im a pro creative that needs a device that can 'do it all' on the go, spared basically no expense. I am also extremely frustrated.
my home office setup is extremely bulky 24in cintiq and desktop cpu, and I kinda hate the damn thing but I use it for work and it gets the job done. this is unfortunately my baseline. I need a reasonably powerful computing device with extremely good pen input.
lately more then ever I've wanted a portable-'ish' device that I can draw on but will also run the full gamut of x86 applications I own and use daily. Here are some options I've already tried.
Ipad pro ($800) the pen input is great, fantastic even, but all the applications arent good. It doesnt run real software, and procreate is an overhyped, terrible photoshop substitute. I already owned this device, but I'm including it because you'd be surprised how many people suggest this thing when I bring this topic up
microsoft surface pro 8 ($1400) I want to love it, I don't. On paper it sounds perfect, runs the full fat windows experience, has iPad style pen input, sounds great! Well it's really an under powered device, for one. It choked under heavy load, and the pen input, is really not great. Dubious pressure sensitivity support across my software, pen/button ergonomics not great. I returned this a few days after purchasing.
Microsoft surface studio laptop ($2000) ive never owned one of these 'transforming' latpops before and initial impressions seemed decent. The thing had good build quality and the hinge felt sturdy. In terms of actual use, however, it has a lot of the same issues as the surface pro. Spotty sensitivity/pen input. It's also a bit underpowered, even at the 'dedicated GPU' tier. I also returned this, thanks Best Buy!
ConceptD Ezel 7 ($4000) okay now this one really made me mad. okay look at this site and tell me this thing doesn't look great:
https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/conceptd-series/conceptd7ezel like, it seems like it'd be perfect. Powerful, pro leaning, Wacom technology built in, a hefty price but at this point I'll try anything. Okay well I order one off Amazon and it arrives. first off the thing is like legit bulky. That was a bit of a turn off at the gate but I was still willing to roll with it if I fell in love. The alleged 'Wacom Technology' is a scam, it's only Wacom on a technicality. Apparently Wacom Has a budget digitizer they use for phones/phablets, that is different from the ones in their flagship devices. This digitizer does not run Wacom drivers, or have any button mapping support or function with my existing Wacom pens. it also was EXTREMELY spotty registering clicks near the bottom of the display. Also the pen is literally the worst thing I've ever tried to use, the (single) side button took a comical amount of force to get to register. For costing a small fortune, this thing was pretty much unusable, I've never been so frustrated as I was with this device. It went back to Amazon, with extreme prejudice.
this is my descent into madness.
the "Wacom MobileStudio Pro 16" (another nearly $4k device) is sort of my last resort. I kind of hate Wacom as a company and I dont want to purchase this thing. There are tons of mixed reviews on it, and it doesn't have a keyboard built in. If it doesn't cut it I'm not sure what else is left to try.
