Digital artworks are on the rise these days. If you are an artist and know how to give your work a digital touch, there is a wide potential market waiting for your service.
That’s where the need for the best drawing tablet comes into the picture.
It powers you to transform your physical painting skills into digital form without mastering any coding or software. All you need to do is draw on its active area and let it do the rest for you.
However, with so many options available in the market, it is obvious that a newbie will get confused on how to select the best drawing tablet for beginners.
Thus, we have created a complete buyers guide for you. By the time you finish reading this article, you will be in a position to choose the ideal drawing tablet with a screen size that can help you digitalize your artwork with ease.
Before jumping into it, let’s go through some queries you may have like the rest of the beginners.
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Are Drawing Tablets Worth It?
It entirely depends on your skill and career goals. Whether you are a beginner or a professional, a tablet can significantly enhance your workflow.
A drawing, when combined with good pressure and tilt sensitive pen, can help you achieve better precision while drawing.
Since drawing tablets come with screens, beginners find it an ideal learning platform.
Although drawing tablets are costlier than graphic tablets, looking at the long-term benefits, it is worth an investment.
Do All Drawing Tablets Require Computers or Laptops?
Most drawing tablets come in handy as you carry them during your travel and can draw on the surface without connecting them to a drawing laptop or PC.
They come with a self-powered pen, also called a stylus, that successfully transmits physical signals to draw and write on the screen.
A standalone drawing tablet comes with a dedicated memory card to store your works and easy sharing in the future.
Factors To Consider In a Drawing Tablet
Size of the device
You have to consider both the active area and the overall size of the device. The active area is the portion on which you can draw.
What size of the active area you choose depends entirely upon your preferences. If you are planning to work on larger artworks where you need constant zooming and panning, go for a big active area. Else, a small or medium-size active area will do fine.
Pressure Sensitivity of Stylus/pen
The basic things to consider for any Drawing and Graphic tablet is its pressure information and pen’s motion. A pen with higher pressure sensitivity offers better control over line weight, facilitating smoother strokes and quick shadings. The highest pressure sensitivity available is at 8192 levels. Other pressure levels include 4096, 2048, and 1024.
Resolution
Tablets with higher lines per inch (LPI) offer sharper graphics and better images. With higher LPI, you get a better detection rate with the stylus, which adds more definition and colors to your images.
Larger and medium-sized drawing tablets come with 5080 LPI whereas smaller tablets offer around 2540 LPI. If you want that in-depth sketching with vivid colorful graphics, then go for tablets with higher LPI.
Type of Stylus
A stylus is a pen through which you can draw on the tablet’s active area. The quality of nib, the weight, grip, and responsiveness of the stylus plays a significant role in your buying decision. Styluses come in two types – active and passive.
Active stylus pens (digital) are battery-powered or rechargeable while passive stylus pens (EMR) do not need battery or recharge. EMR is usually thinner in size and has thicker points, whereas digital styluses are slightly bulkier.
Regardless of what you choose, make sure the pen offers a good grip, and feel comfortable in your hand.
Report Rate (RPS)
Each second, the tablet sends a report of the pen’s position (RPS) to the computer or laptop you are connected to. A high RPS allows better precision in the pen movement, resulting in smoother lines while a lower RPS may lead to rough lines.
However, a higher RPS may cause your system to take additional time to register the pen’s movement, leading to lags. Therefore, you must check the hardware and software compatibility of the device concerning your system before purchasing it.
Color Space
Drawing monitors with wider color space offers a rich drawing experience. As per color space standards, Adobe RGB comes with a wider color gamut while sRGB stays at the minimum.
Another common standard of measuring color space includes NTSC. Seventy-two percent of NTSC = 99 percent of sRGB. Any display offering more than the standard 72%NTSC can produce vivid and graphic-rich colors.
Color count
A color count of 16.7 million or 8-bit is enough to create a professional environment.
HotKeys
Hotkeys work as a tremendous time-saver while drawing. You can assign your favorite shortcuts to the hotkeys.
You can directly connect to your favorite apps by clicking one button rather than spending your precious time opening that app on your PC/laptop.
Tablets with more hotkeys save more of your time and streamline your workflow. Some pens also come with hotkeys, allowing you to switch from drawing to eraser mode.
Multi-Touch
A multi-touch feature allows you to use multiple finger gestures to make hassle-free editing to your images.
You can zoom in, zoom out, or rotate the images as per your convenience just by pinching the screen or trackpad. This feature is highly efficient while working on 3D artwork.
Sensitivity of Tilt
Tilt sensitivity or tilt recognition allows you to change the angle you hold the pen, which means you get more creative control. You can simply tilt your stylus to adjust the thickness of the lines you draw.
Now that you have understood well what factors play an important role when selecting a drawing tablet, let’s go straight into the list.
