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Tablets for Art (Surface, Yoga, iPad Pro etc.) Deals Thread [to be updated regularly]

If anyone orders a Surface off of Amazon, ask customer service if they will honor Microsoft's student discount. They did for me and i was able yo get 100 off on a SP4.

Oh, and dont forget a little butt kissing. Use phrases like "i really want to buy it off Amazon."
 
Looks amazing, but I do have a couple of questions as a Surface Pro 2 owner.

1) Would the Bamboo Feel pen I have work with this too?
2) Any word on battery life?

1) No. This is Wacom AES, not Wacom EMR.
2) Reviews have it around 5 hours. Expected for 15.6" machine I guess.

Vivotab note 8 crapped out on me. Love the machine, but this is the fifth time I've sent it for RMA.

Looking for a comparable maybe a slight upgrade. Looking for something that runs windows, preferably EMR, $350 or under would be ideal.

Do you guys know anything that fits the profile?

Newer 8" tablet with EMR does not exist anymore. They all switched to AES for variety of reasons.

For that size, you have either the HP Evny Note 8 or Dell Venue 8 Pro 5855.
 

Saraluna

Neo Member
Wacom and N-Trig both offer projected capacitive based active pen/digitizer. N-Trig calls theirs Duo Sense 2 (SP3, SP4, Surface Book, VAIO Z Canvas), Wacom calls theirs Active Electro Static or Active ES (Thinkpad Yoga 14, Miix 700, HP Spectre X2 12 etc...).

They both work largely the same: Use capacitive touch screen for positional polling data at high speed (>120Hz) via powered pen, use a load cell pressure sensor tip assembly on the pen for pressure data, communicate with the computer via projected cap screen without any additional protocol such as BT.

The physical performance difference between the two is the pressure load sensor, but not in the amount of the pressure they can sense, since this can be artificially be jacked up to whatever number you want (currently Wacom allows ODMs to set theirs up to 2048 levels. N-Trig caps it at 1024 levels). The real difference is how much pressure does it take to initiate the sensor to engage (Initial Detection Force or IDF). Lower is better, Wacom is very low, and is proud to advertise this: 1 gram. N-trig knows their is not as good, so they do not advertise the number, so I can only guess, but I know it's higher than 3 grams. Probably around 5 or so.

Also important difference (for now), is the software support for the pressure. Wacom has been at this for very long time and just about every damn art software out there supports their Wintab driver. If you have an old legacy app or quirky less known app, you want to go with Wacom to ensure that pressure is properly supported. The only software that I know supports N-Trig better than Wacom is Microsoft's own Fresh Paint, but that's because the original devs quit and it now supports neither pens well at all. Anyways, until the new universal Realtime Stylus (MS) API is supported by all legacy software (still far from the case), Wacom will have this software edge over all other pen tech.

Thank you, this was incredibly informative. Its been a looooong time since I've done any digital art, so looking for a tablet has been daunting. Also checking out the dell you just posted - I like the potential for swapping out parts.
 
If anyone orders a Surface off of Amazon, ask customer service if they will honor Microsoft's student discount. They did for me and i was able yo get 100 off on a SP4.

Oh, and dont forget a little butt kissing. Use phrases like "i really want to buy it off Amazon."
Do you need to show proof of student enrollment to get the discount?
 
Thank you, this was incredibly informative. Its been a looooong time since I've done any digital art, so looking for a tablet has been daunting. Also checking out the dell you just posted - I like the potential for swapping out parts.

My friend just confirmed that the latest Wacom Feel driver works on the Dell! I think I'm going to jump on this deal too.

Why did they all switch to AES?

Also, does that mean there isn't much going on in the EMR space at all these days?

I heard that AES blows with slow/diagonal drawing, so I'm hesitant to jump in just yet.
AES does not add thickness to the device like EMR does, because it uses the touch layer for coordinate data. EMR uses a separate layer under the LCD lighting assembly. This also adds to the parallax issue.

AES allows ODMs to skip out on that added digitizer layer, making devices thinner/lighter and also cheaper.

