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Drawing tablet buying guide

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Introduction

I want to help you make an informed choice when purchasing a drawing tablet. My goals are to (1) save you money, (2) ensure you aren't disappointed with your purchase, and (3) prevent you from damaging your tablet or pen.

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If you are new to drawing tablets, read this first: Beginner's guide to drawing tablets. This buying guide builds on the beginner's guide. If you just want to quickly get to some beginner recommendations, go here: Beginner recommendations.

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Buying guide video series

If you prefer watching a video, see this playlist: Drawing tablet buying guidesarrow-up-right

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Choosing the type of drawing tablet

The most fundamental choice is the kind of drawing tablet you want:

  • pen tablet - does NOT have a screen and requires a computer to use

  • pen display - has a screen and requires a computer to use

  • standalone tablet - has a screen and can be used by itself without being connected to a computer. There are several distinct types of standalone tablets.

Before you continue, read this: Types of drawing tablets. It will help you understand the options and how much they cost.

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Questions you need to answer

Your selection of a tablet will go faster if you are clear on the following questions:

  • Which type of drawing tablet do you want

  • How much you are willing to spend

  • What is your intended usage scenario. If multiple scenarios apply, rank them.

    • Artistic - painting, drawing

    • Utility - note-taking, whiteboarding, creating educational materials

    • Gaming

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My recommendations

If you are ready to buy a tablet, go directly to Recommendations. These recommendations will help you narrow your search.

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I strongly urge you to read this buying guide and the beginner's guide completely before jumping directly to the recommendations.

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Basic buying guidelines

  • Get a pen tablet (no screen) unless you are absolutely sure you MUST have a pen display (with a screen). More here: Pen tablets vs pen displays

  • If you really want a standalone tablet:

    • If your priority is the best drawing experience: Wacom MovinkPad or Wacom MovinkPad Pro

    • If your priority is a good general-purpose experience with a decent drawing experience: get an iPad or a Samsung Galaxy Tab S device.

  • If you are a beginner, I have simplified the options for you: Beginner recommendations.

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Brands

If you want a safe choice, go with Wacom. They are also the most expensive. Competitors such as Huion, XP-Pen, and Xencelabs are closing the gap with Wacom in features and reliability.

More here:

If you decide on Wacom and want a pen tablet, read this guide: Comparison of Wacom pen tablets. In the future, I'll add a doc covering Wacom pen displays.

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Core features

  • Tablet size - Size has a BIG impact on the ergonomics of using the tablet, and different sizes serve different user needs. This guide on Choosing the right size for a drawing tablet will help you find a size that works for you.

  • The pen (also called a stylus) is how you provide input to the tablet. All drawing tablets come with a pen. Some pro tablets come with two pens. You have to PAY ATTENTION TO THE PEN. The pen controls how well pressure works — not the tablet.

  • Pen pressure handling - The pen can detect how much pressure you are applying to its tip. All drawing tablet pens sense pressure. More info: Pen pressure. There are some aspects of pressure you need to be aware of.

    • Initial Activation Force (IAF) is the smallest pressure that activates the pen. In general, you want a pen with a low IAF. For details on what IAF values are good, bad, etc., go here: IAF

    • The Maximum Physical Pressure is the most pressure the pen can detect.

    • The Physical Pressure Range is the difference between the maximum pressure and the IAF. You want a wide enough pressure range because it makes pressure easier to control. For details on what is good or bad for pressure range, go here: Pen pressure range

    • Pressure levels - the physical pressure range is divided into segments; each segment is a pressure level. They go from 0 to some number like 8192. Despite what marketing says, I believe you only need 2048 pressure levels. All modern tablets have at least 4096 levels, and 99.9% have 8192 or more. You don't need to worry about the number of pressure levels when selecting a tablet. Every tablet on the market has enough.

  • Pen Tilt Detection - the tablet can detect the tilt of the pen to adjust brush strokes, which can be very useful for certain kinds of artwork. But some people don't use tilt at all, and tilt is not useful for note-taking or whiteboarding. Almost all modern tablets support tilt, with fewer than a handful of exceptions. More here: Pen tilt.

