Well now I’ve gone and done it. I’ve bought myself a 12.9″ iPad Pro 2020 model for digital painting and illustration and thought I’d do a little review. It’s still new and my first Apple device so this is really just a first impressions review for now while I get a feel for it. Until now, the XP-Pen Deco Pro together with my laptop has been my weapon of choice, but now I may just shift entirely onto this shiny new device.
Let’s take a look a the specs of this magic weapon…
Body dimensions: 11.05” x 8.46” x 0.23” (or 280.6 x 214.9 x 5.9 mm)
Body weight: 641g or 1.41 lb
Display: IPS LCD with 120Hz refresh rate
Display resolution: 2048 x 2732 pax @ around 265 PPI
Chipset: A12Z Bionic
RAM: 6GM
Storage: 128GB (but other models go up to 1TB)
View full specs and compare with other models over on GSM Arena here.
Want one? Head over to Amazon to get yourself the 12.9″ iPad Pro 2020 discussed in this review. Currently $940 at time of writing. Excludes Apple pencil and other accessories.
Reasons for buying
The main reason for buying this was to have a powerful portable option for doing my illustration work when we hit the road again. I had originally planned to just get a pen display to plug into my laptop, but with those travel intentions, I knew I’d need a more compact setup.
Maintaining this site on the go is also important. This is the first post I’m putting together using primarily the iPad Pro, and it’s going smoothly. With a couple of accessories, this could well turn my laptop into a secondary device used only for jamming some old school games and bringing everything together for live streams.
The battery life is decent too. I haven’t tested this yet, but I know I can get a few hours of drawing in before charging again. No more walking into coffee shops asking if they have a table by a plug point for my laptop.
Why not the 2021?
The day I bought this, reviews started dropping for the 2021 model with the M1 chip and XDR display on the 12.9’. So why not go for that one?! Unless you intend to game or produce some serious videos that will benefit from having an M1 chip in the tablet, the 2021 model is an unnecessary spend. The 2020 iPad Pro has a good many years in it and is already such a strong device. So if your main interest is drawing, you won’t be left lacking with this.
Using it
The majority of this review has been done using the 12.9” 2020 iPad Pro. I could just plug in my wireless keyboard that I normally use for my PC and get straight to typing without any hassle. Of course I could also pick up the pencil and write things out too. It very cleverly converts handwriting to text, which may not be novel for most people.
And then there’s Procreate. It’s a big reason I decided to go the iPad route and it’s been a dream to use. It pretty much has all the features I’m used to using in Adobe Photoshop, and it was an easy transition. The Apple Pencil together with a Paperlike protector has made the drawing experience a really pleasant one.
Procreate has a built-in time-lapse recording feature so the process video inserted below comes from that. I’m pretty bad at capturing my process, and my laptop would get super sluggish trying to work on high-res drawings while recording, so this feature is great.
Being able to multi-window on the 12.9 still leaves plenty of room for drawing on one side, while looking at reference or watching a tutorial on the other.
Screen brightness is pretty good. I’m able to sit outside and sketch or type without straining my eyes to see what’s going on.
Things I don’t like?
Um, I’m yet to find something that I don’t really like about this device. File management is a bit weird coming from a life of Windows and Android. Some other iPad users have mentioned this as well, but it’s not that big of a deal.
Drawing apps on the iPad Pro
The first thing I downloaded for digital painting was Procreate obviously. It really lives up to the hype and will likely become my primary software choice. It’s optimized according to the device’s RAM and so you’ll have a limit on the number of layers you can work with.
A 4000px by 3000px canvas at 300 DPI will have 18 layers on the 8th Gen iPad with its 3GB of RAM.
On the 2020 iPad Pro, you’ll get 51 layers.
18 layers is plenty to work with but as you up the resolution, your layer count drops. So for professionals wanting to create detailed work at a high resolution, you are definitely going to want to go for the Pro models. I’ll do a more detailed review of the app at a later stage.
In terms of free drawing apps for mobile devices, Autodesk Sketchbook is my go-to and it worked great on the iPad. Medibang is another option. A good amount of space is occupied by toolbars and such which I’m not overly fond of, but you get used to it.
Drawing online using Magma Studio was also super smooth. Great option for drawing together with friends. Read more on Magma Studio here.
Should you buy an iPad Pro?
The short answer is: Yes, but. Obviously the iPad Pro is no small purchase so you should think carefully about what you intend to use it for. If you are a beginner or just a casual doodler, I’d say go for the 8th Gen iPad which is still a great choice. Screen size, canvas resolution and layer count (if you intend to use Procreate) will be factors that more serious digital artists will want to consider.
If you want to replace your laptop, it seems like the iPad Pro, together with a few accessories, could well do the trick. Typing up posts, editing video and of course painting can all be done pretty easily. If you are into mobile gaming and streaming, it’s a great choice too, though you might opt for a model with more onboard storage. Before making this decision, it’s always worth checking out multiple reviews and seeing how others have managed trying to achieve the same thing.
Accessories you want to consider
Apple Pencil
As an artist, you’re going to want a decent stylus that gives you an excellent range of pressure sensitivity. The Apple Pencil 2, though it adds a decent amount onto the overall price, does exactly that. It charges through a magnetic strip on the side of the iPad which is really convenient too.
A matte screen protector.
Drawing straight onto the glassy surface isn’t ideal. I went with Paperlike simply because it actually worked out cheaper in my neck of the woods, but there are other options for far less depending on where you are. You can find a number of reviews and comparisons on YouTube with Paperlike and other protectors.
A stand or case that can angle your iPad.
This is an important one as well for more a more comfortable drawing experience. There’s no shortage of options here and it’s not necessary to splurge on something too pricey. I got a $40 folding Goospery flip case that holds up well.
You might want to check out the Sketchboard Pro. It gives you extra room around the tablet to rest your arms and well as a better drawing angle.
Wrapping up the review…
I hope you found this review of the 2020 iPad Pro helpful if you are considering buying one for yourself. I’ll be sure to include a video review once I’ve had a bit more time with it. Any particular questions about the tablet, please drop them in the comments.
Want one? Head over to Amazon to get yourself the 12.9″ iPad Pro 2020 discussed in this review. Currently $940 at time of writing. Excludes Apple pencil and other accessories.
There are a couple of affiliate links in this review of the 2020 iPad Pro. So just a heads up that should you purchase through them, I will get a small commission. It doesn’t impact the price of your purchase in any way, but it does help me maintain this site and dedicate more time to creating content for it. So this is me thank you in advance 🙂
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