EMR has slight advantage for steadier diagonal lines when drawing really slowly, but honestly it also wobbles like everything else. The difference have been overblown IMO. They both wobble when drawing really slowly and diagonally. You simply should speed up your drawing. Makes fore better drawing habits anyways.
 

rrs

Member
question: how does the split keyboard look on win10 with a 3:2 device in portrait? I wonder if Win10 still makes the buttons all small and impossible to touch, as I've been looking at some windows tablets and all I remember is how much of a pain in the ass it is to touch type with a normal layout on something that big
 
Sure. Why get a PC that you can draw on the screen with when you can get a Mac and have to lug around a Wacom tablet with it. Makes sense to me. yeesh.

That Dell above is more than fine after an SSD upgrade for all things 2D art education. Dell sells in Austrailia I'm sure. Here's one already with SSD for less than $1300 AU.

http://www.dell.com/au/business/p/i...u&model_id=inspiron-15-7568-laptop&l=en&s=bsd

You also need this pen:

http://accessories.ap.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=au&l=en&s=bsd&cs=aubsd1&sku=750-AANP
Thanks.

I don't know why to got so defensive though lol that's why I was asking opinions and she's not even set on anything as yet.
 
Thanks.

I don't know why to got so defensive though lol that's why I was asking opinions and she's not even set on anything as yet.
Don't pay no mind to the tone. That's just how I talk.

It's not you, it's me.

question: how does the split keyboard look on win10 with a 3:2 device in portrait? I wonder if Win10 still makes the buttons all small and impossible to touch, as I've been looking at some windows tablets and all I remember is how much of a pain in the ass it is to touch type with a normal layout on something that big

That's why pen is important in desktop mode.
 
Don't pay no mind to the tone. That's just how I talk.

It's not you, it's me.

That's why pen is important in desktop mode.
OK, thanks for the recommendation again. I will quiz my sister on if she will entertain the idea and if so we will look at your recommendation. Yeesh.
 
OK, thanks for the recommendation again. I will quiz my sister on if she will entertain the idea and if so we will look at your recommendation. Yeesh.

Art hardware is complicated purchase if you are not being wasteful. That's why most go for Apple laptop. It's easier than doing homework on this stuff
 
Shog, is there a particular pen you recommend? The Dell doesn't come with one, I noticed.

My fav AES pen is the Toshiba Dynapad Trupen I used in that video. The tip material gives you the best feel on these glass surfaces that you draw on. But it's hard to find. You can search with this part number: Mfg. Part: PA5260U-1ETS

Far easier to get is the Lenovo Pen Pro. It is almost as good as the Toshiba pen, but has harder tip and flush barrel buttons that are hard to feel out the location.

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/itemdetails/4X80H34887/460/41E9A3C3FB5A45A9AC47C56812E4188C
 

Saraluna

Neo Member
My fav AES pen is the Toshiba Dynapad Trupen I used in that video. The tip material gives you the best feel on these glass surfaces that you draw on. But it's hard to find. You can search with this part number: Mfg. Part: PA5260U-1ETS

Far easier to get is the Lenovo Pen Pro. It is almost as good as the Toshiba pen, but has harder tip and flush barrel buttons that are hard to feel out the location.

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/itemdetails/4X80H34887/460/41E9A3C3FB5A45A9AC47C56812E4188C

Just curious, this pen is only listed as compatible with thinkpads, is it difficult to sync it with the Dell Inspiron?
 
AES does not add thickness to the device like EMR does, because it uses the touch layer for coordinate data. EMR uses a separate layer under the LCD lighting assembly. This also adds to the parallax issue.

AES allows ODMs to skip out on that added digitizer layer, making devices thinner/lighter and also cheaper.

EMR has slight advantage for steadier diagonal lines when drawing really slowly, but honestly it also wobbles like everything else. The difference have been overblown IMO. They both wobble when drawing really slowly and diagonally. You simply should speed up your drawing. Makes fore better drawing habits anyways.

If you think that there's not much different between EMR, and AES performance, that's good enough for me.

So, how much do my options open up, if I'm willing to go with something larger than 8"?

