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If you use the best drawing tablets, it will be easy for you to make beautiful digital art. When it comes to drawing tablets, there are many different kinds. Whether you’re new to digital art, a student going back to school, or a seasoned pro, the list below has something for everyone.
Whether you’re a student, a hobbyist, or a professional artist with years of experience, the best drawing tablet is the tool that will make your creative ideas come to life. The best drawing tablets are useful tools for a wide range of creative people, from animators and digital artists to photographers who want to touch up and edit their photos.
With a tablet and a digital pen, you can paint or draw your next masterpiece right into a digitally native platform. There are a lot of best drawing tablets on the market, from specialized ones for professionals and hobbyists to more general ones that can be used for more than just art.
Best Drawing Tablets
XPPen Artist 16 2nd
Specifications
Dimensions | 16″ W x 10″ L x 1.1″ D (without stand) |
Active area | 13.5″ x 7.6″ |
Response Time | 14ms |
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 resolution |
XP-Pen is one of the best-known budget best drawing tablets brands, and this updated version of a popular 15.6-inch table. Our reviewer used the tablet to draw for a couple of months and came to the conclusion that it has very solid basics.
Everything about drawing on this tablet is very good, from the high-quality screen to the great X3 stylus. The XP-Pen Artist 16 (2nd gen) works with most operating systems, but if you want to use it with ChromeOS or Android, you’ll have to find your own USB-C to USB-C cable, which is a little annoying.
Pros
- Thin, light and sturdy
- Decent gamut coverage with excellent Delta E
- Improved “X3 smartchip” stylus
- Includes function keys, physical dial, and touch dial
Cons
- You need to buy the USB-C to USB-C cable
- Can be cumbersome to setup
One By Wacom (Medium)
Specifications
Active Area | 6.0 x 3.7 in, 8.3 x 5.7in |
Pen Pressure | 2048 |
Buttons on Pen | 2 |
Tablet Resolution | 2540 lpi |
Report Rate | 133 pps |
Colors | Black, Red |
The One by Wacom is thin and light because it was made to be portable. It has a stylus with 2,048 pressure levels, which is enough to feel like writing with a pen and paper but not as precise as on best drawing tablets and styluses that have more pressure levels.
The USB cable that comes with this device lets you connect it to your computer. The One has a screen that is 8.5 x 5.3 inches and a stylus that doesn’t need a battery. It’s a good choice for both students and teachers because it doesn’t cost too much.
Pros
- This is by far Wacom’s least expensive graphics display.
- Setup and use are simple.
- Helpful for digital artists and hobbyists who are just starting out.
Cons
- Slow and now out-of-date connections
- Without touch or buttons, it’s harder to move around.
XP-PEN Artist Pro 16
Specifications:
Brand | XP Pen |
Active Area | 13.42 x 7.55 |
Pressure Sensitivity Levels | 8192 Levels |
Connection | 1x USB-C |
Color Gamut | 99% Adobe RGB, 94 |
Compatibility | Windows 7/8/10, Mac OS X 10.10 (or later), Linux |
This best drawing tablets is a lot like the Wacom Intuos Pro in that it can be changed in many ways to make it easier for artists to get to their most-used tools with the press of a button. This unit is the same as or better than most of its competitors because it can tilt 60 degrees and respond to pressure in 8,192 different ways.
This drawing tablet stands out because it has a 13.3-inch screen with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. You don’t have to be near a computer to draw on this tablet. Instead, you can bring it almost anywhere and let your creativity flow.
Pros
- Full 4K UHD resolution.
- Compatible with most computers.
- Highly responsive drawing function.
- Near-zero parallax
Cons
- Clunky cords
- HDMI-only display connection
Gaomon PD1560
Specifications
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 |
Aspect Ratio | 16:9 |
Display Area | 344.16 x 193.59mm (13.5*7.6 inch) |
Color Accuracy | 72% NTSC |
Shortcut Keys | 10 |
Pen Type | Active (rechargeable) |
Pen Pressure | 8192 Levels |
Most artists afford best drawing tablets with high-definition screens in the past, but brands like Gaomon are changing that. The PD1560 has a beautiful 15.6-inch HD, 16:9 widescreen display and still has room on the left panel for 10 shortcut keys that you can change.
On the back of the PD1560 is a stand that folds out and lets you change the angle. The digital pen has a resolution of 5080 LPI and 8192 levels of pressure, which makes it easy to draw, paint, and edit photos and illustrations. But the real draw of the PD1560 is its sharp HD screen.
