10 Best Drawing Tablets [Tested and Reviewed]

The Artist 16 (Gen 2) is a drawing tablet made by XP-Pen. This second-generation product has even better drawing performance than its predecessor. Both pen pressure and tilt sensitivity are excellent in this model. Pen pressure sensitivity reproduces differences in line darkness and thickness using only a slight change in applied force. The tilt sensitivity made it possible to draw as if we were sketching with a real pencil. Although the pen tip deviates slightly to the side, this didn't really affect our ability to draw.

The tablet screen is high definition, which allows you to see the finest details without squinting. The color gamut of this drawing tablet also has an sRGB coverage rate of 127 percent, which is high among the products we tested. The screen is fully laminated to reduce parallax and is covered in an anti-glare film, so it's also easy on the eyes. The screen surface has a matte-like texture and feels similar to a rough sheet of paper. It's great to use for long periods of time, as your hand and pen easily glide across the screen.

The drawbacks? This drawing tablet only comes with a few accessories, mostly pen tip replacements. This model is a bit large at 16 inches, so we recommend you buy a tablet stand so you can easily see the entire screen. Its shortcut keys will help increase your productivity. This drawing tablet is a great value, as it combines high drawing performance and an affordable price point.

The Cintiq 16 drawing tablet is made by Japanese tablet manufacturer Wacom. It features a large 16-inch screen, so you'll need a workspace big enough to set up and store this drawing tablet. The large screen makes it easy to fill in minute details. This device also features high pen pressure sensitivity, and just like with pencil and paper, it can properly display line strength using only a little force. This drawing tablet also has excellent tilt sensitivity and accurately draws lines at varied widths using slight changes in tilt. We were able to draw lines more freely than when drawing on paper. The pen tip barely presses into the screen, and will remain steady even if you apply a lot of force.

The high-definition screen can display even the tiniest details beautifully. Although it has a lower color gamut range, just under the mid-ranked drawing tablets we tested, the screen still features a vivid coloration and won't affect your ability to draw. You'll be able to see the screen well even under lamp light, since its anti-glare film minimizes reflections. It also comes fully laminated in order to reduce any deviation between the tip of your pen and the location you're drawing on-screen.

The drawing surface has a smooth, matte quality, which makes it easy to use, even for longer sessions. This model comes with its own stand on the back, and although it only has one position, it still provides a better view. This tablet also features a handy side compartment storing replacement nibs, so you can change them out in an instant. Because of the Cintiq 16’s excellent drawing efficiency and ease of use, we recommend this drawing tablet for beginners and professionals alike.

The Artist Pro 16 is made by XP-Pen. It has a larger 16-inch screen size. During our testing for pen pressure sensitivity, we didn’t observe much difference between lines drawn using the strongest and second-strongest levels of applied force, you could generally tell the difference between other levels. Our tilt sensitivity tests didn’t find much difference between lines drawn with a 90 and 70 degree tilt, but 50 and 30 degree tilts produced a quality similar to when you draw a rough sketch.

The pen tip is largely stable, but it deviated when we went from applying a lot of force to suddenly letting the stylus go. The full high-definition screen makes it easy to see even the smallest details, and this tablet also features an extremely wide color gamut with an sRGB coverage of 133 percent. The combination of these features make this drawing tablet the best option to create illustrations in full color.

It also comes fully laminated, which reduces drift between your pen tip and the location on the screen it's touching to the smallest possible extent. The surface of this tablet has a slightly rough feel, so your hand and pen can glide around easily. The only included accessories are pen nib replacements, but this drawing tablet is sure to improve how efficiently you work with its shortcut keys and scroll wheel. Make sure you have enough desk space before purchasing it, as this model has a large screen. Also, we recommend you purchase a tablet stand from the same manufacturer to make it easier to see the entire screen as you draw.

