The 7 Best Apple Tablet For Drawing Of 2025

Michael Brown By, Michael Brown
Updated
Best Apple Tablet For Drawing
Best Apple Tablet For Drawing

Summary

Best Overall

Apple iPad 11-inch A16

If drawing is your main reason for picking up an Apple tablet, the 11-inch iPad with the A16 chip fits naturally into that role. Whether you are taking notes or switching between creative apps, this iPad keeps things simple while still feeling powerful enough for serious work.
Best For The Price

Apple iPad 10th Generation A14

The iPad 10th Generation brings a fresh look and a balanced set of features that make it appealing for drawing and everyday creative work. With its colorful all-screen design, a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, and the reliable A14 Bionic chip, it fits easily into daily routines.
Best Display

Apple iPad Air 11-inch M3

For artists who want more power without stepping into Pro territory, the 11-inch iPad Air with the M3 chip sits in a sweet spot. It combines a sharp Liquid Retina display, strong creative performance, and support for advanced Apple Pencil tools in a lightweight design.

Apple tablets have become a go-to choice for artists, designers, and creative hobbyists, thanks to their smooth performance, accurate displays, and excellent stylus support. With Apple Pencil compatibility across multiple models, iPads offer a responsive and intuitive drawing experience that closely mimics working on paper, while providing the flexibility of powerful creative apps.

Choosing the best Apple tablet for drawing depends on how you plan to create. Display quality, screen size, Apple Pencil support, and processing power all affect how comfortable and precise drawing feels. Some artists prefer larger screens for detailed illustration, while others value portability for sketching on the go.

Below, we highlight the best Apple tablets for drawing, comparing their strengths, limitations, and value. Whether you’re a beginner exploring digital art or a professional illustrator looking for a reliable creative tool, this list will help you find the right iPad to match your style, workflow, and budget.

Our Top Picks

TOP Choice #1 Apple iPad 11-inch A16
Our Score:
9.9
Apple

This 11-inch iPad builds its drawing experience around speed and clarity. The A16 chip keeps brushes responsive and layers moving smoothly, even when you jump between drawing, photo editing, and everyday tasks. Paired with all-day battery life, it is easy to sit down for a long sketching session without worrying about finding a charger halfway through your work.

The Liquid Retina display plays a big role here. Colors look balanced, lines appear crisp, and True Tone quietly adjusts the screen to match your room’s lighting, which makes longer drawing sessions more comfortable on the eyes. When connected to an Apple Pencil, the screen turns into a flexible canvas, while iPadOS adds helpful tools like Scribble and multitasking so you can reference images or notes while you draw.

Storage starting at 128GB gives you room for apps and artwork, and Wi-Fi 6 helps keep cloud files and app downloads moving quickly. Security is handled through Touch ID rather than Face ID, which may feel familiar and reliable for many users. Although it does not offer Face ID, the fingerprint sensor still provides quick, secure access and keeps the experience straightforward.

TOP Choice #2 Apple iPad 10th Generation A14
Our Score:
9.8
Apple

Apple’s 10th Generation iPad is designed to be flexible, and that shows the moment you start drawing. The A14 Bionic chip keeps apps responsive, whether you are sketching, adding layers, or jumping into photo edits. Paired with all-day battery life, it supports long creative sessions without constant charging breaks.

The 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display provides ample space for drawing and viewing reference images side by side. True Tone subtly adapts the screen to your environment, helping keep colors comfortable to look at over time. With Apple Pencil support, the iPad becomes a capable canvas for handwriting, illustrations, and quick design ideas. iPadOS adds to this experience by allowing multitasking, Scribble for handwritten text input, and easy sharing once your work is done.

Moreover, Wi-Fi 6 keeps cloud files syncing quickly and makes downloading large apps or brushes feel smooth. Storage options give you a choice depending on how much artwork you plan to keep on the device. One thing to be aware of is the display construction. Because the screen is not laminated, reflections can be more noticeable in bright environments. That said, with a slight angle adjustment or controlled lighting, it still works well for most drawing situations.

TOP Choice #3 Apple iPad Air 11-inch M3
Our Score:
9.7
Apple

This iPad Air is built to keep up with creative workflows that move quickly. The M3 chip handles heavy creative tasks smoothly, whether you are stacking layers, switching brushes, or running multiple apps side by side. iPadOS and Stage Manager make it easy to resize apps or connect to an external display, which is helpful when you want more space for reference material while you draw.