Also, do you know of any common issues with the two eight inch tablets you mentioned?

I just need something that's dependable, and isn't going to get in my way. Like I said, I love my VivoTab Note 8, but the downtime with this thing is killing my output.
 
Are you a fucking size queen like I am? I am a total size whore when it comes to drawing surface. If you are also someone who needs the biggest flat drawing area that a mobile device can provide, then here's my new discovery to the rescue.

Dell Inspiron is a 15.6" 2 in 1 convertible with anything from a low end Pentium to a Core i7 6700U option. You can have either 1920x1080 or 3840x2160 touchscreen IPS, but only the 1920x1080 version has Wacom AES digitizer.

4454113_sd.jpg


Your local Best Buy will sell you a Core i5 6200U, 8GB RAM, 500GB HDD version with the said Wacom full HD IPS screen for $650.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFq5UnxuG24

Yes, it is sold with a shitty spinning platter, but do not fret; it is quite easy to crack this model open to replace the HDD and the RAM. You can easily upgrade this mofo with 16GB of RAM and 500GB SATA III SSD for say $300 more. If you are OK with 8GB of RAM, then just stick in a 256GB SSD for $80 and compute like it's 2016.

EDIT: Dell sells Core i5 6200U, 8GB RAM, and with 256GB SSD for $100 more.

http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-15-7568-laptop/pd?oc=dncwa005s&l=en&s=dhs

This seems interesting to me. I've been debating getting something to sit on the couch and develop RAW photos. I'm assuming this would be sufficient, i5 w/SSD, to run Lightroom and Photoshop with the raw libraries stored on my NAS? Granted my NEFs are from my 800e so this wouldn't be as fast as my super i7/32gb of RAM/multi SSD workhorse I use for HDR and super Photoshop work (I've had several dozen layers before and 3gb ps files); but, for doing Lightroom development and maybe some light HDR work and some fine tuning in CS6 - this should get me by? I currently use my work 4 yr old XPS 13 for this and think id use the tablet interface more while laying on bed or on the couch.

Someone talk me into or out of this.

Btw - the i7 on offer wouldn't be much of a improvement as it's still dual core w/HT like the i5 and not 4 core/8 threads?
 
Just curious, this pen is only listed as compatible with thinkpads, is it difficult to sync it with the Dell Inspiron?
No need to pair or any of that nonsense. Just start using it. You can see in my video that I just started using the Toshiba pen on the Dell without any issues.

The only thing is you can't switch to a different pen while running. The new pen will work, but with some cursor issues. If you want to switch to another AES pen, you need to reboot and start with that new pen.
 
If you think that there's not much different between EMR, and AES performance, that's good enough for me.

So, how much do my options open up, if I'm willing to go with something larger than 8"?

Also, do you know of any common issues with the two eight inch tablets you mentioned?

I just need something that's dependable, and isn't going to get in my way. Like I said, I love my VivoTab Note 8, but the downtime with this thing is killing my output.

You can still buy 10.6 and 11.6" EMR devices. Go few pages back and find the deal on a HP X2. The deal from PC Mall should be still alive. $400 for a new last gen (Broadwell Core M) 11" Wacom EMR equipped tablet!

EDIT: This is that PC Mall HP X2 deal:
http://www.pcm.com/p/product~dpno~13405359~pdp.jabhjjf

As for the two 8", I haven't kept up with owner issues, but I read that the HP has only like 6 hours battery life and the Dell has had some teething hardware issues when it first came out.
 
This seems interesting to me. I've been debating getting something to sit on the couch and develop RAW photos. I'm assuming this would be sufficient, i5 w/SSD, to run Lightroom and Photoshop with the raw libraries stored on my NAS? Granted my NEFs are from my 800e so this wouldn't be as fast as my super i7/32gb of RAM/multi SSD workhorse I use for HDR and super Photoshop work (I've had several dozen layers before and 3gb ps files); but, for doing Lightroom development and maybe some light HDR work and some fine tuning in CS6 - this should get me by? I currently use my work 4 yr old XPS 13 for this and think id use the tablet interface more while laying on bed or on the couch.

Someone talk me into or out of this.

