and i think the best for my use case is either an ipad or, has been recommended to me, a samsung galaxy tab.
i'd probably get either an ipad pro 2022 or samsung galaxy tab s9+, a little expensive but i like buying the higher tier stuff so it lasts longer before becoming slow (and also retains its value a little longer) (also i don't buy second hand)
anyone have experience with samsung tablets (and specifically for drawing) to share? i've experienced android tablets in the past and they've always been godawful slow while apple has proven themselves with their ipads. i also generally never liked samsung's android skins and their preinstalled bloatware but they've gotten better about it.
i also don't have a huge faith in android devices getting consistent updates because phones usually stop getting them after 2-3 years, and apple at least keeps updating a liiiiiiittle longer than that.
but on the other hand i also am not deep in the apple ecosystem at all. i have an android phone, because i like being given some modicum of control over my own device.
the biggest thing i think is that what i would really want is a tablet in the style of a steam deck. i want something that's just a linux pc. buuuuut this doesn't exist so i'll have to make do with either an ipad or android tablet....... like. BOTH apple AND samsung AND google all suck in their own ways.
and these devices all suck in exactly the ways the the steam deck doesn't suck: when you buy a steam deck, it's just yours. you can apt get packages and compile code on it all you want, you can even just reformat and install windows if you wanted to...
anyway to get back on topic, i would love to hear people's opinions on both ipads and samsung galaxy tablets (for drawing but also just general use)! lemme know in the comments
EDIT: i think my main concerns can be summed up as like
- no concerns on the hardware level, either of these options are expensive and top of the line and probably work great
- i'm not sure if i would find samsung's OR apple's ecosystems more restrictive. ideally i would want literally a linux tablet with full control but that just doesn't exist in the way i would want it
- i'm not sure if i trust samsung to keep updating as long as i would want. apple seems to keep updating their systems for a bit longer than android manufacturers (also heck, my old wacom bamboo is approaching 10+ years lol... THAT's the kind of longevity you want)
- the drawing apps. i'm currently using CSP on PC, but i refuse to pay monthly on tablet. on ipad you get to use procreate which has some problems but is generally really good. i've used krita before on PC and i liked it but it was a little clunky so it'd be some getting used to it again on a samsung tab.
a tablet would also serve to replace my old macbook pro, which the screen backlight stopped working and would cost too much to replace because they'd have to replace the entire screen module
i don't think i need a laptop i can program on anymore (ever since i moved out my desktop is right there in the living room, plus, i should not be thinking about programming when away from my desktop anyway lol), so a tablet i can draw on (hobby) would make more sense
i was already thinking, like, i wish there was a tablet that was the "steam deck treatment" but for tablets; top end hardware but running linux. instead of creating a walled garden like apple and other mobile manufacturers, a tablet that you own and control
and
only now i realise that Microsoft Surface Pros exist and have pretty good hardware and wacom pen support with pressure, and with a little research i learn that most features DO work on linux if you use a custom kernel. the main things missing is the webcam which, who cares.
but... i don't know if i want a device that needs tinkering to get everything working properly, a device that's a little bit janky. especially for that price.
the entire thing with the steam deck is that it's linux, but it just works, and this absolutely would not be like that........ something to think about
it WOULD be basically what i was wishing for except the only part it wouldn't be is that it wouldn't require effort on my part

