Top of the Range: The 13-Inch iPad Pro
First, the top of the line 13-inch iPad Pro, Apple's latest, largest and most advanced tablet. The 13-inch iPad Pro comes with a matching all-new Apple Pencil Pro, making it even easier to create impressive renderings and interior designs sketches.
Pros
- Boasting an all-screen design and the brand new powerful Apple M4 chip with 64-bit architecture, this iPad is the ideal device for interior designers.
- The 13-inch iPad Pro features an advanced Ultra Retina XDR display with color precision, True Tone and full-screen brightness, allowing you to view design projects in exquisite detail.
- This iPad utilizes Stage Manager technology that offers a new way of multitasking allowing multiple windows to overlap.
- Another benefit of this model is Reference Mode, which turns off any color adjustments automatically applied by the iPad, allowing designers to work with more accurate colors.
- Additionally, the iPad Pro offers up to 2TB of storage and 16GB of RAM, making it perfect for major design projects that use a lot of memory.
- Since 2020 the iPad Pro features the Light Detection and Ranging scanner (LiDAR), which can measure the distance to surrounding objects up to 5 meters away, can be used both indoors and outdoors, and works at the photon level at nano-second speeds. The Room Scanner available in Live Home 3D also utilizes this feature.
Cons
- This device is top of the range, and the cost reflects that, with pricing at the level of some MacBooks.
- The size is 11.09 inches long and 8.48 inches wide. So, while it is still portable, it is too large to carry with you all the time.
Price
Prices for the 13-inch iPad Pro range from $1,299 to $2,599.
The 11-Inch iPad Pro
The 11-inch iPad Pro is a great option for a designer who needs a tablet with as many professional features as the 13-inch iPad Pro, but in a more portable size. No quality is lost, as this iPad has a lot to offer in terms of power and visuals.
Pros
- The 11-inch iPad Pro is equipped with an Apple M4 chip with up to 10 core CPU and 64-bit architecture.
- This iPad utilizes Neural Engine, Apple’s technology which accelerates machine learning, making it easier for interior designers to edit photos and videos.
- This iPad also offers an Ultra Retina XDR display with a wide color range, True Tone, ProMotion, OLED technology and nano-texture glass option.
- The 11-inch iPad Pro features Apple’s LiDAR scanner, an extremely convenient measuring technology for interior designers.
- Just like the 13-inch iPad Pro this model includes Stage Manager and Reference Mode.
- It is a powerful tool for creativity on the go, without sacrificing quality.
Cons
- The slightly smaller screen size may leave some interior designers wishing for their desktop monitor.
- This iPad is still at the higher end of the price range for a tablet.
Price
The 11-inch iPad ranges from $999 to $2,299.
iPad Mini
iPad Mini is the smallest option in the range, with an 8.3-inch edge-to-edge screen. It’s the lightest weight version available, so if you’re an interior designer who just needs something small to carry around and gather ideas, make basic sketches or any adjustments to your 3D design projects, you won’t find a more portable tablet with comparable features.
Pros
- The iPad Mini is powered by an A15 processor and includes a True Tone display, and offers compatibility with the first-generation Apple Pencil 2, which magnetically attaches to the side.
- This weighs 0.65-0.66 pounds, making it highly portable.
- It also comes with a storage capacity of 64GB or 256GB, making it an ideal choice for those starting out in their interior design career, juggling multiple vocations, or working part-time while studying.
Cons
- This iPad is quite expensive for its size.
- There is no support for smart connectors.
Price
Prices range from $499 to $799.
iPad Air
The iPad Air is a great option if your top concern is budget. It offers interior designers many of the same features as the iPad mini but at a slightly higher cost. Plus, it comes with support for the brand new Apple Pencil Pro, which the Mini lacks. Furthermore, starting from May 2024 the iPad Air is available in two sizes, allowing you to choose between an 11- and 13-inch devices.
Pros
- The iPad Air is available with 128GB or 1TB of storage and comes in space gray, blue, purple, and starlight finishes.
- The A14 Bionic chip with 64-bit architecture and a neural engine provides the device with impressive performance. It features Apple’s M2 chip and a Neural Engine.
- It offers 13- and 11-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone, P3 wide color and anti-reflective coating. It has an LED-backlit multi touch display, with screen resolution of 2732 by 2084-pixels, at 264 pixels per inch.
- This is the first iPad to feature a fingerprint identification sensor and Touch ID, embedded in the top button. Though this has been implemented across the entire Apple product range, it’s a nice offering in this lightweight tablet.
Cons
- No face ID.
- This iPad lacks a headphone jack.
- The 60Hz screen reaction rate is slower than the iPad Pro’s 120Hz rate. But unless you depend on extremely fast sketching for your designs, you probably won’t notice this difference.
- The iPad Air with M2 chip is going to be less powerful than the Pad Pro with M4 chip. Additionally, due to the lack of the nano-texture glass option, the iPad Air offers less screen modifications.
Price
The iPad Air’s price ranges from $599 (the basic 11-inch model) to $1,499 (the 13-inch model).
iPad 10.9
The iPad 10th generation is the latest version of the very first iPad, known for its distinct name. It is the perfect budget solution for those who are studying interior design, or perhaps working freelance. This tablet is affordable, so you might try out design work on a tablet without committing to a significant investment of a Pro.
Pros
- It has a 10.9-inch display, up to 256Gb internal memory, Touch ID, compatibility with the first-generation Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard.
- Touch ID in home button.
- Two-piece design with the Magic Keyboard folio.
- An A14 Bionic chip with Neural Engine is included, as well as a Liquid Retina display with MultiTouch and IPS technology with a 2360-by-1640 resolution at 264 pixels per inch. This means color is vivid and the display is detailed, and it’s comfortable to view in any light.
Cons
- This iPad only supports the first-generation Apple Pencil.
- No Stage Manager feature support.
Price
The price ranges from $349 to $649.
To Sum Up
As an interior designer, you will need to work with software that enables your designs and ideas to materialize. One powerful option is the Live Home 3D app, a multi-platform home design software for iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro, Mac, Android and Windows devices that helps anyone create detailed floor plans, 3D renderings, quickly lay out and furnish a house, plan exterior and adjust terrain.
Any of the iPad options above will allow you to design in the Live Home 3D app, so choosing the iPad for you is simply a matter of your needs, level and budget.
If you are a professional with demanding full-time projects, and you don’t anticipate traveling a lot with your iPad, the 13-inch Pro is the best choice. However, if you are on the go a lot, and don’t want to sacrifice features, go for the smaller 11-inch iPad Pro. If you are more budget sensitive, the Air, the 10.9 iPad or the Mini are still solid choices for interior design work. Whatever you choose, all of the iPad capabilities in the range can help make your creative or professional interior design work a pleasure.