The Artist 13 is made by XP-Pen. It’s the company’s entry-level drawing tablet, which is known for its easy-to-use size and affordable price. But during our testing, our participants rated pen pressure sensitivity as only decent. We didn’t see much of a difference between lines drawn with maximum force and one step down from that. But aside from those two levels, line darkness was noticeably different for low pen pressures. Tilt sensitivity is great, though, and this tablet is capable of producing fine-tuned lines as if you are actually drawing with a pencil. We didn’t observe much difference between lines we drew at 70 and 90 degree angles, but those drawn at 50 and 30 degree angles looked different depending on how much force we used. The pen tip drifts slightly to the sides during use, but that didn't affect our drawings, as it didn't jolt around.

The screen supports full high definition and features a wider color gamut than other products we tested. The screen is easy to look at for extended periods, with its anti-glare film that suppresses reflections and is fully laminated for reduced parallax. The screen has a drawing surface texture that isn't terribly slippery. Although there were times when our hands didn't glide across the screen with ease, the drawing pen never got caught on the screen and moved around smoothly.

The only accessory this tablet comes with are replacement nibs, but you can expect a boost to your work productivity with the eight shortcut keys. We recommend buying a tablet stand if you want to view the screen more easily, since this model doesn't come with one. This drawing tablet is similar in size to a letter-sized sheet of paper, which makes it great to set up in small spaces and carry around. However, you'll have to zoom in each time you want to draw any fine details. 

The Kamvas Pro 16 is produced by Huion. Make sure you have ample room to use this device before you consider buying it, as it is a larger model with a 16-inch screen. Our testing revealed that this drawing tablet doesn't have high pen pressure sensitivity. We didn't observe much of a difference between the strongest and second-strongest applied force. It has reasonable tilt sensitivity, though. The 90 and 70 degree tilts exhibited almost no difference, but tilts at different angles produced some variation.

There's a slight gap between the pen and tip, so you may experience some deviation between placing the nib on the tablet screen and when you release it. The fully high definition screen was able to display the finest details without looking pixelated. But the screen's color gamut coverage is about average compared to other drawing tablets we tested, and it’s sufficient to create illustrations. But the screen has a beautiful display, since this model is fully laminated and has an anti-glare film.

This drawing tablet also has a smooth drawing surface, and our hands and drawing pen glided across it easily. The screen depressed ever so slightly when we pressed the pen down with an extremely strong hand. So heavy-handed artists should be careful using it. The eight shortcut keys will help improve work efficiency, and this tablet also comes with a pen stand, tablet stand, and nib replacements.

The Kamvas 13 by drawing tablet manufacturer Huion is an entry-level model aimed at beginners. During our testing, we observed that pen pressure sensitivity wasn’t very high, since subtle line differences weren’t well expressed even when using a strong applied force. The color strength was exactly the same when we drew lines using the top three strongest applied forces. Tilt sensitivity tests also revealed low sensitivity. Line thickness was the same when we drew at the 90, 70, and 50 degree tilts, and only changed when we used a tilt of 30 degrees.

The screen displays in full high-definition, and it also has an average color gamut range that should cover the basics. Both parallax and screen reflections are reduced on this fully laminated screen with anti-glare film. The surface is smooth and allows the pen to glide easily.

There is a small gap between the pen and pen tip, which creates a small shift between pushing down on the screen and letting go. Keep in mind that when pulling the pen away from the screen, you may not be able to put a delicate tapered tail on the lines you draw. While drawing performance is average, the eight shortcut keys and included pen stand, tablet stand, and pen nib replacements will help you work more efficiently.

The Wacom One drawing tablet is the company's entry-level model, and it’s about the size of a letter-sized sheet of paper. Our testing found that both pen pressure and tilt sensitivity weren’t very high. It only has 4,096 levels of pen pressure sensitivity, so subtle variations in applied force won't make lines appear much different. There was some visible difference with tilt sensitivity, but none was seen between the 50 and 30 degree tilt angles. The Wacom One is like drawing with a hard pencil, and line thickness barely changes no matter how much tilt you use.

The pen tip is extremely stable and won't stick to the screen even if you push down with a lot of force. We were able to see the many fine details displayed on this full high-definition screen. Although this tablet’s color gamut is more narrow compared to the other tested products, it didn't feel like it was difficult to work with when we were illustrating. The screen is not fully laminated, so it has some parallax compared to other models, and there is a slight deviation between the pen tip and the location you're trying to draw on.

