The Best Drawing Tablet in 2023

A good drawing tablet can set a digital artist apart from competitors. The question is how do you determine the best drawing tablet?

There are a lot of different Drawing tablets on the market and choosing the best is up to the user’s needs. Whether you are a beginner, a professional, or simply buying for entertainment purposes, there is always a drawing tablet for you.

That goes for the budget too as you can get a cheap drawing tablet if you are limited in funds. What you get for a cheap drawing tablet obviously cannot be compared with the more compact and more featured expensive ones.

There are three types of Drawing Tablets and although different companies charge differently for their products, the budget does play a part in the tablet you get.

As mentioned earlier there are three types of drawing tablets; Digitizer tablets, Monitor tablets, and Standalone tablets.

Digitizer tablets are the basic type of the three and you offered a sensitive surface and a pen. You however rely on a computer for both display and software operation.

Monitor tablets on the other hand are quite an upgrade, as they come with a sensitive screen and stylus. The addition of the screen is the reason they are also referred to as drawing tablets with a screen.

Despite having a screen, you have to connect to a computer to use the tablet since it lacks an internal computer system.

Lastly, we have the crème de la crème of drawing tablets, tablets that dont need a computer. What sets them apart from the others is the inclusion of an internal computer system meaning they can be used without connecting to a computer.

What is the best Drawing Tablet

• Wacom Cintiq 22
• Xencelabs Pen Tablet Medium Bundle
• Huion Kamvas 22 Plus
• Huion H430P
• iPad Pro 12.9 inch (M1, 2021)

Best Drawing Tablet

Wacom Cintiq 22

• Screen size; 21.5 inches
• Screen resolution; 1920*1080 pixels
• Screen technology; Anti-glare technology
• Stylus; Wacom Pro Pen 2
• Pen pressure sensitivity; 8192
• Tilt support; yes

The 21.5-inch Cintiq 22 is one of the best monitor tablets with a load of lovable features out there. Wacom is one of the first companies to produce drawing tablets have a lot of expertise in this field and you can witness that from the Wacom Cintiq 22.

When it comes to the Stylus, Wacom has for the longest time received a recommendable rating and the Wacom Pro Pen 2 is referred to as one of the best.

The pen harbors quality 8192 levels of pen pressure sensitivity, offering you control of your designs.

Additionally, the pen supports a tilt function for enhanced brush and shading options. This is a feature most pens lack and it can have a lot of impact on your work, especially on designers.

Since the tablet has a screen, you get a colorful display courtesy of a 1920 by 1080 pixels of screen resolution.

The colors are also made richer because the tablets recognize 16.7 million colors and have a color gamut of 72% NTSC.

Furthermore, the 21.5-inch harbors the Anti-glare technology that helps you work even in the brightest environments since the technology reduces reflections.

Connection to your computer is made possible by the available USB cable since it’s compulsory to connect to a computer for use.

Xencelabs Pen Tablet Medium Bundle

1. Screen size; 10.38*5.83 inches
2. Stylus; Xencelab’s Thin pen
3. Pen pressure sensitivity; 8192
4. Tilt support; yes

Enhance your creative touch with the Xencelabs Pen Tablet Medium Bundle. The pen tablet harbors a nice 10.38 by 5.83 inches in size making it easy to carry around with quite a large working area.

Working hand in hand with the Xencelab’s Thin pen, the screen’s texture interacts perfectly with the Stylus providing a pen-to-paper feel to it. Additionally, the experience is made better by quality 8192 levels of pen pressure sensitivity for well-detailed strokes and lines.

What makes it even better is the +60 degrees tilt support that helps you have control of your brush and shade options.

The Xencelab’s Thin pen is built for comfort and this is ensured by a combination of a soft touch rubber for grip material on the pen and a 6gram lightweight build.

3 buttons on the pen further bring your shortcut game closer to your fingers and you will not have to pick one for an eraser for the pen has its eraser at the rear end.

Sticking to shortcuts, the tablet has 3 input buttons and if that’s not enough and you love a load of programmable buttons, you can still enjoy the tablet using the shortcut remote.

The remote offers you over 40 programmable buttons, enhancing your shortcut ideas to the maximum.

Since the tablet lacks a screen as well as a computer system, the Xencelabs Pen Tablet Medium Bundle is connected to a computer via a USB-A to USB-C cable.

Huion Kamvas 22 Plus

• Screen size; 21.5 inches
• Screen resolution; 1920*1080 pixels
• Screen technology; Full-Laminated
• Stylus; PW517
• Pen pressure sensitivity; 8192
• Tilt support; yes

Huion has a reputation for releasing quality drawing tablets at affordable prices. One factor that sets apart the Huion Kamvas 22 Plus from the rest of the monitor tablets is the color and screen features.

The tablet holds a diagonal size of a stunning 21.5 inches, and although it lacks in portability, imagine all that for a working area. To add to that, the display is great, courtesy of 1920 by 1080 pixels levels of screen resolution.

Colors are just it with this tablet. The Huion Kamvas 22 Plus harbors a wild 140% sRGB color gamut, while the color contrast reaches 1200:1. This is made possible by the screen’s Quantum-dot technology transforming your color depth for a top-of-the-class display.