Related Read:
Best Drawing Tablet In 2021
1. Wacom Cintiq 22 Drawing Tablet With Screen
If you want a full pro-level painting experience at a decent price range then we highly recommend you try Wacom Cintiq pro. The superior color-rich display combing the ultra-pressure sensitivity of pro pen 2 makes you feel like you are painting with a paintbrush on a paper.
The device supports intuitive multi-touch gestures that allow you to zoom, pan, and navigate your drawings by swiping your fingers on the screen. The device comes with an updated Wacom link plus module that offers a broad range of connectivity through micro-USB, USB Type-C ports, HDMI, DVI, and mini-DisplayPort.
Specification
| Size: | 16.2 x 10.4 x 0.7 inches |
| Screen Size: | 5 inches |
| RAM: | 1 MB |
| Graphic co-processor: | 64 |
| Color Gamut: | 72% NTSC (CIE1931) |
| Parallax: | Low |
| Resolution: | 1920×1080 |
| Tilt angle: | 40 degree |
| Pressure Level: | 8192 |
| Bluetooth: | No |
| No of USB ports: | 1 |
| No of Shortcut keys: | 16 (8 on each side) Keys |
| Average battery life: | NA |
Pros
- Responsive screen
- EMR (Electro Magnetic Resonance) technology
- Anti-glare film to avoid reflection
Cons
- Connectivity cable is small
2. GAOMON PD1560
Those who love to play with rich color pallets will absolutely love Gaomon PD1560. It is a value for money and the best drawing tablet with a screen that comes with an advanced digitizer and ultra-responsive stylus.
The tablet includes a 15.6-inch working area, supporting a full 1080p resolution and 16:9 aspect ratio.
The screen comes with a protective screen, which also facilitates a paper-like drawing experience for you. The super pressure-sensitive pen can work non-stop for 350 hours at a single recharge.
The built-in monitor stand allows you to adjust the angle of the display as per your convenience, thereby, minimizing workflow interferences.
Specification
| Size: | 22.05 x 13.39 x 5.12 inches |
| Screen Size: | 15.6 inches |
| RAM: | NA |
| Graphic co-processor: | 64 |
| Color Gamut: | 72% NTSC |
| Parallax: | Low |
| Resolution: | 1920 x 1080 |
| Tilt angle: | NA |
| Pressure Level: | 8192 |
| Bluetooth: | No |
| No of USB ports: | 1 |
| No of Shortcut keys: | 10 Keys |
| Average battery life: | 5 hours |
Pros
- Support all major OS and software
- Left-hand support available
- No parallax error
Cons
- May face connectivity issue by using cheap quality HDMI adapters
3. Apple iPad Pro 12.9
Apple iPad Pro 12.9 offers a robust drawing tablet with a screen to create professional-grade visuals. If you want high-end drawing experience and do not mind shedding some extra cash, then Apple iPad Pro 12.9 will not disappoint you, we make sure of that.
The high-performance tablet by Apple comes with reduced screen size and no home button to offer you its simplicity like in its other products.
The Apple pencil 2 provides magnetic docking and allows you to switch modes by double-tapping, to enhance your overall workflow.
Apart from a wide active drawing area, the device supports uncompromising connectivity in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Lighting. Apple has introduced the LCD liquid retina and a true tone screen with full 4k support to add life to your art.
Specification
| Size: | 11.04x 8.46x. 23inches |
| Screen Size: | 12.9‑inch |
| RAM: | 6 GB |
| Graphic co-processor: | 12-core PowerVR Series 7XT |
| Color Gamut: | NA |
| Parallax: | NA |
| Resolution: | 200 DPI |
| Tilt angle: | NA |
| Pressure Level: | Not officially released |
| Bluetooth: | Yes |
| No of USB ports: | 1 |
| No of Shortcut keys: | NA |
| Average battery life: | NA |
Pros
- Responsive screen
- Up to 10 hours of battery life
- Include front and back protection cover
Cons
- The pencil needs to be purchased separately
4. Wacom Intuos Pro
If you are into passionate and professional level graphics designing, then you will surely love the Wacom Intuos Pro Graphic tablet. You can avail this product in three sizes-small, medium, and large.
The native wireless technology in this device allows you to connect your device through Bluetooth, without having to buy any additional kit.
The multi-touch surface adds a grip to it, which gives you a feeling like drawing on a piece of paper. It comes with a battery-free pro pen 2 that offers 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity contributing to a lag-free tracking and excellent tilt-response.
