What iPad do you use with Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo, Xor Affinity Designer? (It will help me decide which to get) Thank you!

[Greg T]

I've been struggling to decide on a iPad version to get.

I do not really want to spend a whole lot of money, but I want to buy brand new.

I plan to use it along with Cartoon Animator 5 in creating scenes, props, characters for it.  I don't want to sit at a desk all day, I want to lay back or on my side or sitting on a comfortable couch to do the drawing.

It's for a hobby and may become something later down the line, but who knows.  All my projects has always been where I sink money into it and no money is returned back. 🤣 So, no.  I'm not professional.  I'm a hobbyist.  It's a reason I fell in love with Affinity products, due to the perpetual license and the wide range of capabilities it can do!

I'm struggling cause people say you don't want to get 64gb of storage and need at least 128gb.  I've found someone online that uses her iPad with a competitor product that limits her layers or something like that.  I've heard that Affinity products for iPad do not limit layers.

I plan to use this for drawing and maybe some "lay down time" watch movies...

I found the 1st gen pen at Walmart for $79, but not sure how long that sell is for.

The 2nd gen pencil sells for $79 right now for iPad 5th gen and iPad pro

prices on Best Buy website as of 3/29/2024:

• iPad     9th gen with 64gb for $249 + (pencil at Walmart $79) = $328
• iPad    10th gen with 64gb for $349 + (pencil at Walmart $79) = $428
• iPad air 5th gen with 64gb with a pencil for $529
• iPad pro 11" latest model 128gb with a pencil for $828

Because there's no 128gb for these, the next storage is 256gb, except for PRO.

• iPad     9th gen with 256gb for $399+ (pencil at Walmart $79) = $478
• iPad    10th gen with 256gb for $349 + (pencil at Walmart $79) = $578
• iPad air 5th gen with 256gb with a pencil for $678
• iPad pro 11" latest model 128gb with a pencil for $828

The struggle is the $100 difference isn't much of a difference between the versions, except for the PRO, which is much more than the other versions.

I like the 10th gen because the stereo landscape speakers for the entertainment part of it, but I've heard about nightmares with the apple pencil 1 while using the 10th gen iPad.

I saw the recommendations somewhere on the Affinity website about the M1 chip, but what about using something like the iPad 9th gen?

Overall, I want to get away with the least expensive iPad, as I don't wish to buy a computer replacement.  If I buy anything like the iPad air 5, I feel I'm almost buying a computer replacement, and I might as well save up for a new ASUS gaming desktop instead.

So, I'm hoping that if I get the iPad 9th gen with 64gb with a pencil would be just enough for creating scenes, props, and characters for use in Cartoon Animator 5 on my windows desktop machine.

 

Either way, I'm still curious what iPad you are using with Affinity products out there.  Please comment with the iPad you use.  Thank you!

 

I'll like anyone's suggestions as a curtsy.  Suggest away... 😍

[Paul Mudditt]

M1 iPad Pro 11” 128GB

[Alfred]

I’m using a 7th generation iPad which has a 10.2″ Retina screen. When it was launched in 2019, it was touted as the first entry-level iPad to support the Apple Smart Keyboard. It also supports the 1st generation Apple Pencil, but having used a Meko capacitive stylus for several years I decided to go for their iPad-compatible stylus: despite being a fraction of the price of the Apple Pencil, it works with a range of 2018-2022 iPads and offers both palm rejection and tilt sensitivity.

Disclaimer: No one is paying me to write this!