Advanced 3D modelling and animation on a standalone portable tablet is increasingly becoming a real option. We already have ZBrush for iPad, and Cinema 4D is coming to iPad later in the year. But full access to Maxon's software requires a subscription fee, and Apple's hardware isn't the most affordable either.
A more accessible and potentially versatile option is rapidly taken form. Blender for Android is expected as soon as the first half of 2027. That might raise a few eyebrows considering that the free and open-source software generally benefits from one of the best laptops for 3D modelling, but the Android port is already looking pretty performant.
In the presentation above from last week's Blender Conference 2026 in Amsterdam, the software developer Jonas Holzman reveals how Blender for Android is shaping up, while also expanding on some of the considerations that developers have made while building it.
The Android version of the powerful 3D software is intended to allow artists to move fairly seamlessly between platforms. You could start a project on desktop, and then move to you couch to sculpt on a tablet using touch and pen input, and then head back to the desk.
Other videos from the conference have appeared online, including footage of Blender 5.3 on a Wacom Android tablet shared by Cartesian Caramel.
A Blender 5.3 demo running on a Wacom Android tablet. It works very well!#b3d #geometrynodes #bcon26 pic.twitter.com/rBInn90b7BSeptember 25, 2026
Porting Blender for Android is no mean feat when you consider how much the desktop software relies on keyboard shortcuts, but the platform could be a game changer for portability as well as accessibility.
Blender can already be used with the best drawing tablets, and pen input popular for tasks like digital sculpting, texture painting, and working with the Grease Pencil. But traditional pen tablets and displays require connection to a computer, preventing work away from a desk.
Many people who have tested the current pre–built Blender Android Package Kit (APK) suggest it's close to ready to ship as a beta. You can also download it from Blender, to test for yourself.
Meanwhile, the development of Blender for iPad remains on hold for now. For some creatives, that could change the equation when it comes to choosing between an Apple tablet or a powerful Android tablet like the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra.
iPad has exclusives like Procreate for digital art, as well as ZBrush, but Blender is by far the most popular 3D software.
Of course, Android isn't only for mobile, particularly since the introduction of Googlebooks. Google's been trying to make Android a more viable system for creative professionals, and the arrival of a name as big as Blender could provide the boost it needs to be considered real competition for Windows and MacOS.