The Liquid Retina display makes the experience better with its P3 broad colour, True Tone, and reduced reflectivity. The colours look rich and controlled, and the screen stays pleasant in different lighting situations. When paired with Apple Pencil Pro or Apple Pencil USB-C, the iPad Air turns into a responsive drawing surface that supports both quick sketches and detailed work. Storage options going up to 1TB also give room for large project files and creative apps.

Wi-Fi 6E keeps transfers fast, and Touch ID offers simple, secure access. However, rather than lasting exceptionally long under heavy creative workloads, the battery tends to drain faster during demanding tasks. Still, with smart breaks and nearby charging, it remains practical for daily drawing sessions and portable creative work.

4 Apple iPad mini A17 Pro
Our Score:
9.6
Apple

What makes the iPad mini appealing for drawing is how much power it delivers in such a small frame. The A17 Pro chip handles drawing apps, photo edits, and layered sketches smoothly, while all-day battery life keeps it ready for spontaneous creative moments. It is the kind of tablet you can pull out quickly, add a few lines to a sketch, and put away just as easily.

The 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display may be smaller, but it brings P3 wide color, True Tone, and low reflectivity, which help artwork look clean and balanced under different lighting conditions. Paired with Apple Pencil Pro or Apple Pencil USB-C, the screen becomes a responsive canvas for detailed notes, illustrations, and quick concept drawings. iPadOS adds useful tools like Scribble and multitasking, making it simple to switch between creative apps and reference material.

Because of its compact size, the layout can feel tight when working with multiple apps at once. Instead of spreading out across split-screen views, it works best when you focus on one task at a time. For artists who value portability and speed over large workspaces, this trade-off is easy to accept.

5 Apple iPad Pro 13-Inch M4
Our Score:
9.5
Apple

The 13-inch iPad Pro with the M4 chip is the kind of device that invites you to slow down and create. Its Ultra Retina XDR display stretches wide, giving illustrations room to breathe and letting fine details shine through. With high brightness, deep contrast, and accurate color, every stroke and shade stays clear, even during long drawing sessions. ProMotion keeps lines fluid, which makes sketching and inking feel natural and uninterrupted.

Power comes quietly from the M4 chip. Heavy files, layered artwork, and graphic-intensive tasks move smoothly, allowing you to focus on the creative process instead of waiting on the device. iPadOS and Stage Manager help turn that large screen into a flexible setup, where reference images, tools, and sketches can live side by side or extend to an external display.

Apple Pencil Pro completes the experience, turning the screen into a responsive, spacious canvas. The only consideration is cost. Rather than being a casual purchase, it is an investment, best suited for creators who plan to fully use its power and expansive display.

6 Apple iPad Air 13-inch M2
Our Score:
9.4
Apple

Opening the 13-inch iPad Air feels like laying a blank canvas on a desk. The Liquid Retina display stretches out comfortably, giving your drawings room to develop while keeping colors consistent thanks to P3 wide color and True Tone. Low reflectivity helps reduce distractions, which is especially welcome during longer creative sessions.

The M2 microprocessor makes the experience smooth as you go between sketching, editing, and doing other things at the same time. Layers move swiftly, brushes stay smooth, and iPadOS makes it easy to add comments or reference pictures to your artwork. Stage Manager gives you even more options by letting you resize apps or connect to an extra display when you need to operate on more than one screen.

Apple Pencil Pro pairs naturally with this larger display, turning it into a responsive drawing surface that works just as well for detailed illustrations as it does for broad strokes. The screen focuses on clarity and color accuracy rather than cutting-edge display tech. Instead of ProMotion or OLED, it relies on a traditional Liquid Retina panel, which still delivers an enjoyable drawing experience for most artists who value space and performance over advanced display extras.

7 Apple iPad Pro 11-inch M5
Our Score:
9.2
Apple

Working on the iPad Pro 11-inch starts with the screen. The Ultra Retina XDR display is bright, detailed, and smooth, making lines glide naturally thanks to ProMotion. Colors remain accurate and balanced, which helps when fine-tuning illustrations or switching between drawing and editing. Even in changing lighting, True Tone keeps the display comfortable to look at over long sessions.