Btw - the i7 on offer wouldn't be much of a improvement as it's still dual core w/HT like the i5 and not 4 core/8 threads?
Power wise, it's more than enough for your task, especially if you stick an SSD in it and upgrade the RAM to 16GB (both easy to do).

But it's too big for anything other than using on a desk IMO. Using it in your arms as a tablet would be cumbersome to say the least.
 

Amiibro

Member
You can still buy 10.6 and 11.6" EMR devices. Go few pages back and find the deal on a HP X2. The deal from PC Mall should be still alive. $400 for a new last gen (Broadwell Core M) 11" Wacom EMR equipped tablet!

EDIT: This is that PC Mall HP X2 deal:
http://www.pcm.com/p/product~dpno~13405359~pdp.jabhjjf

As for the two 8", I haven't kept up with owner issues, but I read that the HP has only like 6 hours battery life and the Dell has had some teething hardware issues when it first came out.

Been thinking about saving up for an iPad Pro for digital drawing, but how is that HP X2? its got Wacom hardware in the screen right? wonder if I should just try that out instead.
 
Been thinking about saving up for an iPad Pro for digital drawing, but how is that HP X2? its got Wacom hardware in the screen right? wonder if I should just try that out instead.

Simple determination: Do you need real Photoshop or no? If no, iPad Pro 9.7 is a better mobile device (lighter, more battery life). But if you need real Photoshop in your life, iPad Pro can't help you.

Also iPad Pro 9.7 only has 2GB of RAM so your file can't have as much layers and big of a canvas size. iPad Pro 12.9 vs this thing is much better matched, but that's twice as expensive.
 

Saraluna

Neo Member
No need to pair or any of that nonsense. Just start using it. You can see in my video that I just started using the Toshiba pen on the Dell without any issues.

The only thing is you can't switch to a different pen while running. The new pen will work, but with some cursor issues. If you want to switch to another AES pen, you need to reboot and start with that new pen.

Many thanks for all of the helpful answers! This is likely going to be a graduation gift for me from my family. :)
 
Looks like MS Store is lowering the entry price of the Surface Book by $150.

Surface-Book-image-4.png


http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...2459594)(TnL5HPStwNw-2BfYJOQCWKT2PBhs4pdYwA)()

This is the base model without discrete GPU, but comes witth KB obviously and also the pen.

This is first time I remember seeing discount on the Surface Book. Hopefully this is start of its' price adjustment.

If you are comfortable with shopping a new product from eBay store, a store called Gravoty Buys (97% satisfaction rating) is selling the same for $1300 with "limited quantities". Seems to be new, not refurb, and you save quiet a bit more than MS Store since tax will be added to MS Store sales.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Microsoft-S...trkparms=5373:1|5374:Tech|5079:100&rmvSB=true
 

XenoRaven

Member
Looks like MS Store is lowering the entry price of the Surface Book by $150.

Surface-Book-image-4.png


http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...2459594)(TnL5HPStwNw-2BfYJOQCWKT2PBhs4pdYwA)()

This is the base model without discrete GPU, but comes witth KB obviously and also the pen.

This is first time I remember seeing discount on the Surface Book. Hopefully this is start of its' price adjustment.

If you are comfortable with shopping a new product from eBay store, a store called Gravoty Buys (97% satisfaction rating) is selling the same for $1300 with "limited quantities". Seems to be new, not refurb, and you save quiet a bit more than MS Store since tax will be added to MS Store sales.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Microsoft-S...trkparms=5373:1|5374:Tech|5079:100&rmvSB=true
What's the difference between this and the Surface Pro 4 with the i5 and 8GB RAM?
 
Power wise, it's more than enough for your task, especially if you stick an SSD in it and upgrade the RAM to 16GB (both easy to do).

But it's too big for anything other than using on a desk IMO. Using it in your arms as a tablet would be cumbersome to say the least.

Thanks for the advice. I just saw the 35% off code is available for a refurbished one from Dell Outlet so I put in an order for one and for the Toshiba pen.

I'll keep an eye open for deals on the 16gb RAM and I should be set for lazy photo editing time on the couch and bed.
 