Pros
- Full HD display
- Great color gamut
- Includes 10 shortcut buttons
Cons
- Pen is rechargeable
Wacom Cintiq 22
Specifications
Panel Type | IPS-Type LCD |
Aspect Ratio | 16:9 |
Size | 21.5″ |
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 |
Active Area | 18.7 x 10.5″ / 474.98 x 266.70 mm |
It’s easy to see why Wacom is a big name in digital art. Only in the last few years have competitors come up with products that are as good or better in terms of pressure sensitivity, value, and artist-first features. The Wacom Cintiq is a pen display tablet.
It is Wacom’s answer to tablets like the iPad that can be used for many different things. It’s a fully functional best drawing tablets with a lot of room to work, and we think it’s the best choice overall in terms of price, size, design, and features. Given its size, performance, and HD resolution, the price is pretty fair.
Pros
- Keen price point
- Very good drawing experience
- Built-in adjustable stand
Cons
- No multi-touch (finger) support.
- Meager one-year warranty.
Apple iPad Air 5
Specifications
Display Type | IPS |
Size | 10.9 inches |
Resolution | 1640 x 2360 pixels |
Pixel Density | 264 PPI (pixels per inch) |
Display Protection | Scratch-resistant glass and oleophobic coating |
Chances are, when you hear the best drawing tablets the first thing that comes to mind is the iPad. Even though it wasn’t made for drawing, when you use it with a stylus, like the Apple Pencil 2, it becomes a fairly sophisticated and flexible tool for making digital art.
The iPad Air 5, which is 10.9 inches, is our favourite tablet. It has a liquid retina display that goes all the way to the edges and makes images look like they were taken in real life. Its Apple M1 chip is powerful enough to make drawing and other tasks, like shooting and editing videos and transferring files, quick and easy.
Pros
- Improve front-facing camera with Center Stage
- Supports 5G
- Five color options
Cons
- Display limited to 60Hz
- No Face ID
- Build quality issues with our sample
HUION Kamvas Pro 24 4K
Specifications
Color | Black |
Dimensions | 589.2 x 364 x 22.7mm |
Workspace | 527.04 x 296.46mm |
Weight | 6.3Kg |
Resolution | 3840 x 2160(16:9) UHD |
Enjoy the 4K UHD (3840×2160) resolution on a large 23.8-inch screen. This best drawing tablets can reduce the number of times you have to zoom in and out of the canvas and switch windows, making you much more productive. With its full-laminated screen and 178° viewing angle, the HUION Kamvas Pro 24 4K monitor can show you more details and clearer images.
With its industry-leading Quantum Dot technology, the Kamvas Pro 24 4K can give you green that looks more natural, red that looks brighter, and black that looks deeper. It also has a stunning 140% sRGB colour gamut volume and 1200:1 contrast ratio.
Pros
- High-quality 4K drawing surface
- Multiple connection options are available
- Great color support (100% sRGB, 95% Adobe RGB)
Cons
- Extremely heavy for a display tablet
Wacom Cintiq Pro 24
Specifications
Display size | 26.65 x 15.5 x 1.9 in |
Screen size | 23.6 in (diagonal) |
Weight | 15.87 lbs (without optional stand) |
Aspect ratio | 16:9 |
Contrast ratio | 1000:1 |
Color gamut | Adobe RGB coverage ratio: 99% |
Graphics ports | USB-C; DisplayPort; HDMI 2.0 |
Beautiful 23.6-inch touchscreen display with 4K resolution so you can see every detail of your creation with pinpoint accuracy. With 99% Adobe RGB and 97% sRGB colour performance and 1.07 billion colours, the colours are true to life
Includes a Wacom Pro Pen 2 that can recognise tilt and respond to 8,192 levels of pressure.
There are best drawing tablets, an on-screen keypad, radial menus, and the ExpressKey Remote that comes with it. If you register your Cintiq Pro, you can get a three-month trial of MASV, a three-month trial of Bluescape, and a three-month trial of Shapr3D.
Pros
- Stylus is the best one on the market.
- The Express Key remote is good.
Cons
- Very expensive
FAQs
Which tablet is best for digital art?
- iPad Air
- iPad Pro
- Xencelabs Pen Tablet
- WACOM Pen Tablets
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus
What cheap tablet is good for drawing?
- XP-PEN G960S Graphics Tablet
- WACOM One By Wacom CTL-472-N Graphics Tablet
- Huion Inspiroy H1060P Drawing Tablet
- Huion Graphics Tablets INSPIROY Q11K
- UGEE M708 V3 Drawing Tablet
What are drawing tablets used for?
A drawing tablet, also called a graphics tablet, lets you make much more precise marks on your computer screen with a pen or stylus. It’s much more natural and comfortable to use than a mouse or touchpad, whether you want to paint, draw, animate in 3D, make a comic, or edit photos.