Best Drawing Tablets That don’t need a computer

Whether you are a beginner or a professional graphic designer or artist, our list of the best drawing tablets that don’t need a computer has something for you.

If you like working outdoors or when traveling, these tablets will allow you to edit photos, animate, or even draw on your tablet screen.

They come with an in-built screen and computer, so you will not need your computer at all.

Choosing the best standalone tablet is not easy, especially because different professionals have different requirements and budgets.

We have researched and compiled a list of the best stand-alone tablets that will be perfect for different professional artists, animators, and video editors. The list includes premium tablets, budget options, and the cheapest ones available.

Top 10 Drawing Tablets That don’t need a computer

The below list contains our top ten picks, ranked and rated for different budgets and professional levels. They are ideal for creative work such as animation, drawing, photo and video editing, and many more.

1. Apple iPad Pro 12.9 inch: best overall drawing tablet that doesn’t need a computer
2. Wacom Mobile Studio Pro 13: Best Professional drawing tablet
3. Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra: The Best Android Tablet for Drawing
4. Samsung Galaxy S6 Lite: Cheap Android Tablet
5. Lenovo Tab T12 Pro: cheaper Android drawing tablet
6. Simbans PicassoTab: The Best Budget Tablet
7. Huion Kamvas Studio 16: Best Graphic Tablet with a computer
8. Apple iPad Air: The Best compact Drawing Tablet
9. Microsoft Surface Pro 7: The Best Windows Drawing Tablet
10. Simbans PicassoTab XL: Affordable Drawing Tablet

Top Picks

Apple iPad Pro 12.9 inch: best overall

The Apple iPad Pro is a well-equipped gadget with features that suit most digital artists’ needs. Powerful processors, impressive display features, and unique overall technologies embedded lift the Apple iPad Pro to the top of our list.

The tablet has an impressive screen resolution of 2048 by 2732 pixels, which magnifies your visuals for well-detailed visuals. Additionally, it is equipped with a Liquid Retina XDR display. The display is clear with high contrast and brightness levels.

A slim, lightweight build and a long 10-hour battery life ensure easy and comfortable portability.

One of the best features that distinguishes the iPad Pro from the rest is the powerful technology it operates on.

The Apple M2 chip plays the role of both the central processing unit (CPU) and graphic processing unit (GPU) in one. It is the latest and most powerful processor on iPads from Apple.

This processor combines with the large 16 GB or 8 GB of RAM to perform any professional task, including 4K video editing.

Wacom Mobile Studio Pro: Best Professional drawing tablet

1. Screen size: 16 and 13 inches
2. Resolution: 2560 x 1440 pixels on the screen and 3840 x 2160 pixels in 4K
3. Processor: Intel Core i7
4. RAM: 16 GB
5. Storage: 512 GB Expandable

Wacom Mobile Studio Pro is the best professional tablet you can buy. You have two options to pick from, depending on your budget.

Both Wacom Mobile Studio Pro 13 and Wacom Mobile Studio Pro 16 are the 2 options you can choose if you want a Wacom tablet that doesn’t need a computer connected to use.

These two varieties are powerful and up to the task for all your drawing and graphic design needs.

Wacom Mobile Pro 16 comes with a 15.6-inch screen with a 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels) crisp, clear resolution.

To add to this, you will view your colors in colorful detail thanks to 94 percent Adobe RGB color quality. The screen on Mobile Pro 13 is slightly smaller at 13 inches, with a 2560 by 1440 pixels screen resolution and 80% Adobe RGB color quality.

Although both Mobile Pro 16 and Mobile Pro 13 are a little expensive, they are very powerful devices made with the needs of an artist in mind.

The speed on them is made possible by a core i7 processor that is faster than most laptops. Multitasking is free of lag thanks to 16 GB of RAM.

Wacom Mobile Studio Pro’s internal storage varies from i5’s 128 GB (8 GB RAM), i7’s 256 GB (8 GB RAM), to i7’s 512 GB (16 GB), offering the additional advantage of ample space for files and designs and speed in processing and rendering.

With a high pen pressure sensitivity level of 8192, work only gets easier if one is offered a clear HD+ display with enhanced line drawing accuracy and perfect precision.