Red Fire

Member
This thread is just what i needed.

So i want to buy my first tablet ever and i want to draw on it (but not only draw, also use it for university or for reading mangas and other things). So it should have a stylus and be touch sensitive etc. I also want it to be android. Preferably samsung but that's not necessary. It should not be too expensive. Can you guys give me some recommendations?
 

So I was going to get the Lenovo Miix 700 but I am looking for something slightly smaller, maybe 10" or 9" (if possible). What are my options? The Galaxy TabPro S is coming out with a pen and is significantly thinner but way more expensive and less ports and is still 12".
 

rrs

Member
So I was going to get the Lenovo Miix 700 but I am looking for something slightly smaller, maybe 10" or 9" (if possible). What are my options? The Galaxy TabPro S is coming out with a pen and is significantly thinner but way more expensive and less ports and is still 12".
I've been looking at similar devices, pretty much all the high end windows devices seem to be on par performance wise to high end android/iPad Air 2
 
I've been thinking about getting an iPad Pro for drawing/digital painting and then getting a keyboard to do some writing on it too (L&L is beta testing their iOS Scrivener App now), but I've been seduced by the siren call of the Surface Pro/Surface Book.

Just how big a bag of hurt is Windows 10? I've been Mac only (not counting my Windows 7 gaming partition) since 2001. I'm thinking that more RAM, more extensive paint/art programs, and a full version of Scrivener would be a better buy. I also type in Dvorak and am uncertain whether iPad Pro will do Dvorak with external keyboard cases.
 
This thread is just what i needed.

So i want to buy my first tablet ever and i want to draw on it (but not only draw, also use it for university or for reading mangas and other things). So it should have a stylus and be touch sensitive etc. I also want it to be android. Preferably samsung but that's not necessary. It should not be too expensive. Can you guys give me some recommendations?

Android stylus space is bit of a shit show these days. I think the best one still is now over 2 years old Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014, or it's bigger brother Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2. I think you can find used ones for under $400 easily. Amazon and elsewhere might still sell new ones.

So I was going to get the Lenovo Miix 700 but I am looking for something slightly smaller, maybe 10" or 9" (if possible). What are my options? The Galaxy TabPro S is coming out with a pen and is significantly thinner but way more expensive and less ports and is still 12".

If you go down to 10" and below, you are now in Atom territory. The smallest none Atom Windows tablet with pen is the 10.6" Cube i7 Stylus (the "chinese" tablet as it's known in art tablet circles) and it's rebranded clones. These use old Surface Pro 2 IPS panels with Wacom EMR digitizer, mated to Broadwell Core M and proper SSD. Unfortunately, they skimped on battery size so you only get around 5 hours.

If you still want something smaller, it's Atom and eMMC all the way. I don't recommend that for art.

I've been looking at similar devices, pretty much all the high end windows devices seem to be on par performance wise to high end android/iPad Air 2

in 10" and below space, none of the Windows tablets will outperform iPad Pro due to use of Atom CPU and eMMC. 10.6" and bigger can get you Core M and SSD, so then you can out perform iPad Pro from that point on (forget the BS benches like Geekbench 3 that gives A9X edge over Core M).

I've been thinking about getting an iPad Pro for drawing/digital painting and then getting a keyboard to do some writing on it too (L&L is beta testing their iOS Scrivener App now), but I've been seduced by the siren call of the Surface Pro/Surface Book.

Just how big a bag of hurt is Windows 10? I've been Mac only (not counting my Windows 7 gaming partition) since 2001. I'm thinking that more RAM, more extensive paint/art programs, and a full version of Scrivener would be a better buy. I also type in Dvorak and am uncertain whether iPad Pro will do Dvorak with external keyboard cases.

Windows 10 is fine. Don't be such a puss. If you are married to how Windows 7 did things, you will hate how things have changed. But you are coming from OSX so who cares? It's all new anyways.
 
Windows 10 is fine. Don't be such a puss. If you are married to how Windows 7 did things, you will hate how things have changed. But you are coming from OSX so who cares? It's all new anyways.
I'm just trying to decide if the usability bonuses of Surface trump the frustration factor of Windows. Any idea if iPad Pro allows Dvorak on external keyboards?
 
