Overview
Based on the available information, the best drawing tablet depends on the user's needs and budget. For a budget option, the Huion Inspiroy H430P is recommended, as it offers 4,096 levels of pen pressure sensitivity and a 4.8 x 3-inch active area. For a more professional and comfortable experience, the Wacom Intuos Pro PTH860 is recommended, with 8.7 x 5.8-inch active area and 8,192 pressure levels. For a more lightweight and portable option, the XP-PEN Artist 15.6 Pro is recommended, as it has a smaller size and lower price. For an iPad user, an iPad with an Apple Pencil, Procreate, and a Paperlike screen protector is recommended.
Answers
"Your tablet can also sense changes in pressure from the stylus and adjust line widths and darkness accordingly."
"High-end models let you draw directly on their screens for a precise view of your own creation."
"Some models have advanced sensitivity and detail options, which detect subtle nuances in pressure and stylus position for a drawing experience that closely mimics pen-to-paper techniques."

"The tablet's lightweight design makes it easy to use on your desk or lap, and you can customize everything from the tablet's ExpressKeys to the Pro Pen 2's buttons, depending on what your favorite shortcuts are."

"Wacom Intuos Pro is my top choice when it comes to the best drawing tablets because of the accuracy of the pen to simulate a real writing utensil."

"With virtually no lag and 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity in the battery-free Wacom Pro Pen included, the Wacom Intuos Pro is the best drawing tablet on the market for professional artists."

"Brand XP-PEN"

"The biggest thing that sets this drawing tablet apart is its 13.3-inch display with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. Instead of relying on connecting a computer to draw, you can bring this tablet virtually anywhere and let your creativity flourish."
"Some models have advanced sensitivity and detail options, which detect subtle nuances in pressure and stylus position for a drawing experience that closely mimics pen-to-paper techniques."
All answers
Considerations
Screen Size
Active Area
Resolution
Pen Pressure Sensitivity
Connectivity
Sources
About this article
Composed Mar 04, 2023 by

