Truthfully I wasn't sure about this machine when I first bought it. As an owner of an old sixth-gen iPad, I'd often found that device to be lacking in things I thought I could use it for - so, when all the artists I knew started raving about the iPad Pro as the best tool available for illustration, I had my share of questions even once I'd decided to take the plunge.
Now, I've been making digital art since 1999, when I first discovered how to pixel with a ball mouse and the help of MS Paint. It took a few years for me to learn about the joys of digital tablets, but when I did, I used everything I could get my hands on, from the Intuos and Bamboo lines of Wacom products to the Deco line of XP-Pens to a venerable 2-in-1 laptop that probably served me for more sketches than anything else to date. Out of all of them, until this year, by far the best of the lot had been the Cintiq 13HD I saved up for in 2015. Its minimal parallax, general responsiveness, and reliable drivers made it the easiest to draw with, the easiest to get good results with, and far and away the most comfortable for large projects.
So when this iPad blew it out of the water, I was a bit surprised.
Just to be clear: my main computer for graphic design is not a slouch in any department. It's running an RTX 2060 GPU, 16 GB of RAM, and a 9th gen i7 processor. Not quite the best there is, but nothing to sneeze at, either. So when I say that this iPad can draw faster with larger brushes on larger canvases, save bigger projects in less time, and can handle more complex brush mechanics with less lag than I have ever experienced on a desktop device, those are not empty words.
I have only one usability complaint - the texture of the screen. And that's a matter of personal preference, ingrained in me over years of using paper-textured drawing tablets. Despite this minor gripe, I am frequently finding that I can get more done in less time with the iPad than I can with my desktop PC, solely because of the lack of brush lag. Whether this is because mobile art programs are more efficient in how they handle their brush engines, I can't say, but there is a marked difference in performance when I transfer my project files over for their final spit and polish.
In fact that is the main concern I have with the iPad at this stage: it is best used for on-the-go work, rather than for cleanup and polishing. But that's not even a real complaint at this point, because that's a real need in an artist's workflow - the need to get ideas down in a hurry. And it's entirely possible that the techniques that go into that polishing process are simply ones I haven't yet wrapped my head around in the iPad environment.
From a productivity standpoint, it's every bit as capable as most laptops with the proper apps installed (provided you have a keyboard), and now that iPad OS has been released, it's capable of interacting with external storage with no problems whatsoever. You can draw. You can animate. You can take notes. You can write novels. You can record videos. Heck, you can write music! The biggest limitation is on multitasking - which, for my purposes at least, is not so much a limitation as a means of avoiding the demon Procrastination.
I've gotten more done with this thing since I bought it than I have with my desktop computer in the same amount of time, simply because it's the tool I most often have on hand. While the form factor and operating environment might take some getting used to at first, I cannot recommend the iPad Pro highly enough for anyone who needs to make things on the go.
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Compare Apple iPad products
| Price | From: - | From: - | From: - |
| Ratings | (5,280) | (2,979) | (6,461) |
| Display | 11 inch Liquid Retina display | 12.9 inch Liquid Retina display | 10.5 inch Retina display |
| Face/Touch ID | Face ID | Face ID | |
| Chip | A12X Bionic chip with Neural Engine | A12X Bionic chip with Neural Engine | A12 Bionic chip with Neural Engine |
| Camera | 12MP photos | 12MP photos | 8MP photos |
| Video | 4K video recording | 4K video recording | 1080p HD video recording |
| Apple Pencil Compatibility | Apple Pencil (2nd generation) | Apple Pencil (2nd generation) | Apple Pencil |
| Smart Keyboard Compatibility | Compatible with Smart Keyboard Folio and Bluetooth keyboards | Compatible with Smart Keyboard Folio and Bluetooth keyboards | Compatible with Smart Keyboard Folio and Bluetooth keyboards |
| Connector | USB-C connector | USB-C connector | Lightning connector |
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Worthy of the upgrade from iPad Pro 10.5”
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2020
The Good:-Powerful and snappy performance-Face ID is more efficient and effective than finger ID-Speakers are louder and crisper-Lightweight-High resolution screen-Great for travel-New Smart Keyboard is better than previous generation as it protects the back of the iPad-New Apple Pencil 2 is better than previous generation since you charge on side of iPad-USB C is more universal of a connector-Beautiful design-LTE works wellThe Bad:-Expensive but powerful-No USB C to 3.5 mm headphone converterThe Bottom Line:I have both the iPad Pro 10.5 (512 GB LTE) and this new iPad Pro 11 (512 GB LTE version). I travel a lot and use my iPad almost exclusively when I’m away from my desk. I use my iPad to take hand written notes exclusively and use Excel and do picture editing. This new iPad 11 compared to the 10.5 is better in every way. Probably what’s saved me the most time is Face ID. It’s just way more efficient and effective for me (no more fumbling around with my thumb). The processor and graphics are much snappier than the previous version and there’s no lag on anything I do. The speakers on this iPad are louder and clearer so I use this to watch videos and listen to music in my hotel room. Overall, I would recommend this iPad Pro 11 as a worthy upgrade from the 10.5 if you’re a heavy user of your iPad.