So previously, I was really looking to replace my 12wx with a new cintiq. Preferrably a 22HD or maybe a companion but looking at some of the tablets and 2 in 1s has made me pretty interested in something thats much more mobile than a cintiq so I can draw/paint in the living room while my wife watches TV so I can spend more time with her.

Im thinking of selling my 12wx, buying a portable graphics tablet and then buying a cintiq alternative. Cintiqs just seem way to overpriced. Ive quite liked mine but id like to sell mine and move up to something thats 19" or bigger without spending a grand.

For the tablet/2-1 im not sure what I would like. Im pretty jealous of my wifes surface pro 4. If i decide to pick up a bigger graphics tablet that combines with my desktop id be ok with a portable tablet that is not quite as robust. Id still want to be looking at something with a screen of 12" or bigger. Id really prefer a tablet that can handle photoshop but if not id like one that uses a program thats pretty similar like manga/clip studio.
 
So previously, I was really looking to replace my 12wx with a new cintiq. Preferrably a 22HD or maybe a companion but looking at some of the tablets and 2 in 1s has made me pretty interested in something thats much more mobile than a cintiq so I can draw/paint in the living room while my wife watches TV so I can spend more time with her.

Im thinking of selling my 12wx, buying a portable graphics tablet and then buying a cintiq alternative. Cintiqs just seem way to overpriced. Ive quite liked mine but id like to sell mine and move up to something thats 19" or bigger without spending a grand.

For the tablet/2-1 im not sure what I would like. Im pretty jealous of my wifes surface pro 4. If i decide to pick up a bigger graphics tablet that combines with my desktop id be ok with a portable tablet that is not quite as robust. Id still want to be looking at something with a screen of 12" or bigger. Id really prefer a tablet that can handle photoshop but if not id like one that uses a program thats pretty similar like manga/clip studio.

$550 Miix 700 at Costco (deal extended to end of May) can handle Photoshop no problem. Deal of the century. Just don't show it to your wife. She will feel ripped off with her SP4. lolz
 
$550 Miix 700 at Costco (deal extended to end of May) can handle Photoshop no problem. Deal of the century. Just don't show it to your wife. She will feel ripped off with her SP4. lolz

How much does it cost to join Costco? Very tempted by this. About to go on a three-week trip to Europe and tired of lugging my laptop for blogging. Also interested in doing some sketching once I get back (and heck, when I'm there). Is it fanless? That'd be grand.

Mainly looking for portability, decent art capability, USB ports to plug my camera into, wireless to upload pictures to OneDrive, ability to run Lightroom for light touchups, and weight / size conducive to surfing in bed.

Edit: $110 to join -- blunts the deal a bit, but still decent, right?
 
How much does it cost to join Costco? Very tempted by this. About to go on a three-week trip to Europe and tired of lugging my laptop for blogging. Also interested in doing some sketching once I get back (and heck, when I'm there). Is it fanless? That'd be grand.

Mainly looking for portability, decent art capability, USB ports to plug my camera into, wireless to upload pictures to OneDrive, ability to run Lightroom for light touchups, and weight / size conducive to surfing in bed.

Edit: $110 to join -- blunts the deal a bit, but still decent, right?

That for delux membership. Normal one is $60
 
Whats the performance difference between the dynapad tru pen and the thinkpad pen pro that can be used with the miix? Theyre both wacom digitizers yeah?
 
Whats the performance difference between the dynapad tru pen and the thinkpad pen pro that can be used with the miix? Theyre both wacom digitizers yeah?

No performance difference. It's the different tip material they each uses. Lenovo has harder plastic tip. Toshi has softer felt material like tip. Toshi just feels better drawing on glass.

