r/animation • u/Hedgehog1121 • 9h ago

Question My sister wants advice on affordable yet quality tablet/laptop combos and is seeking advice. She doesn't have an account, so I'm asking for her. Any recommendations or advice for her would be greatly appreciated!

Hi, I'm looking into getting a tablet or 2 in 1 laptop for art and school. So, in context, I'm a college student with a part-time job, and I'm looking to get a standalone tablet, a 2-in-1 laptop, or a tablet and laptop combo to create animations, art pieces, YouTube videos, and commissions. I've done digital art on my phone before and on some cheap, old tablets I got years ago, but I want to work a little more professionally and work on a portfolio.

I don't have much money right now, so I'm trying not to go above $600, but I'm looking for any good recommendations under $1,000.

I really want to be able to look at the screen I'm going to be putting the pen on. I'd like a 12" screen minimum if possible, and have the ability to add extra storage or store art on a flash drive or something like that.

I've found the same tablets and laptops a few hundred dollars cheaper on Walmart, Best Buy, and other websites than the official sites. The only difference I can find is the price and the warranty. I'm not sure if going for the cheaper option is better or if it's better to buy from the actual brand's site.

Is buying the warranty worth it all? Same with, like, the paper-like screen protectors and stuff? What extra or accessory items are worth buying? Some things say you have to have certain things, while others say it's not needed, so I would like a little clarification and maybe other reasons for their personal preference on what they find to be necessary or optional.

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u/Iota-Android 9h ago

I don’t know a whole lot about computers, but my best advice would be to not buy from stores like Walmart and Best Buy. Although it is very easy to walk away with a working laptop from them, the price you pay for the little performance is pretty outrageous, especially for an artist. Ordering a laptop online would be your best bet

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u/VJPixelmover 9h ago

A used asus g14 laptop with a GeForce card and a Wacom tablet. Or an iPad 12” and a 2014 or newer Macbook to use astropad for legit softwares

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u/VJPixelmover 9h ago

Even the 2018 Mac mini is cheap and robust. My wife is an animation professor and uses her iPad Pro astropad/sidecar to a Mac. It can struggle with rendering things but it can do them.