7P notes: Comparison of Wacom pen tablets
Overview
If you are interested in a pen tablet (a drawing tablet without a screen) for drawing/sketching/painting and want to go with the "safe choice" then you should pick a Wacom tablet. In particular the Wacom Intuos Pro models identified here (PTH-860, PTH-660, PTH-460) are THE BEST PEN TABLETS EVER MADE.
Here are my detailed notes on the Intuos Pro (PTH-x60) series.
Wacom has several separate lines of pen tablets. This document will help you understand the difference and help you make your choice.
One by Wacom -> product page
Intuos -> product page
Wacom One GEN2 -> product page
Intuos Pro -> product page
Wacom One GEN2 pen tablets
The Wacom One GEN2 pen are intended to be upgrades to the consumer-level Intuos tablets. Currently Wacom One GEN2 tablets seem to suffer from pressure issues and I do not recommend purchasing them. More here: 7P notes: Wacom One GEN2
Recommendation summary
Sketching, digital painting, illustration, etc. -
If budget permits, get a Wacom Intuos Pro MEDIUM (PTH-660).
If you tend do draw with larger gestures then consider a Wacom Intuos Pro LARGE (PTH-860).
If you want to spend less get a One by Wacom MEDIUM (CTL-672) or a Intuos Medium (CTL-6100, CTL-6100WL)
Photo-editing - i.e. you aren't doing anything that requires "strokes" - then the One by Wacom SMALL (CTL-472) is fine.
Using the tablet as a mouse replacement - i.e. you aren't doing anything that requires "strokes" but instead just clicking on things or dragging them - then the One by Wacom SMALL (CTL-472) is fine.
Taking notes. I don't recommend pen tablets in general for taking notes. Use an alternative (like an iPad) instead. More here: Taking notes with drawing tablets.
Play Osu! - One by Wacom SMALL (CTL-472) or One by Wacom SMALL MEDIUM (CTL-672) are the best choices. For more information regarding tablets for osu! and other tablet options consult Kuuube's tablet buying guide.
Exploring drawing tablets - this is if you are not sure if you are going to use a drawing tablet, but just want to dabble without spending a lot.
Start with a One by Wacom SMALL (CTL-472) for general usage.
Start with a One by Wacom MEDIUM (CTL-672) if you intend to draw on it.
Want the best and don't care about the cost. Either:
Wacom Intuos Pro Large (PTH-860)
Wacom Intuos Pro Medium (PTH-660)
Picking the right size - More information about picking the right size: tablet size.
Pens
Each product line uses different pens. And the pens can only be used within that product line. For example if you try to use the LP190K pen with the PTH-860, the tablet does not even recognize there is a pen there. More here: Wacom pen compatibility
REMEMBER: You cannot MIX AND MATCH these pens. For example, it is not possible to use the amazing Wacom Pro Pen 2 with the One by Wacom, Wacom Oner, or Intuos tablets.
| Tablet | Pen that comes with tablet |
|---|---|
One by Wacom (CTL-472, CTL-672) | Wacom Pen 2K (LP-190K) |
Wacom One GEN2 (CTC-4100WL, CTC-6110WL) | Wacom One Pen GEN2 (CP-923) |
Intuos (CTL-4100, CTL-4100WL, CTL-6100, CTL-6100WL) | Wacom Pen 4K (LP-1100K) |
Intuos Pro (PTH-460, PTH-660, PTH-860) | Pro Pen 2 (KP-504E) |
Of the pens identified, the Wacom Pro Pen 2 is the best in terms of design, materials, shape, weight distribution.
Overall drawing experience
All of the tablets except the Wacom One GEN2 tablets have a very very good drawing experience. The Intuos Pro PTH-x60 series definitely the best of all of them though - largely driven by the amazing pressure handling of the Wacom Pro Pen 2.
Pen pressure
Learn more here: Pen pressure
2048 pressure levels is all you need for creative work. All of these pens are enough in that regard. Wacom has strong marketing towards their higher pressure level tablets, but the vast majority of users will not be able to make use of these higher levels in their work.
More than pressure levels, the pressure range has a greater impact on your drawing experience. And this is driven by the quality of the pressure sensor in the pen.
