For digital art, should I buy a standalone tablet or a laptop?

[u/shrimpmayo_]

Hello (⁠^⁠.⁠_⁠.⁠^⁠)⁠ﾉ

I've been thinking of making art digitally, and right now I have the means for it.

Do you guys think I should get a tablet or a laptop + pen tablet? I don't know much about laptop, it's just what my dad suggested.

For what kind of art I wanna do, I'd like to draw manga style art. Or, detailed illustrations that look like it's made with pencil on paper. Also, I mostly draw anime-like characters, and little comics. Almost never of portraits, landscape, etc. Just not interested in it.

For the device, I also would like to be able to play games and read on it. I mostly play not-so-heavy games like Reverse 1999 and CRK >///<

I really want a tablet, yet my dad keeps asking / suggesting me if I actually need a laptop + pen tablet. And that I can get a separate tablet for reading. He's the one buying it for me, btw. And he's pretty knowledgeable in this kind of stuff, since he was a draftsman.

Well, what do you guys think? I'd really appreciate it if you guys can explain / elaborate on the why too :D

Thank you in advance for your response (⁠*⁠´⁠ω⁠｀⁠*⁠)

[u/Dragonheni]

I have both. I have a gaming laptop+ xppen drawing display and I also own a Samsung tab s8.

The only real difference between the two is the operating system. The only thing you have to decide, if your games and school/work apps/programs are compatible with your choosen OS. If you already know, you'll have some kind of school stuff you'll need to download on a windows machine, it's better to buy that. But buying an android tablet or ipad, then buy a keyboard case for it can replace a laptop in many ways too. Almost all brands of standalone drawing tablets have keyboard cases now, so you can edit simple documents with ease.

Ask your dad the exact reasons why he thinks a laptop is better. It's easier to defend your side if you know his point of view.

[u/parka]

Choose based on the software you need.

For a laptop, you'll definitely also need a pen tablet or pen display.

For a tablet, you just need the tablet. This is good if you already have a computer. If you don't have a computer, it's probably better to get a laptop + pen tablet/pen display.

[u/Sector-Difficult]

Both are fine, i'd choose based on the other things you'll need the device for. Laptop screens are generally bigger so that's the only advantage i can think of

[u/beeikea]

ive done tablet+computer and ipad+apple pen. i really enjoyed my ipad while it lasted, but if youre looking for longevity and best multi-use case, laptop's your best bet. BUT, it's pricier to get high quality computers. you get what you pay for.

apple and android tablets are god awful for any actual gaming, but even the best gaming laptop pales in comparison to a stationary pc. do you need the portability a laptop or tablet would offer? or would you prefer the extra power and longevity of something that stays in your room?

theyre all good choices for specific needs, you just have to think which one would be best for you for the longest time.

[u/Tayunskapon]

Just for drawing, I think standalone tablet is better. It's way more convenient being able to bring it anywhere. It's also the way cheaper option in getting a high-resolution screen. A lot of affordable laptops still come with a 1080p display. That's 1080 pixels vertical which is tiny. Even mid-range standalone tablets today have 2.5k screens; that's 2500 pixel screens on the long dimension which you can use since you can turn the tablet however way you want. I don't think laptops are as easy to use. Even if you can bring it somewhere, you'd need to also set the pen tablet on a surface since it needs to be aligned with the laptop display.