need the bells and whistles that come with an iPad Pro, like the LIDAR scanner etc.

What I want to know is whether I should get the last generation iPad Air which should get cheaper after March 8, or the current iPad Pro, and if Pro, which one? I will try and source the iPad from the US.

Appreciate the help!
 
It depends. M1 iPad pro is now very close to desktop photoshop for digital art because of more RAM, processing power, Procreate, Art Studio pro. Lidar scanner, camera etc are just extra stuff, M1 is really powerful and a must buy for artists and mobile video editors. Since you don't want to spend too much and she is already doing okay with a 2018 iPad so iPad air it is. It is pretty good for digital art. My recommendation for serious digital art is still 12.9 M1 iPad pro. It is quite reasonably priced for what it offers to artists and video editors.
If she is okay with Clip studio paint or paint storm then Tab s7+ could be a great option too. The feel of s pen is great too, it is better than Apple pencil IMO. But if she is okay with Apple pencil then its all good.
In a nutshell -
-The best with actual benefits for artists is 12.9 iPad pro 128 GB.
-iPad Air is solid for artists as well.
-Tab S7 plus or S8 is great too if one is okay with leaving Procreate and Apple pencil is not his cup of tea. Procreate will never come to Android though.
 
The ProMotion displays on the Pro feels more fluid for drawing. The M1 Pro also comes with 8GB RAM (16GB on higher capacities) compared to 4GB in the Air. iPads last a long time in general but the the current Pro in particular would stay relevant for an even longer time. It's currently overpowered and this might come in handy as the software catches up.

I gifted my sister an iPad Air and Apple Pencil 2 last year. While it's good enough for her usage which is primarily academic in nature, I could feel the difference when using the same Pencil on a Pro. Considering that your partner is an artist, It would be worth the splurge. The choice of capacity and 11 inch vs 12.9 inch (which has the XDR display) is less important and up to your personal preferences and needs.

Here is a slow-mo video showcasing the latency difference when using Apple Pencil on regular vs ProMotion displays
 
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FerroSilicius said:
The ProMotion displays on the Pro feels more fluid for drawing.
Click to expand...
No, it doesn't. There is a big difference between 120 Hz and 60 Hz for interface navigation but for drawing, there is no such difference. Most people who talk about such tech stuff like the guy in the video do not draw themselves. The lag is imperceptible while drawing. I find no difference (in terms of lag due to refresh rate) while drawing on an M1 iPad pro vs drawing on a 60 Hz phone or any other screen. The biggest difference are the apps and other things like polished interface, palm rejection, performance etc. Lastly, the difference between 12.9 and 11 is not just pro display XDR but it the size of the screen. For drawing, the larger is better and that is enough reason to get 12.9.
 
I do not draw as a hobby or for work, but I could definitely feel the difference when I tried it out. Whether it makes a difference for their work is not something I can comment on. Best if OP tries it out at a local store himself. The pencil's latency is probably the same but how soon the display is refreshed does affect our perceived latency.

The larger size being better in general for drawing may be true but there could be other considerations such as portability, price, usage habits etc.
 
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As someone who uses both for work (drawing and note taking in equal measure) since the OG note and Note Tablet days, it boils down to app experience.

Personally, I find the Spen more fluid and more intuitive and easier on the hands than the Apple Pencil.

As for software, barring proceate, Android also has almost blow for blow replacement apps if you look for them a bit.

Not to mention the fact that Spens do not break everytime they fall, like Apple pencils do! And sharing stuff is so much easier over Android.

Then there is the awesome Samsung Notes which comes free with the tablets and does a better job of note taking and annotations and the occasional drawings than all the paid apps put to gether (Goodnotes, etc).
 
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