  • Digitizer resolution - This is how accurately the tablet can sense different pen positions — in other words, its ability to detect very tiny position changes. Most tablets have a reported resolution of 5080 LPI (lines per inch), which translates to 200 lines per mm. Wacom tech is superior here, but if you are drawing you will not notice the difference. You don't need to worry about this spec. All modern tablets have enough resolution.

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Things to watch out for

  • Diagonal wobble - All drawing tablets have some wobble when moving the pen at an angle; it is strongest at 45 degrees. Some have a lot and some have very little or almost none. You may be sensitive to wobble, so make sure the tablet you buy doesn't have too much. More here: Diagonal wobble.

  • Anti-glare sparkle - To prevent glare, pen displays have an anti-glare treatment applied to them, which produces a kind of sparkle effect. Some pen displays have a lot of it and some have very little. Some people can tolerate it; others find it distracting. More here: Anti-glare sparkle.

  • NO SIGNAL - The most common problem with pen displays is something called NO SIGNAL. If you are interested in pen displays, you should be prepared to deal with this topic. The problem usually isn't the tablet itself, but how your computer's ports work and which ones you are trying to use. TSG: Pen display shows NO SIGNAL message.

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Already have an iPad?

If you already have a compatible Apple iPad and Apple Pencil, consider whether your current device meets your drawing needs.

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Non-pen inputs

The primary input to the tablet is the pen, but some tablets support other inputs such as buttons, dials, and sliders. Some tablets even support touch. These non-pen inputs matter a lot to some people and not at all to others.

Read more here:

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Pen display features

  • Display resolution - Choosing the Display resolution.

  • Brightness - Pen displays are bright but not as bright as some other displays you may be familiar with. More here: Brightness.

  • Parallax - Parallax is the apparent gap between the physical tip of the pen and where the computer thinks the tip is. Some people are more sensitive to this than others. Learn more here: Parallax.

  • Lamination - Lamination reduces parallax. I highly recommend getting a pen display that has lamination. Learn more here: Lamination

  • Even though a pen display is meant for drawing, you can use it exactly like a normal monitor. Learn more here: Using a pen display as a monitor.

  • Display panel tech - Most pen displays use an IPS display panel, though a handful use OLED. I currently recommend sticking with IPS panels because it is unclear how long OLED displays will last under typical drawing tablet use. More here: Display panel technology.

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Connections & cabling

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Cables that come with the tablet

  • Pen tablets - ALWAYS come with a USB cable to connect your computer to your tablet. Usually it is a USB-A to USB-C cable.

  • Pen displays - there are different ways to connect a pen display. A pen display will come with cables to support at least one of these methods, but if you want to connect a different way you may need to buy additional cables.

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Wireless

ALL pen tablets can be connected with a single USB cable. Most pen tablets also support wireless connectivity, usually via Bluetooth. Be aware that many tablet models have wireless and non-wireless versions with slightly different names and model numbers. Make sure you know which one you are buying.

ALL pen displays require at least one cable connected to your computer.

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Understand connection options BEFORE YOU BUY

It is a common mistake to buy a pen display and then realize you have no way to connect it to your computer. So please invest time understanding connection options BEFORE you make a purchase.

To keep it simple:

  • Understand what cables come with the tablet

  • Understand which cables from the tablet go where

    • Pen tablets - straightforward: a cable goes from the pen tablet to the computer. Some pen tablets also support wireless connection.

    • Pen displays - more complicated: there are many connection options. Sometimes it can be done with one cable, sometimes two or three, sometimes special cables. It may require multiple ports on your computer, ports that meet specific requirements, or additional power from an adapter. There are many things to verify.

    • Standalone - these only need to be connected to power occasionally.

More here:

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Compatibility with operating systems

Pen tablets and pen displays must be connected to a computer to work, and how well they work depends on the computer's operating system.

In my experience, tablets work BEST with Windows and macOS. Linux, Android, ChromeOS, iPadOS, and iOS are more challenging.

More here: Operating systems

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Ergonomics

  • Thickness - Pen tablets are very thin these days — about 8mm. Smaller pen displays can be around 10mm; larger pen displays can be 35mm.