Behind that display, the M5 chip quietly handles heavy lifting. Large files, layered artwork, and AI-powered tools move without hesitation, allowing creative ideas to stay in motion. iPadOS 26 adds a more flexible windowing system, so you can arrange tools, reference images, and canvases in a way that matches your workflow rather than forcing you into one layout.

Apple Pencil Pro completes the setup, offering precise control for sketching, shading, and detailed line work. With storage options reaching up to 2TB, there is space to grow entire project libraries. Getting everything ready does require some patience. Instead of being instant, the initial setup and configuration take time, but once complete, the experience becomes fluid and rewarding for long-term creative use.

What to Look For in a best apple tablet for drawing?

The best apple tablet for drawing is a product type that many customers feel hesitant to select because of the challenges in evaluating its features. It comes to trust! When studying a significant purchase, many factors must be considered. Our best apple tablet for drawing knowledge will help you make an ideal decision.

Our article here will highlight some outstanding items and provide solutions to FAQs and guides to buying. You should keep in mind some main criteria of best apple tablet for drawing below:

Software

No matter if you're buying an iPad, an Android tablet or a smartphone, ensure that your device is pre-installed using the most recent version of the operating systems. It should at least include a guarantee of an upgrade to iOS or Android. The newest Android version is 11 and iPadOS version 14 in 2020.

Battery

One charge should be enough to last for a tablet through mixed use. Look at reviews on all of the tablets that you have shortlisted. For a 10-inch tablet to be reliable, it should contain a minimum of 7,000mAh. Tablets with larger screens (11-inch and 12-inch) should pack close to 10,000mAh to keep them going for a full day. Although not all devices can be rated on battery capacity, you should still consider other factors such as battery life. Reviews and test results are a good way to get an idea of what the actual battery life is.

Screen & Audio

When buying a tablet, the first thing you should look at is the screen size and quality. It's often the most used component. A tablet with a 10 inch screen and Full HD resolution is a good choice. Tablets with 7-inch and 8-inch screens may be small and lightweight, but they can feel cramped when browsing the internet and taking online classes.

Cameras

Tablets have less importance than smartphones for cameras. It should still have an 8MP, 12MP, or F2.0 aperture camera, as well as 4K 30fps video recording (although 1080p is acceptable if the tablet costs less than $100). Look out for 5MP front-facing cameras that record Full HD video. This ensures that you video will appear clearer when video calling or conference with people on the other end of the call.

Online Access

Many tablets come with Wi-Fi, while others offer mobile broadband, 3G and 4G for data. However, this requires you to sign up for an additional plan. Another option is the Wi-Fi only tablet. They can be used over Wi-Fi, just like the name implies, and also via your smartphone's mobile hotspot feature (standard on all new models). If your 3G plan is not sufficient, you might consider a 4G tablet that comes with its own plan.

Storage

The capacity of most tablets ranges from 16GB up to 128GB. The type of use you make for your tablet will determine how much storage you need. Most tablets can be used for browsing the Internet, checking email, streaming video and similar content.

Hardware Connections

While connections are important for laptops and PCs, it is less relevant for tablets. Tablets use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth as well as apps to store and transfer data. Apple tablets lack hardware connections. However, adapters can be attached to the dock port of the tablet or added wirelessly using purpose-built gadgets. Android tablets offer more options in terms of hardware connections. They have a USB port and HDMI-out.

FAQs

Which Apple tablet is best for drawing?

The best Apple tablet for drawing depends on your needs, but iPad Pro models are popular for their large displays, high refresh rates, and excellent Apple Pencil responsiveness.

Do all iPads support Apple Pencil for drawing?

Most modern iPads support Apple Pencil, but compatibility varies by model and Pencil generation. Always check which Apple Pencil version works with the iPad you choose.

Is an iPad good for beginners learning digital drawing?

Yes, iPads are very beginner-friendly. They offer intuitive drawing apps, smooth stylus performance, and a simple learning curve compared to traditional drawing tablets.


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About Michael Brown

Michael Brown

Michael Brown has been the lead editor of the website display-central.com for a long time. He's been a technology examiner for almost a decade, specializing in the display solutions such as laptops, projectors, and TVs, and Mobile devices. Michael will provide you with helpful and relevant knowledge and advice based on his technical background.