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2020
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 28, 2019
Style: Wi-FiSize: 64GBColor: Space GrayVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 23, 2019
Style: Wi-Fi + CellularSize: 256GBColor: SilverVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 13, 2020
-Powerful and snappy performance
-Face ID is more efficient and effective than finger ID
-Speakers are louder and crisper
-Lightweight
-High resolution screen
-Great for travel
-New Smart Keyboard is better than previous generation as it protects the back of the iPad
-New Apple Pencil 2 is better than previous generation since you charge on side of iPad
-USB C is more universal of a connector
-Beautiful design
-LTE works well
The Bad:
-Expensive but powerful
-No USB C to 3.5 mm headphone converter
The Bottom Line:
I have both the iPad Pro 10.5 (512 GB LTE) and this new iPad Pro 11 (512 GB LTE version). I travel a lot and use my iPad almost exclusively when I’m away from my desk. I use my iPad to take hand written notes exclusively and use Excel and do picture editing. This new iPad 11 compared to the 10.5 is better in every way. Probably what’s saved me the most time is Face ID. It’s just way more efficient and effective for me (no more fumbling around with my thumb). The processor and graphics are much snappier than the previous version and there’s no lag on anything I do. The speakers on this iPad are louder and clearer so I use this to watch videos and listen to music in my hotel room. Overall, I would recommend this iPad Pro 11 as a worthy upgrade from the 10.5 if you’re a heavy user of your iPad.
Style: Wi-Fi + CellularSize: 512GBColor: Space GrayVerified Purchase
Worthy of the upgrade from iPad Pro 10.5”
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 13, 2020
The Good:Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 13, 2020
-Powerful and snappy performance
-Face ID is more efficient and effective than finger ID
-Speakers are louder and crisper
-Lightweight
-High resolution screen
-Great for travel
-New Smart Keyboard is better than previous generation as it protects the back of the iPad
-New Apple Pencil 2 is better than previous generation since you charge on side of iPad
-USB C is more universal of a connector
-Beautiful design
-LTE works well
The Bad:
-Expensive but powerful
-No USB C to 3.5 mm headphone converter
The Bottom Line:
I have both the iPad Pro 10.5 (512 GB LTE) and this new iPad Pro 11 (512 GB LTE version). I travel a lot and use my iPad almost exclusively when I’m away from my desk. I use my iPad to take hand written notes exclusively and use Excel and do picture editing. This new iPad 11 compared to the 10.5 is better in every way. Probably what’s saved me the most time is Face ID. It’s just way more efficient and effective for me (no more fumbling around with my thumb). The processor and graphics are much snappier than the previous version and there’s no lag on anything I do. The speakers on this iPad are louder and clearer so I use this to watch videos and listen to music in my hotel room. Overall, I would recommend this iPad Pro 11 as a worthy upgrade from the 10.5 if you’re a heavy user of your iPad.
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Top reviews from other countries
MB
Excellent product, apple pencil 1 not compatible.
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on October 30, 2019Style: Wi-FiSize: 64GBColor: SilverVerified Purchase
Anon
Great purchase!
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on February 10, 2020Style: Wi-FiSize: 64GBColor: SilverVerified Purchase
Amazon Customer
As promised in the description
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on April 24, 2020Style: Wi-FiSize: 256GBColor: Space GrayVerified Purchase
Patricio Tavizon
Excelente
Reviewed in Mexico 🇲🇽 on October 23, 2019Style: Wi-FiSize: 64GBColor: Space GrayVerified Purchase