The screen’s etched glass surface produces a near canvas or paper feel when you’re drawing, while on the other hand, accuracy is emphasized by the Wacom Pro Pen 2 with tilt support, which brings a natural experience and a comfortable feel to the pen. Longer productive working hours are enhanced.

Lastly, though sold separately, the tablet’s accessories are pretty useful with the Wacom to stand, elevating the tablet’s positioning in 3 angles and providing a comfortable setup.

Equally important, you can also save time by using the 17 customizable buttons on the Express key remote with a touch ring for your basic and regular shortcuts.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra: Best Android Tablet for Drawing

1. Screen size: 14.6 inches
2. Resolution: 2960 x 1848 pixels
3. Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor
4. RAM: 4 GB, 8 GB, or 16 GB
5. Storage: 256 GB to 2 TB
6. Battery Life: 10 hours

If you are looking for the best large-screen tablet on Android, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is your best option. It features a large super AMOLED display at 14.6 inches (2960 x 1848 pixels) in resolution.

The screen is usable in both portrait and landscape orientations, thanks to the 16:10 aspect ratio. You will view your videos or artwork in high-quality, rich color, similar to the iPad Pro, but not as bright.

When using the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor and 8 GB, 12 GB, or 16 GB of RAM options will ensure fast and reliable functionality.

If you are using it as a video editing tablet, we recommend the 16 GB of RAM option. 8 GB and 4 GB will be good for drawing but might lag when animating or editing videos.

I wish it came with 1 TB of storage space on purchase, although 512 GB is not bad. You can still upgrade to 1 TB of storage using an external MicroSD card. You will, however, have to buy it separately.

Fast charging 10 hours of battery life will allow you to use the tablet away from the office without having to connect to a charger all the time.

The S8 Ultra came out with the S8 and S8 Plus lines, which are very similar to it. Unfortunately, they have smaller screens at 11 and 12-inch portrait screens.

Galaxy S6 Lite: Best Budget Drawing Tablets

1. Screen size: 10.4 inches
2. Resolution: 2000 by 1200 pixels
3. Processor: Exynos 9611 1.7GHz Octa-Core
4. RAM: 4 GB of RAM
5. Storage: 64 GB and 128 GB expandable
6. Battery Life: 10 hours

The Samsung brand has over the years proven to be a top-class producer of quality products. With such a reputation, they keep getting better and better at creating premium products with quality features.

The tablet is powered by a quality Exynos 9611 1.7GHz Octa-Core processor, ensuring impressive processing power for a productive working time. Moreover, it runs One UI 2.0, based on Android 10, offering a user-friendly interface.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite has ample space for you to work on, courtesy of a 10.4-inch diagonal screen size. Additionally, you have a small-sized and light standalone tablet to work on the go with.

Having been released barely two years ago, it has put a lot of input into quality visuals. This is made sure by 2000 by 1200 pixels of screen resolution.

When it comes to internal storage, you are served with two options. If you’re not impressed by the 64 GB size, you can alternatively go for the one with 128 GB worth of space.

You can further upgrade your space using a MicroSD card for optimum levels of up to 1 TB. On the sad side, the tablet only offers 4 GB of RAM. Don’t worry, you can still multi-function quite nicely with this premium gadget.

As far as the pen is concerned, the S pen packs extremely high pen pressure sensitivity. Additionally, it magnetically attaches itself to the screen.

Just imagine that on a canvas, quite magical are the words as you get a far from real experience.

Simbans PicassoTab: Best Budget alternative

1. Screen size: 10.1 inches
2. Resolution: 1280 by 800 pixels
3. Processor: MediaTek Quadcore
4. RAM: 2GB
5. Storage: 32GB
6. Battery Life: 5 to 8 hours

The Simbans Picasso is a budget-friendly standalone with quite a premium touch to it. It is an Android-based tablet. A 10.1-inch size offers ample space for a designer, and a small size is quite efficient in terms of mobility and portability.

Being Android-based, you can download applications from the Google Store and watch movies, among other things, quite easily and quickly.

Powered by the MediaTek Quadcore processor, the CPU performance is efficient and powerful regardless of the tablet holding low RAM levels of 2GB. Packing internal storage of 32GB is relatively solid for the storage of your files as well as applications.