EDIT: Make sure when you get your Miix 700 to update the Wacom firmware driver from Lenovo's driver page. Pen won't work until then.
 

diaspora

Member
I don't know where Microsoft gets off charging $120+ for a surface pro keyboard that doesn't even have a battery in it smh
 
I don't know where Microsoft gets off charging $120+ for a surface pro keyboard that doesn't even have a battery in it smh

At least they are now backlit, lol. That's why Costco Miix 700 deal is so crazy. Comes with the keyboard. Sure, it's not backlit and not as good as MS one (I have to type with heavier force to ensure keys don't drop), but it comes with the damn thing.
 

VoxPop

Member
Hey guys. I'm in the market for something digitally draw with. I am also looking for a laptop for traveling so being able to do both is a pro but I don't mind having a standalone pad either.

Some criteria

- I mostly do my work with a pen and pad but would also love to hook up my work to do directly on Illustrator + Photoshop like the Intuos but isn't a must.

- How is Photoshop + Illustrator on the Surface Pro 3/4?

- How easy is it to manage your work on the iPad Pro? Can I hook it up to my Mac or PC and do some work directly on it?

- How is the Apple Pencil compared to its wacom or whatever else counterparts?

I initially wanted an Intuos but seems like a pain to carry both a laptop and pad.

My top choices so far are the Surface Pro 3/4 and iPad Pro. Looking to use it when traveling and doing a lot of sketching + work without the need for other devices. Which is the better device for me?
 
Hey guys. I'm in the market for something digitally draw with. I am also looking for a laptop for traveling so being able to do both is a pro but I don't mind having a standalone pad either.

Some criteria

- I mostly do my work with a pen and pad but would also love to hook up my work to do directly on Illustrator + Photoshop like the Intuos but isn't a must.

- How is Photoshop + Illustrator on the Surface Pro 3/4?

- How easy is it to manage your work on the iPad Pro? Can I hook it up to my Mac or PC and do some work directly on it?

- How is the Apple Pencil compared to its wacom or whatever else counterparts?

I initially wanted an Intuos but seems like a pain to carry both a laptop and pad.

My top choices so far are the Surface Pro 3/4 and iPad Pro. Looking to use it when traveling and doing a lot of sketching + work without the need for other devices. Which is the better device for me?

If you want to consolidate to one device, you really only have one choice, which is a 2 in 1 running Windows. That device will let you draw in Photoshop, Illustrator, Clip Studio Paint, whatever you want practically, on the screen.

iPad Pro is great if you don't care about Photoshop, Illustrator, or any of the pro apps and are perfectly happy with Procreate. That doesn't sound like you.

iPad Pro will let you connect to a Mac via wireless or USB cable and use it like a Cintiq via app called Astropad, but it's not ideal. The resolution of mirrored area from the Mac is limited, you can't use native resolution on the iPad, and there are image refresh delays that have to be compensated for.

As for Apple Pencil vs Wacom AES, I give Apple Pencil the edge on digitizer resolution and tilt ability. Wacom AES gets the edge on flexibility (i.e. barrel buttons), and software support via the Wintab driver. They both have similar Initial detection force. But iPad Pro doesn't have cursor due to iOS limitations so if you like that from using Intuos, iPad Pro might feel bit awkward to use when painting.

Also, Apple decided to do some things with Apple Pencil that disregards how Wacom has done things for last 20+ years, so if you are use to using Wacom, you might have hard time adjusting to how Apple allows devs to map some the brush pressure curve. I had hard time getting decent drawings out with the Apple Pencil for this reason. I'm too use to Wacom's pressure curve mapping.
 
Costco just put up another bundle

Surface Book Bundle
i5, 8gb ram, 256 gb ssd, win 10 pro
One year sub to office 365 personal
Keyboard

For $1499
 
Just got delivered my Dell Inspiron 7568 2 in 1. It's soooo HUGE! Look at the Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga 14 next to it. The 15.6" of the Dell makes the 14" of the Lenovo look like a 12.5" screen.

Totally stoked that I was able to find this refurbed Core i7 6500U Wacom screen version on eBay for only $660. Now I just need to install 16GB SoDIMM and the 960GB SSD from the Yoga 14 after the weekend freelance is done.

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BTW, when I measured at the store, the Dell's screen is as tall as the Surface Book screen, but is couple of inches wider. :D
 
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