Another technology embedded in the full laminated tech ensures zero lags as well as reduces reflection for even the brightest environments.

Additionally, the tablet detects 16.7 million colors, making your colors richer, deeper, and well-detailed.

When it comes to the pen, the Huion Kamvas 22 Plus is compatible with the PW517 stylus. The pen is quite impressive and holds a market top 8192 levels of pen pressure sensitivity.

By this, you are offered full control of your pen as well as a pen-to-paper type of experience. The experience and control are also made better by the Pentech3.0 technology that ensures a lowered magnetic core, making the Digital pen’s nib more stable and comfortable to use.

Furthermore, the pen supports a tilt function providing you with additional brush capability when you tilt your stylus.

Connecting your Kamvas 22 Plus to your computer is quite easy as you only need a USB-C or a 3-in-1 cable. The connection can be made to both Windows and macOS operating systems as well as Android devices.

Huion H430P

1. Screen size; 4.8*3 inches
2. Stylus; PW201
3. Pen pressure sensitivity; 4096
4. Response rate; 233 PPI

Another Pen tablet in our list of Best Drawing Tablets is the Huion H430P, which is also on our radar for the best cheap drawing tablets.

The tablet is 4.8 by 3 inches in size proving easy to move around with. Sadly, the small build may prove strenuous for a working area for users who prefer large screens.

Battery-free PW201 is the comfortable Stylus used with tablets and the comfortable feeling is brought about by the outer soft rubber build combined with the lightweight feel of the pen.

Additionally, the PW201 provides 4094 levels of pen pressure sensitivity levels, enabling the production of sharp and well-detailed strokes.

The experience is made better courtesy of 5080 LPI levels of pen resolution. When combined with the tablet’s 233PPI levels of response rate, the pen-tablet interaction is made natural, similar to that of a pen to a canvas.

You can speed up your productivity using the 2 programmable buttons on the pen bringing your shortcut habits closer to your fingers.

Huion H430P is compatible with Windows 7 and above, macOS 10.11 and above, Linux(Ubuntu), and finally Android 6.0 and above. The connection is easily made by USB cable for both left and right-handed users.

iPad Pro 12.9 inch (M1, 2021)

1. Screen size; 12.9 inches
2. Screen resolution; 2048*2732 pixels
3. Screen technology; Liquid Retina XDR
4. Stylus; Apple Pencil 1st
5. Pen pressure sensitivity; not specified
6. Tilt support; yes
7. Internal storage; 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB
8. RAM; 8GB 16GB
9. Operating system; IOS

When you think of a compact tablet, the Apple iPad Pro 12.9 inch (M1,2021) should come to mind. Apple prefers not to refer to its products as tablets but goes for the unique iPad take.

The 12.9-inch iPad harbors an impressive 2732 by 2048 pixels of screen resolution, powering your display to a well-detailed visual.

High color depth and contrast are then achieved courtesy of the Liquid Retina XDR while the Fully Laminated Display reduces screen reflection and eliminates parallax.

The Liquid Retina XDR is further powered by over 10000 mini LEDs keeping you tuned to the lovely display.

The screen provides you with 264 PPI levels of response rate, ensuring a fast detection of the stylus, and combined with the pen’s high-resolution levels you acquire a pen-to-canvas interaction between the stylus and the screen.

Clarity is further magnified by several technologies in the making of the screen including True Tone, Promotion, and the P3 wide technology.

When it comes to the stylus, Apple prefers to name their stylus pencils instead of a pen, again maintaining their classy unique ways. The iPad Pro 12.9 inch uses the Apple Pencil 1st Generation

At first glance at the stylus, you see a slim and classy pencil-like build and when you have it in your fingers, it is both comfortably built and lightweight.

It is not clear how much the level of pen pressure sensitivity the pencil holds, but you can be assured it’s among the best. Additionally, the support of the tilt function ensures your shade and brush game is made better and more effective.

The iPad Pro 12.9 inch (M1,2021) is categorized under Standalone tablets since it can fully function without a computer connection.

This is made possible by an inbuilt computer system and the iPads powerful processors are one of the most powerful on the market. The M1 chip plays the role of the Central Processing Unit(CPU) as well as the Graphics Processing Unit(GPU).

The M1 enhances performance making the iPad faster, easier to use, and more efficient, especially for a digital artist. It is ranked as the most powerful chip under Apple so far.

Last but not least, the iPad comes configured differently in terms of RAM and internal storage. You can choose between one that comes with 8GB RAM or the one that comes with 16GB while internal storage is broad from 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB in size.

Conclusion

Whether you are looking for a drawing tablet for exploring your hobbies or professional purposes, shopping for a drawing tablet is not easy. As much as there are tablets almost under all budgets, features and choosing the one seem to be the main hustle.

What you should first know is the types of drawing tablets and choose which type suits you best. From the Pen Tablets, the Monitor Tablets to the Standalone tablets, understand the features as per how you want to use the tablet.

 If you understand the types, you can now follow their features to choose the best for you. You can check our other reviews on each of the categories and you can be assured to get one that will serve you best.

1. 10 Best Standalone Drawing Tablet