Anonymous Squirrel
from discussion by



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Research
Notes
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Regular tablet:
- Versatile, powerful, and portable
- Can be shared between users
- Reasonably priced
- Easy to find in stores
- Fewer apps available than on a regular computer
- Not ergonomically designed for long sessions
- Limited screen sizes
- Better suited for portability than static usage
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Drawing tablet:
- Specifically designed for graphics and artwork
- Compatible with professional standard programs such as Photoshop
- Compatible with ergonomic styluses
- Needs to be connected to a computer to be used
- More expensive than regular tablets
- Designed for comfortable use at a desk for long hours
- Optimized for desk use in a studio or fixed office space
- More suited for professional creatives
"A drawing tablet is a device specifically designed for graphics and artwork. It’s made for user input that’s impossible to achieve via the keyboard, a mouse or even trackpad of most computers."
"Drawing tablets have been around for a long time, but they used to be confined to the desks of well-paid professional artists and designers. Nowadays, while creative pros remain the main demographic, the introduction of some simpler and more affordable models coupled with the rising interest in stunning content creation means that more users have adopted them."
"Drawing tablets were conceived specifically for the work of creative artists in several fields. As such, they come with highly dedicated tools and software options."
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iPad
- Recommended by a user for its low price, Apple Pencil compatibility, and user-friendly experience.
- Procreate and Autodesk Sketchbook are recommended programs for it.
- Paperlike screen protector can be used for a paper-like feel.
-
Wacom Intuos
- Recommended by another user for its price, quality, and pressure sensitivity.
- Krita is a recommended program for it.
-
XP-Pen Deco Series
- Recommended by another user for its affordability and functionality.
- Illustrator and Photoshop are recommended programs for it.
-
XP-Pen Artist 22E Pro
- Recommended by another user for its huge 21.5” IPS Screen, 8192 levels of pen pressure sensitivity, and naturely drawing experience.
- No program is specifically recommended, but Adobe products are mentioned.
-
XP-Pen Artist 15.6 Pro
- Recommended by another user for its smaller size and lower price.
- No program is specifically recommended, but Adobe products are mentioned.
"Any wacom will do but every digital artist that doesn't have a cintiq, wants one...Personally, I'm currently usinh a wacom intuos draw. I really liked the previous version and just order the new version because it's on sale
"I would consider the 2018 iPad. The 9.7" is compatible with the Apple pencil and is reasonable at $250 today at Walmart I believe for Black Friday if you're in the US. Still the normal price is around $330 which is still decent. The pencil will add on another $100 but maybe you can get one refurbished or used."
"What program do you recommend with for the drawing itself?...I've been loving Autodesk Sketchbook much more than Photoshop Sketch. For some reason Photoshop can't display the pressure sensitivity right (and I tinkered with the brush shape and sensitivity settings) whereas Sketchbook is a dream and has some awesome brushes to work with."
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SereneLife
- Score: 10.0
- Brand: SereneLife
- Prime: Yes
-
Wacom
- Score: 9.4
- Brand: Wacom
- Prime: Yes
-
GAOMON
- Score: 9.2
- Brand: GAOMON
- Prime: Yes
-
HUION
- Score: 9.0
- Brand: HUION
- Prime: Yes
-
XP-PEN
- Score: 9.0
- Brand: XP-PEN
- Prime: Yes
-
UGEE
- Score: 8.8
- Brand: UGEE
- Prime: Yes
"SCORE 9.2"
"Brand GAOMON"
"Prime"
-
XP-PEN
- Battery-free active stylus with 8192 pressure sensitivity levels
- 2K resolution with 4 million pixels across the screen
- 5 connecting ports, including USB C, USB A, and HDMI ports
- Anti-glare glass with 178° viewing range and 16.7 million colors
-
HUION
- Battery-free active stylus with 8192 pressure sensitivity levels
- 16.7 million colors
- Anti-glare screen technology
- 60° tilt feature
-
Artisul
- Battery-free active stylus with 8192 pressure sensitivity levels
- 1080p resolution
- Eight shortcut keys
- 90% color accuracy and 178° visual angle range
-
Wacom Cintiq 22
- Battery-free active stylus with 8192 pressure sensitivity levels
- Three separate cables and three cable ports
- 16.7 million colors
- Anti-glare/anti-scratch surface with 1920x1080 HD quality
"Editing unwanted lines will be a thing of the past, thanks to a sleek stylus pen designed to increase your precision."
"The HUION stand can be adjusted from 20° to 80°, making work easier."
"It works with a variety of digital design software programs, including Adobe Photoshop, Comic Studio, SAI, Zbrush, and Corel Painter, to name a few."
-
Wacom Intuos Pro PTH860
- 8.7 x 5.8-inch active area
- 8,192 pressure levels
- External screen required
-
XP-PEN Artist Pro
- 11.57 x 6.51-inch active area
- 8,192 pressure levels
- No external screen required
-
Microsoft Surface Pro 8
- 13-inch active area
- 4,096 pressure levels
- No external screen required
-
One by Wacom
- 8.5 x 5.3-inch active area
- 2,048 pressure levels
- External screen required
-
Huion Inspiroy H430P
- 4.8 x 3-inch active area
- 4,096 pressure levels
- External screen required
"Though this device sees a lower price than the one labeled 'the best drawing tablet for the price,' this Huion Insp
"Your creative capabilities shouldn't be contained just inside your home. With the portable Surface Pro 8, you can prop it up at a coffee shop, bring it to the park, or even find a spot in the library to read your favorite books on it."
"There is an abundance of apps on the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 for artists of all skills and experience levels. Additionally, with an Intel Evo Platform Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM, you will get excellent speed no matter what you use this tablet for."