Specification
| Size: | 16.79 x 11.19 x 0.31 inches |
| Screen Size: | 12.1 x 8.4 Inches |
| RAM: | 1 MB |
| Graphic co-processor: | 64 |
| Color Gamut: | 72% NTSC(100%SRGB) |
| Parallax: | Low |
| Resolution: | 5080 lpi |
| Tilt angle: | ± 60 Degree |
| Pressure Level: | 8192 |
| Bluetooth: | Bluetooth 4.2 |
| No of USB ports: | 1 |
| No of Shortcut keys: | 8 |
| Average battery life: | NA |
Pros
- Native touch support
- Amazing palm rejection
- Lightweight and strong metal back body
- Works with Non-proprietary USB cable
Cons
- Bluetooth gets jittery sometimes
5. XP-PEN Artist12
If you want an all-rounder drawing tablet at a decent budget, then we definitely recommend you to go for XP-PEN Artist12. The tablet comes with a dust-free glass design that makes you sketch, design, and paint smoothly on the screen.
Although the pressure sensitivity is similar to the Huiongraphics drawing tablet 1060 plus, the pen with this device doesn’t need any charging, making it ideal for long workflows. Furthermore, the driver supports full HD displays, allowing you to draw lifelike vivid images with sharp details.
The device also contains a brightness control button and six fully customizable express keys to make it a convenient work platform. Only one click and you can switch between pen and eraser. Overall, a great buy at a mid-budget range.
Specification
| Size: | 14.33 x 8.58 x 0.31 inches |
| Screen Size: | 11.6 Inch |
| RAM: | NA |
| Graphic co-processor: | 64 |
| Color Gamut: | 72% NTSC/100% sRGB |
| Parallax: | Low |
| Resolution: | 1920 x 1080 HD |
| Tilt angle: | NA |
| Pressure Level: | 8,192 levels of pressure |
| Bluetooth: | No |
| No of USB ports: | 1 |
| No of Shortcut keys: | 8 Shortcuts Key+ Red Dial |
| Average battery life: | NA |
Pros
- Wide drawing surface
- Lifetime technical support
- Screen sharing in real-time
Cons
- Stand not included
6. Wacom One Digital Drawing Tablet with Screen
If you are new to the whole drawing tablet thing and want to start with something user-friendly and reliable, then Wacom One is the best drawing tablet you will find at a decent budget range. The integrated bamboo pro app makes it ideal for all types of creative purposes like sketching, painting, editing, taking notes, and signing documents.
Upon completing your new registration, you will receive 2 months of membership to Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom including three months of subscriptions for Clip Studio Paint Pro.
The surface friction of the screen is amazing that makes you feel like working on real pen & paper. The built-in custom buttons allow you to change your pen from paintbrush to marker, pencil, chalk, and eraser.
Specification
| Size: | 8.86 x 14.05 x 0.57 inches |
| Screen Size: | 13.3 inches |
| RAM: | NA |
| Graphic co-processor: | 64 |
| Color Gamut: | NA |
| Parallax: | NA |
| Resolution: | 2540 lpi |
| Tilt angle: | ±60 Degree |
| Pressure Level: | 4096 |
| Bluetooth: | No |
| No of USB ports: | 1 |
| No of Shortcut keys: | NA |
| Average battery life: | NA |
Pro
- Easy to learn and use
- Moderate price
- Support Mac/PC/Android
Cons
- No multitouch support
7. Huion KAMVAS Pro 12 Drawing Tablet With Screen
Huion KAMVAS Pro 12 has been integrated with advanced features in a low-priced category. This drawing tablet comes with a PW100 stylus powered with an amazing 8192-level pen pressure sensitivity.
The device comes with a 60-degree tilt control system to offer splendid accuracy in cursor positioning and pressure detection, giving you that full pleasure of painting.
The device includes anti-slip pads around the corner to reduce unwanted movements facilitating a hassle-free drawing experience.
The pen comes with a built-in feature that lets you switch between drawings to eraser at just one click. Overall, the best deal you will find at this price.
Specification
| Size: | 13.78 x 7.83 x 0.43 inches |
| Screen Size: | 11.6 Inches |
| RAM: | NA |
| Graphic co-processor: | 64 |
| Color Gamut: | 120% sRGB |
| Parallax: | Lowest |
| Resolution: | 1920 x 1080 |
| Tilt angle: | ±60 Degree |
| Pressure Level: | 8192 l |
| Bluetooth: | No |
| No of USB ports: | 1 |
| No of Shortcut keys: | 4 |
| Average battery life: | NA |
Pros
- Total value for money
- The size of the pen is close to an ink pen
- Ideal workspace for both left and right-handed users
Cons
- No wireless support
8. HUION New 1060 Plus Graphic Drawing Tablet
HUION New 1060 Plus is reasonably priced and the best drawing tablet for beginners. The device is a perfect choice for practicing drawing, gameplay, sketching, handwriting, and signature.
The pen comes with an 8192 of pressure level, which is a steal deal comparing to its price. The pen offers optimum response and control for drawing thicker/thinner lines.
The device support high-end programs like Corel paint, Photoshop, CorelDraw, SAI, etc. that help you with a smooth transition from a beginner to a professional artist.