  • Surface texture - If you are drawing, you may have strong preferences about the feel of your tablet's surface. All drawing tablets have some texture, but there is quite a bit of variation, and there are ways to achieve the texture you want. For example, many people want a rougher texture like paper. Learn more here: Surface texture

  • Body posture - With a pen tablet, your torso will naturally have a more upright posture because you look at your monitor while your hand rests on the tablet on your desk. With a pen display, you lean forward to draw since you must look down at the display on your desk. You may experience lower back pain or neck strain. More here: Body posture when using drawing tablets

  • Arm mounting - Pen displays are essentially monitors, and many (but not all) have a VESA mount on the back. This lets you keep the pen display out of the way when not in use and pull it close when you want to draw. Pen tablets have no built-in mounting capability. See: Monitor arms

  • Legs - Many pen displays (but not all) have foldable legs on the back, which lets you prop the display at a slight angle on your desk for easier viewing and drawing. Pen tablets do not have legs; if you want to angle one, you will need to find another solution.

  • Right-handed vs left-handed use - All drawing tablets work for both right-handed and left-handed users. In some cases (usually due to the layout of the tablet buttons) you may need to configure the tablet for left-handed use. See Handedness of drawing tablets.

  • Noise - You may have strong preferences about noise. Drawing tablets are generally very quiet, and some are completely silent. More details here: Drawing tablet buying guide

  • Heat - Drawing tablets run at roughly room temperature or slightly warm, depending on the type. More here: Heat

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Use Cases

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Look at model numbers, not just names

Tablet names are confusing and often misleading. Make sure you base your decisions on the model number. More here: Model names vs model numbers

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Applications

All apps work with drawing tablets once you install the drivers. Creative apps can take advantage of pressure sensitivity and tilt sensitivity.

More here:

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Buying used drawing tablets

Buying a used tablet can save you significant money, but you should be prepared for the issues that can come with it. More here: Buying used drawing tablets

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Power

Different types of tablets draw different amounts of power. Pen tablets require very little. Pen displays need much more. Some pen tablets even have batteries so they can work wirelessly. More here: Powering a drawing tablet

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So-called "PRO" tablets

Some tablets are labelled "PRO" — for example, Wacom Cintiq Pro or Wacom Intuos Pro — but there is no clear definition of "Pro" in the industry. Many newer non-Pro tablets outperform older Pro tablets. More here: Buying "PRO" tablets

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Picking tablets with more recent tech

Drawing tablets have been released over many years, so when you shop online you will see many models both old and new, which can be confusing.

  • Wacom - Wacom models from any year are good quality. However, keep in mind that their latest drivers will eventually drop support for older models.

  • Huion & XP-Pen - Huion and XP-Pen have many models, and some that use older pen tech are released in the same year as tablets with newer pen tech. The easiest way to know whether you are getting a truly modern tablet is to look at the pen it uses.

    • XP-Pen: Look for tablets with X3 in their name

      • These are the X3 Elite, X3 Roller, and X3 Pro

    • Huion: Look for tablets that use more recent Huion PenTech versions:

      • PenTech 3.0: PW517, PW515, PW110

      • PenTech 3.0+: PW550, PW550S - in my research these are clearly better pens than PenTech 3.0, and in terms of pressure range they are as good as PenTech 4.0.

      • PenTech 4.0: PW600, PW600S. The PenTech 4.0 pens are better than the PenTech 3.0 pens.

      • More here: Huion pens

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Preparing for a drawing tablet

  • Troubleshooting - At some point, something is going to go wrong. I highly suggest familiarizing yourself with Common problems and these Troubleshooting.

  • Accessories - There are some useful accessories for tablets. More here: Accessory links

  • Purchasing - Before you purchase, go through this Buying tips.

  • Getting started - Once you get your tablet, here's a guide to setting it up for the first time: Getting started with a drawing tablet

  • Maintenance - Once you get your tablet, you'll need to take care of it with some simple maintenance. I've written a guide on this: Maintaining your drawing tablet.

  • Be prepared for the total cost of ownership. The tablet itself is just the beginning — you will likely purchase other things too. More here: Total cost of ownership (TCO)

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Resources

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