-
XP Pen Artist 15.6 Pro
- 1080p resolution
- Gets warm, but not hot
- Stand gives a comfortable angle
- USB-C option available
-
Screen Protector
- Can scratch, be careful with pressure and marks
- Can get a screen protector with the tablet
-
Connecting to 3 monitors
- Need a dock for laptop to connect third monitor
"It strays a little, but thats where your pen/eye coordination from your old tablet kicks in and you can freely move around the edges of PS no prob."
"The screen does get pretty warm, not hot though."
"When its all calibrated the pen to screen feels pretty solid, though a bit off as you approach the edges."
-
Wacom Cintiq 16 Drawing Tablet
- Dimensions: 16.6 x 11.2 x 0.4 inches
- Screen display size: 15.6 inches
- Active area: 13.6 x 7.6 inches
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
- Pen pressure sensitivity: 8192 levels
- Connectivity: HDMI port and standard USB-A
-
Wacom One Digital Drawing Tablet
- Dimensions: 8.86 x 14.05 x 0.57 inches
- Screen display size: 13.3 inches
- Active area: 11.6 x 6.5 inches
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
- Pen pressure sensitivity: 4096 levels
- Connectivity: HDMI port and standard USB-A port
-
GAOMON PD1161
- Dimensions: 8.86 x 14.05 x 0.57 inches
- Screen display size: 13.3 inches
- Active area: 10.09 x 5.67 inches
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
- Pen pressure sensitivity: 8192 levels
- Connectivity: Mini HDMI and Type-C signal ports
-
Huion KAMVAS Pro 12
- Dimensions: 13.78 x 7.82 x 0.43 inches
- Screen display size: 11.6 inches
- Active area: 10.09 x 5.67 inches
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
- Pen pressure sensitivity: 8192 levels
- Connectivity: 3-in-1 Cable
-
Wacom Cintiq Pro
- Dimensions: 16.1 x 10.4 x.69 inches
- Screen display size: 15.6 inches
- Active area: 13.6 x 7.6 inches
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
- Pen pressure sensitivity: 8192 levels
- Connectivity: 3 USB-C ports, one SDXC slot, and one headset jack
-
Huion KAMVAS GT-191V2
- Dimensions: 18.77 x 12.44 x 1.45 inches
- Screen display size: 19,5 inches
- Active Area: 17.12 x 9.39 inches
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
- Pen pressure sensitivity
"Not everyone has a huge budget, and there’s the right drawing tablet out there for everyone. The GAOMON PD1161 is a fantastic example of a low-cost drawing monitor with a screen."
"Your artwork will look great thanks to the 1920 x 1080 high-resolution screen. The latest tilt technology also enhances pen pressure sensitivity. This feature allows you to work freely and naturally."
"You won’t need to recharge the pen or stock it with batteries. It works via electromagnetic resonance technology, so your drawing time is limitless!"
-
Intuos Tablet Comparison (Large vs Medium)
- Large tablet provides larger drawing area and higher precision, while a small tablet causes small motion to become a big motion on the screen.
- To achieve 1:1 scaling without zoom, you need to restrict active screen area.
- For laptop size display (15” and smaller), small sized tablet is perfectly fine. For monitor size display (24”+), medium sized tablet is preferred.
- For budget option, Huion brand devices are better than Wacom One.
- Pressure sensitivity does not matter much.
- Tablet size depends entirely on monitor size.
-
iPad Pro
- Only display+pen recommended.
- Unease felt on screen tablets because of fear of pushing too much and destroying the screen.
- Not used in professional productions.
-
Wacom
- Pro lineup has best pens and best texture feeling.
- Replacement texture surface if it wears down or change to smoother or rougher texture.
- Bigger tablet allows more control and more comfortable as the screen size increases.
-
Small tablet
- Can use same working size as a smaller one if needed.
- Wiggling finger near eye is harder to do small movement to maintain high detail/accuracy than wiggling finger near phone/screen.
- Hobbyist painter/illustrator and great companion to a Wacom + PC/Mac home setup for the professionals.
"Don’t worry too much about pressure sensitivity. Maybe top tier pro digital artist can feel a difference, but these artists can also do amazing work on pens when they only had like 200-400 levels of sensitivity. It
"Big tablet = larger drawing area and higher precision. Feels better."
"Small tablet = small motion becomes a big motion on the screen. Feels worse."
-
XP Pen tablets
- Affordable
- Size is a factor to consider
- Artist 24 Pro is an option, but there are smaller and cheaper options available
- Differences besides size between models
-
Blender
- Consider a bigger tablet display monitor to make navigating the UI easier
- If using hotkeys or a numkeypad, a smaller tablet display monitor might be better for power consumption
"Should I just go for Artist 24 Pro if I can afford it?"
"Blender has a lot of menus, tabs, and stuff going on in the UI so a bigger screen might be easier to navigate..."
"I rather like the Innovator 16. It's very similar to the Artist 15.6, but the Innovator has a metal case which I believe serves as a giant heat sink so it doesn't require a fan."
-
XP-PEN Artist22E Pro HD Display Graphics Drawing Tablet & Pen
- electromagnetic induction technology to capture movements from stylus and display on computer
- high-end models have screen for precise view of creation
- budget-friendly models transmit movements to computer through compatible design software
- electromagnetic induction technology also allows some tablets to power stylus as you draw
- other models use USB cable to recharge stylus
- tablets can sense changes in pressure from stylus and adjust line widths and darkness accordingly
- some models have advanced sensitivity and detail options to mimic pen-to-paper techniques
"Budget-friendly options transmit the movements of your stylus to your computer’s screen through compatible design software."
"Drawing tablets are quickly becoming a favorite tool for animators and graphic designers."
"You can sketch anything from architectural designs to new marketing logos to 30-minute cartoons on a drawing tablet."