Screen resolution levels of 1280 by 800 pixels are low compared to most tablets, but being the best, the budget does come at a price.

Simbans Piccasso is mostly made for beginner designers, and if you love to work away from your desk, the 6000mAh battery will serve you, offering 5 to 8 hours of life.

A pen pressure sensitivity of 1024 might sound a little bit low when compared to other tablets. However, it is quite accurate and effective.

The palm rejection technology combined with an included glove helps detect your palm and reduces unnecessary detection. This, in turn, provides a comfortable feel to the experience.

Lenovo Tab T12 Pro: cheaper Android drawing tablet

1. Stylus; Lenovo Precision
2. Pen pressure sensitivity: 4096
3. Tilt function: yes
4. Screen resolution: 2560 by 1600 pixels
5. Screen technologies: AMOLED Screen
6. Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 870
7. RAM: 6 GB
8. Internal storage: 128 GB or 256 GB
9. Weight: 4.5 kg

The Android-based Lenovo Tab T12 Pro serves as not only a drawing tablet but can be used as a good budget gaming tablet. This is enabled by a list of quality features embedded in the tablet.

Processing power is fast and reliable thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processors. and 6 GB RAM. With this enhanced efficiency you will be able to open multiple programs at the same time without lags.

Lenovo’s Project Unity embedded on the Lenovo Tab T12 Pro is a smart connectivity framework that boosts productivity and enables users to collaborate in new ways.

The Lenovo Tab T12 Pro exhibits a 12.6-inch AMOLED screen with a 2K 2560 by 1600 pixel screen resolution.

You have ensured a quality screen display like never before, and with the gaming capability, the clarity is just impressive. 600 nits enhance brightness, which in turn allows a quality visual in bright environments.

The Lenovo Tab T12 Pro comes with the Lenovo Precision Pen, which, apart from being comfortable, is quite impressive. A 4096 pen pressure sensitivity enables you to be in full control, with precision and accuracy.

Additionally, Bluetooth connections enable the pen to be quite effective and easy to use. A combination of tilt function support and three configurable shortcut buttons make the pen quite easy to use and offer more options.

When it comes to internal storage, the Tab T12 comes in two versions with either 128GB or 256GB of internal storage. You can further configure your tablet using microSD to access 1 TB of internal storage.

This will make your file storage hit the max without forcing you to delete older files to accommodate new ones.

Huion Kamvas Studio 16: The Best Huion Standalone Drawing Tablet

1. Size: 15.8-inch
2. Resolution: 2560 x 1440 pixels, or 2.5K QHD
3. Touch-screen display
4. Aspect ratio: 16:9
5. Color Gamut: 100% Adobe RGB
6. Pen: Slim Pen PW550S
7. OS: Windows 11 Pro
8. Processor: Intel Core i7
9. RAM: 16 GB RAM
10. Storage: 512 GB SSD

If you are looking for a pen computer tablet from Huion, Kamvas Studio 16 is the best option. It came out in 2023 together with the larger Kamvas Studio 24 to replace Kamvas Studio 22 as standalone tablets from Huion.

It features a 15.8-inch screen size with a clear 2.5K QHD resolution and an accurate 100% Adobe RGB color gamut.

A modern Intel Core i7 processor and 16 GB of RAM make it possible for the tablet to easily run complex programs without problems. To save files, you will need a 512-GB SSD.

Apple iPad Air: Best compact Drawing Tablet

1. Screen size: 10.9 inches
2. Resolution: 2360 x 640 pixels
3. Processor: A14 bionic chip
4. RAM: 8 GB and 16 GB options
5. Storage: 128 GB to 1 TB
6. Battery Life: 10 hours

The new Apple iPad Air is another one of those highly-featured tablets. For one, it is upgraded with an A14 bionic chip for an increase in performance, and with the iPad OS system, it’s an experience to work on this device.

iPad Air’s second-generation Apple Pencil is quite magical when it comes to drawing and illustrating with dynamic brushes, giving you accurate results with a comfortable feel.

Additionally, with a 264 PPI response speed, the design is made faster and easier, as after touching the screen, there is an immediate and precise response.