Its super compatibility for both right and left-handed users is the best one could ever expect from a drawing tablet at this price range.
Specification
| Size: | 14.1 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches |
| Screen Size: | 10 inches |
| RAM: | NA |
| Graphic co-processor: | 64 |
| Color Gamut: | 120% sRGB |
| Parallax: | NA |
| Resolution: | 5080 LPI |
| Tilt angle: | NA |
| Pressure Level: | 8192 |
| Bluetooth: | No |
| No of USB ports: | 2 |
| No of Shortcut keys: | 12 |
| Average battery life: | 1 Year |
Pros
- Excellent pressure sensitivity
- Easy to assign shortcuts to all buttons
- Come with gloves for facilitating palm rejection
Cons
- System rejects the pen device during sleep mode
- Have to unplug and plug again every time
9. HuionInspiroy H950P Graphics Drawing Tablet
The lightweight pen in HuionInspiroy H950P makes it the best drawing tablet for beginners and professional artists.
With upgraded 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity, the tablet comes with two programmable buttons that enable you to own excellent control over the cursor and draw pictures efficiently with minimal muscle fatigue.
It features a wide working area that allows you to draw with your wrist, and elbows both. The device easily connects to all major drawing programs like PS, CoralDraw, SAI, etc. and blends well with productivity tools like Powerpoint, Word, Pdf, and OneNote.
The rechargeable pen only takes 4 hours to charge and works perfectly for all week long.
Specification
| Size: | 14.2 x 8.9 x 2.1 inches |
| Screen Size: | 8.7 x 5.4 inches |
| RAM: | NA |
| Graphic co-processor: | 64 |
| Color Gamut: | NA |
| Parallax: | NA |
| Resolution: | 5080 lpi |
| Tilt angle: | ±60 degree |
| Pressure Level: | 8192 |
| Bluetooth: | No |
| No of USB ports: | 1 |
| No of Shortcut keys: | 8 |
Pros
- Support all major OS and software
- Left-hand support available
- No parallax error
Cons
- May face connectivity issue by using cheap quality HDMI adapters
10. Aibecy 16HDT Portable 15.6 Inch H-IPS LCD Graphics Drawing Tablet
Aibecy 16HDT is a professional-grade graphics-drawing tablet for wireless lovers. The product comes with an exceptional non-slip back design and a durable plastic stand that offers better viewing angle and accurate cursor positioning.
The built-in ultra-thin glass with pressure sensing control not only safeguards the screen but also enhances precision and reduces visual deviation.
You will love the ergonomics of the tablet as the smooth & curvy edges allow you to rest your hand in between work and empower you to work a long time. The size of the work area leaves you enough area to draw without any restraint.
Specification
| Size: | 17.72 x 11.73 x 2.52 inches |
| Screen Size: | 15.6”(diagonal) |
| RAM: | NA |
| Graphic co-processor: | 32/64 |
| Color Gamut: | 72% Adobe RGB |
| Parallax: | NA |
| Resolution: | 1920×1080 |
| Tilt angle: | +10 -85 Degree |
| Pressure Level: | 8192 |
| Bluetooth: | No |
| No of USB ports: | 1 |
Pros
- An all-in-one starter tablet
- Large workspace
- Outstanding responsive and connectivity
Cons
- No wireless support
FAQs
What Is The Difference Between a Graphic Tablet And a Drawing Tablet?
In a drawing tablet, you’ll get a screen to draw your pictures, unlike a flat surface in a graphic tablet. Beginners must start with a drawing tablet that lets them draw on the screen like on a paper and should later move to a graphic tablet to enhance their speed.
With a graphic tablet, you have to fix your eyes on the monitor while your hand does the work by itself. However, one can always start with a graphic tablet and still can learn at the same proficiency.
Does a Graphic Designer Need a Drawing Tablet?
Usually, beginners start their designing practice by using a mouse in which the wrist movement remains flat thereby limiting the motion for precise drawings. A professional-grade graphic is detail-intensive, for which you need a drawing tablet to draw without limiting your hand movements. It feels exactly like drawing on a piece of paper. The stylus allows you to tilt your pen, move your hand and wrist naturally to have more control over sketching and applying strokes.
How Good Is iPad Pro as a drawing tablet?
Apple provides good power backup and excellent connectivity. Meaning, you can draw for a long time, without having to connect the device to a laptop. Coming to performance, it works like a magic. The latency is as lower as 9 milliseconds that allows you to draw your images quicker without facing any lag. The lines accurately capture the similarity with pencil strokes. Therefore, it’s indeed worth its cost.
Conclusion
We hope this list would help you select the best drawing tablet you’re looking for. If you are a pro digital artist and with your experience can suggest some other models that can benefit the fresher community, let us know in the comment section below. We will be more than happy to feature it in our list.