It has a smooth drawing surface that’s easy to use and won’t hinder the tip of your pen. The screen does have an anti-glare film, so you can use it for long periods without straining your eyes. The only accessories it comes with are nib replacements. The tablet itself has a built-in stand, although it can only be set at one position. All in all, though the Wacom One’s drawing performance can't compare to models with 8,192 levels of sensitivity, this drawing tablet is still a viable option for a first-time buyer.

The PD1161 drawing tablet comes from manufacturer Gaomon. This is a compact drawing tablet with a screen size of 11.6 inches. It does not have high pen pressure sensitivity. Line width was practically the same between the strongest and second-strongest applied forces. Tilt sensitivity was also quite low. There were no differences in line thickness made at the 90, 70, or 50 degree tilt angles, and it only changed suddenly at the 30 degree mark. This model does feature some tilt sensitivity, but not at very many levels.

This drawing tablet was a bit difficult to operate at first, as the pen tip felt like it sunk into the screen tablet when we first touched it to the screen. The screen is full high-definition. The color gamut range isn't very wide compared to other models we tested, but that didn’t have a significant effect on our drawing. Unlike other drawing tablets we tested, this model’s screen is not fully laminated and it doesn't have an anti-glare film. Our testers said that this tablet has high parallax, so the pointer on the screen deviated from where the pen was touching, which made it difficult to draw with.

The drawing surface may be smooth, but has some irregularity to it, which the pen tip catches occasionally. You'll have to zoom in every time you want to look over the finer details of your work, since this screen is on the smaller side. This drawing tablet includes a pen stand, nib replacements, and comes equipped with eight shortcut keys, which is good when it comes to additional features. A tablet stand is not included, so if you'd prefer a better viewing angle, we recommend that you buy one separately.

The HUION Kamvas Pro 19 is a versatile product that offers a great drawing experience with essential features and a range of accessories. It has a touch function, like a smartphone or tablet, but it's only compatible with Windows.

In terms of pen pressure and tilt detection accuracy, it falls within the average range of the products tested. Although it has 16,384 levels of pen pressure sensitivity, its actual performance feels similar to tablets with 8,192 levels. The LCD screen quality is impressive, offering a 4K resolution. While its color gamut is not the widest available, it is sufficiently broad for most tasks. The screen is treated with an anti-glare coating to reduce reflections and full lamination to minimize parallax, ensuring clear visibility during use.

Testers praised the drawing surface for its matte texture, which provides a smooth feel and prevents skin from sticking. However, some have noted that while the touch function is convenient, it can sometimes lead to unintentional actions when the hand accidentally touches the screen.

With the included left-hand device and touchscreen capabilities, this tablet can significantly enhance work efficiency. The pen case, which doubles as a pen holder, adds to its convenience, allowing for easy placement when you need to take a break from work. Although the large 4K screen makes it somewhat expensive, it remains a viable option for those looking to boost their productivity.

The Studio VK1200 drawing tablet is made by Veikk. This is a smaller drawing tablet with an 11.6-inch screen size. Pen pressure sensitivity is low. During our testing, there was no change in the quality of the lines drawn between the strongest and third-strongest applied force. Although this drawing tablet does have functionality for tilt sensitivity, line thickness doesn't change, and line color only becomes lighter when the pen is tilted. The tip of this pen is rather stable, and any jagged lines drawn were not due to the pen itself.

The screen comes in full high-definition. It has a decent color gamut range with a sRGB coverage of 120 percent, which is average compared to other tested products. There were no instances where we thought the color tones looked strange. The screen’s anti-glare film also reduces reflections. There's no issue using the pen on the drawing surface, but our hand couldn't easily glide across the screen. Parallax is rather high because the screen is not fully laminated, so the lines you draw will deviate from wherever you are touching. So this tablet isn’t particularly user-friendly. But it comes with six shortcut keys in addition to a pen stand and nib replacements and a good amount of accessories to help increase your productivity.