The screen resolution levels of 2360 x 640, the Liquid Retina display, and the P3 wide color gamut create an exciting display bringing colors to life and presenting brightness and color temperature in the highest qualities.

It gets more interesting when it comes to internal storage, where the iPad Air comes in different storage sizes, from the lowest of 128 GB to 1 TB with a RAM of 8 GB.

Additionally, the iPad Air also has an impressive 16 GB of RAM, offering ample space for multitasking and enhanced performance.

The camera quality is also top-notch, as the rear camera offers a stunning 12-megapixel, and the 7-megapixel front HD camera is a great touch for online learning and FaceTime.

Connection to other devices like cameras and displays is easy, as you just require a USB-C to USB-C connection, as the Wi-Fi 6 facilitates a quick network connection.

When typing, you can integrate the new iPad Air with either the Smart Keyboard Folio or the Magic Keyboard for easy connection, which is comfortable and enables faster typing.

Lastly, a 28.6-watt battery with a 10-hour life enables moving around without the need to plug into power, and since it’s a pen computer tablet, working away from your desk is not necessary.

Microsoft Surface 7 Pro: The Best Windows Drawing Tablet

1. Screen size: 12.3 inches
2. Resolution: 2736 by 1824 pixels
3. Processor: Intel Core i7
4. RAM: 32 GB
5. Storage: 1 TB
6. Battery Life: 15 hours

We certainly saved the best for last, as the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is one tablet worth mentioning.

A pen pressure sensitivity level of 4096 builds a magical experience with heightened pen precision on lines and coloring, while the Surface Pen is enjoyable and precise and enhances comfortable, accurate, and lag-free long working hours, making you more productive.

It features a stunning 2736 by 1824 pixel screen resolution that is colorful, crisp, and clear.

Powered by dual-core 10th-generation processors, the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 graphics are quite impressive and make the tablet fast and efficient.

Performance efficiency is further enhanced by high levels of RAM, up to 32 GB. Internal storage in the tablet comes in different sizes, varying from 128 GB to 256 GB to 512 GB, creating a large space for storing files and long-term retention of files.

The tablet storage is also upgradable to up to 1 TB, offering you a solution to your storage problems.

If you are looking for a portable tablet, the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is a perfect option with up to 15 hours of battery life and an overall light weight body.

You will have USB-A and USB-C slot options for connecting to other devices if you need to.

Simbans PicassoTab XL: Affordable Drawing Tablet

Simbans PicassoTab XL is the most Affordable Drawing Tablet in this list. It is very similar to the Simbans PicassoTab only slightly bigger in size. It features an 11.6 inches IPS screen size with 1366 x 768 Pixels HD pixels resolution.

You will still get the 4 free Simbans Picasso accessory additions like the earlier version, that is the drawing glove, Stylus Pen and charger adapter.

For processing complex art software, you will have a powerful MT8175 Graphics: Mali-G52 MC1 processor and 4 GB RAM. Although it is not the best for video editing, it will perform perfectly when creating illustrations or editing photos.

Just like most tablets both front and rear cameras are not the best with a 5.0 M Front Camera and 8.0 Back Camera. Smartphones feature better camera options than this.

How to choose the best Drawing Tablets That don’t need a computer

If you know what to consider, choosing the best standalone tablet that does not have to connect to a computer to use is not too complicated. First, you need to consider the size of the screen and its resolution.

A large screen with a high resolution will provide a better user experience than a smaller one. We recommend a screen size of 12 inches and above with Full HD resolution or more.

Processing power is the next most important consideration. Choose a tablet with a modern processor, such as an M1 or M2 chip for Apple or an Intel Core i5 or i7 for Windows tablets.

Large RAM will make it possible to multitask on your tablet without issues. We recommend 8 GB of RAM and above for professional tasks such as video editing or drawing.

Portability is affected by the size, overall weight, and battery life of your tablet. Choose a tablet with at least 10 hours of battery life and a light-weight body.

Advantages of Standalone Drawing Tablets

Standalone drawing tablets are small and compact, therefore making them easily portable. You can easily use them when traveling because you do not need to connect to a computer.

They allow you to install software and draw directly on the screen. These types of tablets can not only be used for drawing but can also be used as multi-purpose devices for streaming videos, playing games, or listening to music.

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