Is iPad Pro better than Wacom for digital art?

They serve different needs. iPad Pro with Procreate is the best portable drawing experience — sketch on the couch, at a coffee shop, or on location. Wacom pen displays connected to a desktop provide full Photoshop with unlimited RAM, GPU acceleration, and multi-monitor workflows. For professional illustration with complex multi-layer files and effects, desktop plus Wacom is more powerful. For portability and a delightful drawing experience, iPad Pro is superior.

Do I need to buy Apple Pencil Pro or is the older one fine?

Apple Pencil 2 works perfectly for drawing on iPad Pro — pressure, tilt, and low latency are identical. Pencil Pro adds squeeze gestures (switch tools without touching the screen), barrel roll (rotate angle-sensitive brushes), and haptic feedback. These features genuinely improve workflow speed for professional illustrators. For casual artists and hobbyists, Apple Pencil 2 remains excellent and costs less.

Best Tablets for Digital Art 2026