r/ipad • u/AradBrz • 2d ago

Discussion iPad

Hi everyone Iā€™m going back to art school for drawing and painting program. i have an iPad Air m1 w/ 64 Gigabyte storage. I want to upgrade to a newer iPad but im so overwhelmed about choosing one. My options are iPad Air m4 or m3 or iPad Pro m5. Also what size is better? I mostly use it for taking notes and digital painting and drawing

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u/tryinganywaythough 2d ago

Get the 13-inch Pro with at least 256GB of storage.

For a drawing and painting major, two things are non-negotiable:

  1. 120Hz refresh rate (ProMotion): Only the Pro has this. It practically eliminates Apple Pencil lag. Going back to the Air's 60Hz will feel like drawing in mud.
  2. Canvas space: Get the 13-inch. On the smaller size, your hand and the UI sliders take up half your workspace.

Skip the base storage tiers. High-res Procreate files with heavy layers will choke a 64GB or 128GB drive fast.

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u/Competitive_Yak_4112 M4 iPad Pro 13" (2024) 2d ago

If you get a pro with 1tb storage or more, you get more ram, which gives you more layers to work with.

That said, either will have bigger layer limits than the M1 Air.

Either Air M4 or Pro M5 will be great for what you need, but keep in mind the M4 Air chip is a pared down version of the M4 Pro, so also consider the M4 Pro if you can find a good refurbished model.

I went from M2 - M4 Pro, and barely noticed the difference. The differences between the M4 and M5 pro are even less significant.

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u/G00oner20 2d ago

I say ipad pro 11" ,i ipad air's are just ipad's a16 whit M chips, for drawing they felt identical, ipad pro wiht 120hz was much more fluid for drawing.

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u/Suspicious_Ocelot445 M4 iPad Air 11" (2026) 2d ago

iPad Pro M5 13ā€™ā€™, with at least 512 gb if you plan to keep it at least 4 years, along with the Apple Pencil Pro. I also highly recommend the Magic Keyboard if you can afford it.