Drawing with Apple Pencil on iPad 2018 vs Pro?

[hideo]

Hey guys,

I've always done my illustrations using a wacom board + Mac but I'm looking to switch to an iPad / Apple Pencil setup. A buddy of mine has the iPad Pro 9.7" with Pencil and he uses ProCreate, then imports to his computer to do the final touches.

Will the setup with the Pencil run good on a regular "2018" iPad or do I need to buy the Pro? And by "run good" I mean: will there be any lag or stuttering when drawing with the Pencil because of slower CPU speeds etc.

Thanks!

 

[haruhiko]

There shouldn't be stuttering but the screen's refresh rate is only 60Hz on the regular iPad instead of 120Hz as on the Pros. Also, the regular iPad uses a non-laminated screen now so there will be visible gap between the glass and the pixels.

 

[JP913]

I would suggest the Pro, if not the 2018 model, then perhaps the 2nd gen models.

With Photoshop for iPad on the horizon, there may be less of a need to send the files from Procreate to a Mac, so get whatever version of the iPad you can afford, but keep in mind that apps like photoshop will run better on the newer models.

As someone who uses/used a Wacom Cintiq, I find that the more I use the iPad Pro, the less I have any interest in using a Wacom again!

 

[ericwn]

Is Procreate able to draw vectors instead of pixels? I thought for illustration purposes vector images would be preferred to pixel images.

 

[hideo]

Thanks for the replies, It looks like the regular iPad might work then but I think I'll make my way to a store to compare the two.

(my friend is doing some collages where he works with textures and brushes on top of photos, hence the pixel work in procreate)

 

[Greenmeenie]

You can certainly draw on the regular ipad. But Yeah, as an artist myself, i agree with what others have said. Get the pro if you can. If not one of the new ones than one of the older ones. The 120hz refresh rate does make a difference if you illustrate a lot or professionally. And there is no gap in the screen and the glass on the pros, so drawing will feel more natural. Definitely worth the investment.

I know it seems like a minor thing, but the new Apple Pencil is worth the upgrade to me. The way it charges, and the double tap feature are subtle, but very convenient. Having said that, the old pencil works just as good for drawing, so if you go that route, don’t worry, your illustrations will not suffer at all.

 

[newellj]

There shouldn't be stuttering but the screen's refresh rate is only 60Hz on the regular iPad instead of 120Hz as on the Pros. Also, the regular iPad uses a non-laminated screen now so there will be visible gap between the glass and the pixels.

There are a few YouTube video comparisons that suggest that the Pro does respond faster/better than the 2018 iPad, for exactly those reasons. Whether an individual user notices or cares is going to depend on a lot of things. The OP's idea of doing a personal comparison makes a lot of sense.

 

[mofunk]

Prices for the Pros have been dropping.
Today I saw the
iPad Pro 11 256GB for $800 at Micro Center. You could try matching at BB

iPad Pro 10.5 64GB $599 256GB $699 (same price as last Christmas)

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1342184-REG/apple_mpdy2ll_a_10_5_ipad_pro_256gb.html

iPad 2018 128 $379
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1400415-REG/apple_mr7j2ll_a_9_7_ipad_early_2018.html

Check refurbs too

https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished/ipad/ipad-pro-10-5


I played with the Pencil 2 and it feel a little bit closer to using a real pencil. I've noticed, depending on which App you are using, that there is some lag. Maybe its my IPP 10.5 but I noticed if I'm coloring in a circle about the with of the palm of your hand, occasionally the IPP will lag.

 

[kazmac]

As someone who has used both (and prefers drawing on the 2018 iPad screen - I cannot quite explain why given all the memory hiccups), I’d still vote to buy the Pro models, primarily for more RAM and almost zero lag with the original pencil.

Using Procreate on the 2018 iPad, the pencil lags and sometimes takes a few seconds to respond. Palm rejection is less accurate and there might be freezes.

I’ve tested the 2nd gen pencil on the new pros, I love it. Drawing is even smoother and more responsive. And yet my not-at-all dainty grip feels like it could definitely break the new models. That’s not to say I will not eventually pick one up on sale (for art). Yet being burned so hard last year when my 2017 12.9” developed irresponsive touch issues (that Apple refused to replace, even with AC) gives me pause.

Still, that new pencil is freaking amazing (the pencil and Procreate are my two favorite Apple-centric things from the last five years). So even though I am willing to move to competitors for my phone and main computing needs, I bet I’ll buy an iPad Pro again at some point just for art.

BTW, Apple educational discount is $50 on the 2018 iPPs and $10 on the 2nd gen pencil.

Microcenter has a few 2018 models on sale (Brooklyn, NY store stock).

11”

https://www.microcenter.com/search/search_results.aspx?N=4294954919+4294821562+4294822454+4294811868

12.9”

https://www.microcenter.com/search/search_results.aspx?N=4294954919+4294821562+4294822454+4294817110

Just saw that Microcenter was mentioned above...sometimes Apple will price match too. It is rare, but they do.