Pens pressure range compared
| Pen | Tablet | Levels | IAF | max pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Wacom Pen 2K (LP-190K) | One by Wacom (CTL-472, CTL-672) | 2048 | <1gf | 320gf |
Wacom One Pen GEN2 (CP-923) | Wacom One pen tablets (CTC-4100WL, CTC-6110WL) | 4096 | <8gf | 291gf |
Wacom Pen 4K (LP-1100K) | Intuos (CTL-4100, CTL-4100WL, CTL-6100, CTL-6100WL) | 4096 | <1gf | 226gf |
Wacom Pro Pen 2 (KP-504E) | Intuos Pro (PTH-460, PTH-660, PTH-860) | 8192 | <1gf | 794gf |
Notes:
Data for IAF and max pressure measurements independently made by Kuuube.
Learn more about pen pressure
Learn more about how pen pressure ranges compare across pens
Drawing features
| Tablet | Pressure | Tilt | Barrel rotation |
|---|---|---|---|
One by Wacom (CTL-472, CTL-672) | YES | NO | NO |
Wacom One pen tablets (CTC-4100WL, CTC-6110WL) | YES | YES | NO |
Intuos (CTL-4100, CTL-4100WL, CTL-6100, CTL-6100WL) | YES | NO | NO |
Intuos Pro (PTH-460, PTH-660, PTH-860) | YES | YES | Requires is of Wacom Art Pen (KP-701)` |
Notes on pen tilt
TILT - Not all drawing styles require tilt. And if you do want to control the rotation of your brush many drawing apps let you control the brush rotation based on the direction of the pen movement instead of tilt. Lean more here: Pen tilt
Tablet resolution
Resolution means how many separate points the tablet can distinguish (i.e. resolve) in a given length. This is specified as Lines Per Inch (LPI) though it is also useful to think about it as lines per millimeter (LPMM)
You will not notice the difference between 2048 LPI and 5080 LPI.
One by Wacom -> 2048 LPI = 80.62 LPMM
Wacom One GEN2 = Unknown
Intuos -> 2540 LPI = 100 LPMM
Intuos Pro -> 5080 LPI = 200 LPMM
Accuracy
Accuracy = tablet & computer know the correct position of the tip of the pen. As far as I have observed, all three tablets are very accurate.
Pointer lag
Pointer lag is the difference between the physical position of the pen and where the operating system pointer is drawn. Pen tablets in general display very little pointer lag. In comparison, all pen displays all show very noticeable lag.
One by Wacom -> almost no pointer lag
Wacom One GEN2 -> almost no pointer lag
Intuos -> almost no pointer lag (has a extra lag due to position smoothing on hover)
Intuos Pro -> almost no pointer lag
Learn more here: Lag
Accuracy / Diagonal wobble
The Intuos Pro models exhibit less wobble than the Intuos of One by Wacom. But all three are acceptable.
Position smoothing
Position smoothing makes for better looking strokes but introduces pointer lag. All of these Wacom tablets are great for artists in terms of position smoothing.
Driver position smoothing
Wacom drivers by default add a little bit of position smoothing - which is needed - to make their strokes look better. The smoothing is not much and Wacom pen tablets still feel more responsive than other tablet brands.
Hardware position smoothing
| Tablet series | ExpressKeys available |
|---|---|
One by Wacom | no hardware smoothing |
Wacom One GEN2 | unknown |
Intuos | No hardware smoothing when drawing/dragging. Some Hardware smoothing on hover.
|
Intuos Pro | all models support wireless via Bluetooth |
Wireless/Bluetooth
| Tablet series | ExpressKeys available |
|---|---|
One by Wacom | none of these models support wireless |
Wacom One GEN2 | all models support wireless via Bluetooth |
Intuos | Only models with WL in their model number support wireless via Bluetooth |
Intuos Pro | all models support wireless via Bluetooth |
Touch support
USB port on tablet
The consumer series use older USB ports than the professional series.
| Tablet series | USB port on tablet |
|---|---|
One by Wacom | Micro USB B |
Wacom One GEN2 | USB-C |
Intuos | Micro USB B |
Intuos Pro | USB-C |
ExpressKeys
| Tablet series | ExpressKeys available |
|---|---|
One by Wacom | No ExpressKeys |
Wacom One GEN2 | No ExpressKeys |
Intuos | 4 at the top |
Intuos Pro | 8 on the left |
Touch support
| Tablet series | Touch support |
|---|---|
One by Wacom | No model supports touch |
Wacom One GEN2 | No pen tablet model supports touch. (Not that the Wacom One 13 touch GEN2 pen display does support touch as the name indicates). |
Intuos | No model supports touch |
Intuos Pro | All three models support touch |
For these tablets that do support touch, touch can be enabled/disabled with a physical switch on the side of the tablet.
