The best tablets for art and graphic design

 Complete selection of the best tablets and 2-in-1 computers that are usually used by great designers, illustrators and creatives to carry out their most professional works. The best and worst of each of them.

If it turns out that you are an artist, designer, creative or illustrator who is looking for a new tablet or tablet to work with and carry out your professional projects, you have arrived at the right place. We have prepared this article with the help of professionals in the sector.

Before going into the detail of what each product offers, we compile a whole series of tips to take into account when choosing the device based on the price, size, screen the resolution, as well as the sensitivity of each pencil digital. 

We did not want to orient the article on traditional graphic tablets with flat drawing surfaces that connect to a Mac or PC, such as the Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition that you can purchase at Amazon . 

Nor do we include graphic tablets with integrated displays such as the Wacom Cintiq Pro range . These are solutions more oriented to 3D modeling, illustration and development of video games and animation. 

Tablet or laptop 2 in 1? Which one suits me?

We wanted to focus on devices that are basically tablet or 2-in-1 devices equipped with processing and with screens that meet the best conditions to draw, paint or even write.

Beyond including the iPad and the occasional Android tablet , you will find in the article other convertible or transformable devices with larger screens of 13 or 14 inches, in which you can run the same applications as in your desktop computer. 

Windows computers, such as the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 or the HP ZBook X2, offer generous screens and their respective digital pencils, as well as being able to run Adobe Creative Cloud applications. 

Most of these models offer keyboards with clips that adhere to the device, which is why some manufacturers sometimes call them 'removable', offering great versatility when it comes to operating the screen without the attached keyboard. 

We analyze the form factor of each of them and comment when it is better to use one format against another and the reasons. Note that many of the comments made belong to digital illustrator Sam Gilbey .

 

The best tablets for art and design

Surface Pro 7

·         From $ 749, Surface Pen $ 99.99, Signature Keyboard $ 159.99

There are day-to-day situations that make us think that Microsoft's Surface Pro 7 is a unique device within its category, so they make it special to be able to perform 

This is the real case of many designers or creative artists who spend the day from meeting to meeting and traveling, taking notes and taking advantage of dead times to retouch and modify their projects on the fly. 

It is in these environments where the Surface family performs frankly well, imitating perfectly the concept that we all know as an origami device, very valid to be decisive in diverse situations. 

The Surface Pro 7 runs on Windows 10 Pro, so you can install and run full versions of programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator or XD. 

 

Surface Pro X

From $ 999, Slim Pen $ 144.99, Slim Pen + Signature Keyboard $ 269.99

During the period that Adobe has been developing the version of Photoshop for iPad, Microsoft has been busy building an “iPad” that runs Windows so you can use the version of Photoshop you already have. Or Illustrator, or InDesign, or XD and probably hundreds of other creative applications that you won't find on iOS. 

Surface Pro X is a bit like Surface Pro: it is a tablet that runs Windows 10 and becomes a laptop when you connect a keyboard that is almost identical to the Surface Pro, but in many ways, it is closer to the iPad Pro than to a Surface

The real difference between the Surface Pro X and the Surface Pro is inside. While the Surface Pro uses a 10th generation Intel Core processor, the Surface Pro X opts for Qualcomm Snapdragon, the type of chip you would find on a mobile phone like my Huawei P30 Pro.

Obviously, this has its advantages and disadvantages, given that it provides a longer battery life, superior to the Surface Pro 7, but in return, it seems that performance with intensive CPU usage applications is slightly affected. 

So, if you can do without having the maximum power in favor of being able to use the equipment for a longer time before having to resort to the power source, this may be a better choice than the traditional Surface.

 

iPad Pro 2018

From $ 999 | Model reviewed $ 1,899

We do not discover anything if we say that artists can take advantage of the use of the iPad Pro.

For designers it is probably not the best option, because it is not yet compatible with the full version of applications like Photoshop of Creative Cloud, but this will change very soon.

We are not sure how much time the Illustrator Gemini project will still have to reach its official availability, since the dates are still not confirmed, but it will surely be a great extra for users with this profile.

The 2018 iPad Pro can be found in sizes of 11 or 12.9 inches, the first one replacing the previous 10.5-inch model. In our review , we notice how they are thinner and less curved in the back, and without the typical bezels. In spite of which, the resolutions are identical. 

The most striking is perhaps the use of the new Apple Pencil, which magnetically adheres to the iPad Pro to charge its battery. It is not necessary to stand out strangely from the bottom of the iPad and the only one, but it is an accessory that you will have to pay separately. 

The iPad Pro remains an incredible creative tool. For artists and illustrators who want a portable drawing and painting device, it is more than a combination unless you prefer the three-inch more screen offered by the 16-inch Wacom. 

However, if you lack a budget, the 11-inch model is an excellent tool to pair with an iMac or desktop PC. 

With Duet Display Pro-style applications, you can use your iPad Pro as a Cintiq tablet. 

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3

$ 599

Without a doubt, the tablet mentioned here is the best rival you can find to compete with the Apple iPad Pro, evidently from the Android side and considered one of the best in recent years.

The resolution of its HD quality screen amounts to 2,048 x 1,536 with HDR support, one of the best in the market in terms of faithful reproduction of the colors and contrast levels displayed. 

The Galaxy Tab S3 does not have the True Tone screen of the iPad Pro (all you can do is optionally activate the blue light filter) and it can be a bit reflective. However, it includes the S Pen that has four times more sensitivity than the Apple Pencil.

Against it, it should be noted that although Autodesk Sketchbook Pro is available on Android, Pro create is unfortunately not. You must be willing to do without this kind of professional tools.