For Artists, the primary reason to care about the iPad Mini 5 is that it now supports the Apple Pencil. Also, the starting price of the iPad Mini is US$399. So, if you are an artist and want to know whether an iPad would be good for drawing, read this article till the end.
Although the body of the iPad Mini hasn’t upgraded for years, the screen size, chipsets, and resolution are improved a lot. Some people may not like this tablet because of its smaller size as compared to the iPad and iPad Pro, but still, it is a perfect tablet for illustration.
There are various other reasons why you should buy the iPad Mini if you want to draw. However, some drawbacks are also there. So, let’s get straight into the matter and know all of them.
You can get detailed information about the iPad Mini 5 on Apple’s Website.
What makes iPad Mini Good for Artists?
As I mentioned earlier, the latest iPad has been refined a lot by the company. In my opinion, if you have a limited budget and you are not able to afford its elder brothers, you can go for an iPad mini. It will surely not let you down. Below is some reason why I am saying that.
1. Laminated Screen [Less Noise]
All the iPad Minis launched before 2019 came with non-laminated screens. So, lots of people reported that the screen created a fair amount of noise whenever they tap on it using the Apple Pencil. The noise is still there but very low in intensity.
Now, the screen looks and feels smoothers. In fact, you can directly compare it with the iPad and iPad Pro which is a big plus for all the people who are looking to buy an iPad Mini.
The Resolution of iPad Mini’s screen is 2048×1536, 326 PPI. The resolution is same as the iPad 6 so you can except a sharper screen. Also, iPad Mini has an anti-reflection coating which is another great thing about it.
2. A12 Bionic Chipset
The new A12 is an excellent update. This is the same chip they have used in Apple’s flagship smartphones including XS and XS Max. So, whether you prefer using Procreate, Affinity Designer, Linea Sketch, or Autodesk Sketchbook, you are going to face no performance issues in your iPad Mini. The Apply iPad Mini has a benchmark score of about 4797. So, while drawing your artwork, you will feel a snappy performance in your device.
3. Perfect Combination with Apple Pencil
Apple Pencil is perhaps the best drawing stylus on the planet. So, it works perfectly on the iPad Mini. The pressure feels excellent along with its precise control. The one thing worth noting is that the iPad Mini’s screen is smooth glass. But, the Apple Pencil is plastic. So, it is obvious that you will not have as much control as you get on other tablets or even a piece of paper. However, you can this thing corrected by installing a matte screen protector on your tablet.
4. Procreate Works Perfectly on iPad Mini
So, most of you reading this article might be looking to try Procreate on your iPad Mini. So, yes, you will see no lags while drawing on your tablet and Procreate using the Apple Pencil. The strokes looks pretty good. However, the number of layers to use on Procreate is going to be lesser because of its small canvas size.
But, when you open your artwork created using iPad or iPad Pro on Procreate, it can easily be loaded on iPad Mini, and it will allow you to edit with the number of layers you have used to create your illustration.
5. Fantastic Colors with DCI-P3
Colors on the iPad Mini is fantastic. The colors look vibrant and you get numerous options to customize the color and pick the most suitable one for you.
Why you shouldn’t but iPad Mini For Drawing?
1. Fancy Tools may be slow
Although, the A12 chipset and its 3GB RAM powers the iPad Mini 5 perfectly to work great for any sort of drawing work, you are going to see some lags and slowdowns while using fancy tools inside your drawing apps. Whether it is procreate or Adobe Illustrator Draw, fancy and detailed effects and tools are going to take much more time to get applied in your illustrations.
2. Smaller Canvas Size
In all the drawing apps, you will be able to select a smaller canvas size which may cause hassles when you are about to draw high-resolution drawings. But, this is not the case for everyone. Most of the artists like to work on smaller canvases.
3. Smaller Screen Size
Again, to draw the drawings with large canvas sizes, the iPad Mini can make it a bit challenging because of its small screen size. The screen is iPad Mini 5 is just 7.9 inches. But, in iPad Pro 2021, you are getting a screen of 12.9 inches. So, if you prefer to use a larger screen, the iPad Mini may not work well for you.
4. It doesn’t support the Apple Pencil 2
As compared to the Apple Pencil, the Apple Pencil 2 is much more accurate and equipped with feature such as magnet, tilt sensitivity. Hope, a new update will come and this tab will starts to support the Apple Pencil 2.
Should you buy Apple iPad Mini 5 if you are an artist?
You will surely trust thousands of user-reviews on iPad Mini 5 available on the internet. Most of them are positive. So, whether you want to use Procreate, Adobe Illustrator, Clip Studio Paint, Affinity Designer, or any other popular drawing app on this tab, it will work perfectly.
However, if you have professional goals and want to work on larger canvas size, consider going for an iPad with a large screen size such as iPad or iPad Pro.
When it comes to the price, iPad, and iPad Pro both are highly expensive devices. The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at US$799. So, if you have a smaller budget, you will have to compromise the screen size by buying the iPad Mini 5. Some other features are missing on the iPad but they may not impact you a lot as an artist.
Final Verdict:
I hope I have answered your question. If you found this article helpful, please share it with others.