More here:
Tablet design
With the Intuos Pro tablets and pens - everything feels great to me. The texture the weight of the pen, etc.
The One by Wacom, Wacom ONE GEN2, and Intuos models feel a more plasticy/cheaper. Also I just don't enjoy how their pens feel in my hand.
Active Area
The size of the tablet is based on it's active area which is the region on the tablet that is sensitive to the EMR pen. Besides the height and width of this area it is also convenient to discuss them in terms of their diagonal lengths.
Aspect Ratio: Most monitors are 16:9 (1.78) or 16:10 (1.60) If the Aspect Ratio of the tablet does not match the monitor, that means your strokes will be slightly distorted. So, remember to enable the Force Proportions checkbox to have undistorted strokes. More info here: https://youtu.be/9oAvsJk5ESU
| Tablet | Size | Diagonal | Aspect Ratio (approximate) |
|---|---|---|---|
One by Wacom SMALL (CTL-472) | 5.98" x 3.74" | 7.06" | (4:3) 1.44 |
One by Wacom MEDIUM (CTL-672) | 8.5" x 5.31" | 10.03" | (4:3) 1.47 |
Wacom One S (CTC-4110WL) | 5.98" x 3.74" | 7.06" | (16:10) 1.60 |
Wacom One M (CTC-611WL) | 8.5" x 5.31" | 10.03" | (16:10) 1.60 |
Intuos Wacom Intuos SMALL (CTL-4100 and CTL-4100WL) | 5.98" x 3.74" | 7.06" | (16:10) 1.60 |
Wacom Intuos MEDIUM (CTL-6100WL) | 8.5" x 5.31" | 10.03" | (16:10) 1.60 |
Intuos Pro Intuos Pro SMALL (PTH-460 | 6.30i" x 3.94" | 7.43" | (4:3) 1.440 |
Intuos Pro MEDIUM (PTH-660) | 8.82" x 5.83" | 10.57" | (3:2) 1.514 |
Intuos Pro LARGE (PTH-860) | 12.34" x 8.50" | 14.91" | (4:3) 1.44 |
Reliability
All of these are very reliable tablets. Their pens are also very reliable. But remember, DO NOT drop your pens. they are much more delicate than the tablets and you can break from a fall.
Drivers
The same Wacom driver works with all three product lines.
Surface texture
The Intuos Pro has a more textured surface, the Intuos and One by Wacom have less texture.
The Intuos Pro MEDIUM and LARGE model surface texture can by change using texture sheets.
More here: My detailed notes on the Intuos Pro (PTH-x60) series.
Future versions
Intuos
In August of 2023, The Intuos models seem to be replaced by the One by Wacom GEN2 pen tablets.
One by Wacom
No sign of any updates coming
Intuos Pro
Having said that since Wacom has upgraded its professional Cintiq line of pen displays in late 2022, there is a natural expectation that updates to their Intuos Pro pen tablets may be coming. Wacom has unfortunately not signaled anything about new Intuos Pro pen tablet products.
Notes on pen tablet models
Intuos Pro
There are two Intuos Pro generations and unfortunately the have the same name "Intuos Pro". So if you are purchasing an Intuos Pro you really need to pay attention to the model numbers.
The current generation (sometimes referred to as "GEN2")
Intuos Pro Small (PTH-460) -> 2019
Intuos Pro Medium (PTH-660) -> 2017
Intuos Pro Large (PTH-860) -> 2017
The older generation (sometimes referred to as "GEN1")
Intuos Pro Large (PTH-851) -> 2013
Intuos Pro Medium (PTH-651) -> 2013
Intuos Pro Small (PTH-451) -> 2013
Notes on older Wacom tablets series
The Wacom Bamboo series has now been renamed to the One by Wacom series
Distinguishing physical features
the One by Wacom has a bright red back
the One by Wacom has a fabric pen holder on the side of the tablet
The Intuos in available in several colors for the back plastic
The Intuos has a fabric pen holder on the top of the tablet
The Intuos Pro is always black both front and back
The Intuos Pro has no fabric pen holder
The Intuos Pro has a circular dial on the left of the tablet.
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