The best graphic tablets for drawing

Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective and does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

A graphics tablet is an input device that converts handwritten drawings (stylus movements) into digital images. Used by artists, designers and similar creative professionals.

How to choose a graphics tablet: what to look for

The main criteria for choosing a graphics tablet are:

1. The size of the active surface. Most often it is indicated in the format used to describe the standards of paper sheets – A3, A4, A5, etc. You should choose based on your preferences. A3 is a good solution for home art, small illustrations, sketches, web comics, etc. A4 is already a more professional option, suitable for designers, artists and other professionals. Larger tablets are worth buying only if you really need them;
2. Stylus sensitivity. The higher the number of steps of this parameter, the better the tablet recognizes the pressure intensity. Stylus with 1024 levels of sensitivity allow drawing thick and thin lines, and from 2048 – gradient (thickening) with a high degree of detail. Nevertheless, choosing devices of the second type is recommended only for professional artists and illustrators, since beginners are unlikely to appreciate this functionality;
3. Sensitivity to touch. It is advisable to choose graphic tablets that do not respond to hand presses. Then you can put a brush on their active surface and work comfortably;
4. The number of function buttons. These keys can be used to “hang” the most frequently used features and tools of the graphics editor (for example, choosing a brush or creating a layer), and then using the tablet will become more convenient. But at the same time, it is not recommended to choose devices with a large number of buttons – over 8;
5. Graphics tablet type. If most graphic tablets are just input devices, then some professional models like top-end devices from Wacom are full-fledged computers with a touch screen, productive 'stuffing' and, of course, stylus support. It is worth choosing according to your budget and needs. But it's worth noting that stylus-enabled tablet computers are usually extremely expensive and are, in fact, a solution for professionals.
6. Speaking about manufacturers, we should first of all single out Wacom – the market leader in graphic tablets and a developer of truly high-end devices. In the budget segment, companies such as Genius, Huion, XP-Pen and Triumph are also of interest.

Ranking of the best graphics tablets

Nomination	a place	Name of product	price
The best graphics tablet for a child	1	Genius G-Pen Kids Design II	–
The best professional graphics tablets	1	Wacom Intuos Pro 2 Medium	25 880 RUB.
	2	Genius G-Pen M712	14 690 RUB.
	3	Huion WH1409 (Wi-Fi)	23,990 RUB.
Best budget graphics tablets	1	XP-Pen Star 03	5 490 RUB.
	2	Triumph Tablet RF40	10 900 RUB.
The best tablet for artists and designers	1	Wacom Cintiq 22HD DTK-2200	RUB 145 190

The ranking is based on RankQuality data.

The best graphics tablet for a child

Genius G-Pen Kids Design II

Rating: 4.7

Why him: functionality that goes beyond the capabilities of a graphics tablet.

Description: Genius G-Pen Kids Design II is an entry-level graphics tablet designed for children under the age of 10. Therefore, you can not expect from it advanced features like a pressure-sensitive stylus or a lot of additional buttons. But it has an attractive design and a large 8 “x 5” working area. In addition, a stylus stand is built into the body, thanks to which it will not be lost.

The main advantage of a graphics tablet is the additional software that comes with it. These are various educational games designed for children of all ages – from the smallest (3-5 years old) to almost adolescents (8-10 years old).

The tablet has three additional large function buttons, but their capabilities are not configurable. The keys are used to adjust the sound in bundled games and perform some actions.

Advantages

• Wireless stylus;
• Additional educational games;
• Attractive design;

disadvantages

• Low density of active points;
• In fact, this is a tablet for children, and it will seem uninteresting to adult artists or designers;
• Lack of pressure sensitivity;
• Lack of programmable buttons;

The best professional graphics tablets

Wacom Intuos Pro 2 Medium

Rating: 4.9

Why first place: high sensitivity, professional stylus, rich equipment.

Description: Professional graphics tablet. It has a maximum sensitivity of the working panel, which is 5080 dpi; a complete stylus that recognizes 8192 degrees of pressure; and the ability to connect wirelessly via Bluetooth (however, a standard USB interface is also available). The active surface itself has a size of 224 × 148 mm, which is similar to the standard A5.

In addition, the tablet comes with two sets of function buttons. It has 8 standard keys with customizable functionality, and they are complemented by a special ActiveRing touch ring that supports gesture control and is designed to select tools, customize the color palette, etc.

The tablet also exists in the Paper Edition configuration – in this case, it is equipped with a stylus pen that allows you to draw on paper while digitizing the image.

Advantages

• High sensitivity (density of dots on the active panel);
• Many additional function keys;
• Rich bundle (including stylus tip case and replacement nibs);
• Stylus that recognizes 8192 degrees of pressure;

disadvantages

• Relatively small working area.

Genius G-Pen M712

Rating: 4.8

Why the second place: less sensitivity of the active zone and stylus, but cheap and many buttons.

Description: Genius G-Pen M712 is the best tablet for artists who are accustomed to immerse themselves in work and do not want to be distracted by third-party tasks such as choosing a tool. The device is equipped with 34 active buttons, each of which can be hung with a key combination, macro or any command.

The active area of ​​the tablet is also large – 305×184 mm. You can also select the standard mode, in which the width of the active area is reduced to 241 mm. The resolution is 4000 dpi.

But the tablet was out of luck with the stylus. It recognizes only 1024 levels of pressure, while it does not analyze either the tilt of the pen or the speed of its movement over the active zone. Therefore, some artists will need post-processing of the resulting images.

On the plus side, you can add a rich tablet package, which includes licenses for many graphic editors such as Photoshop Elements 5.0 or PhotoImpact 12SE.

Advantages

• Lots of function keys for immersive work;
• Large active area with a choice of format;
• Rich equipment;

disadvantages

• Not a very high quality stylus;
• Long-term initial key setup.

Huion WH1409 (Wi-Fi)

Rating: 4.7

Why the third place: A convenient and very inexpensive drawing tablet, but with a minimum of additional features.

Description: A simple and inexpensive tablet for 'novice professionals' who do not yet have enough budget to buy a top-end device from Wacom. The device copes with basic tasks 'perfectly' and therefore is suitable for everyday drawing and image editing.

The main advantage of the tablet is its huge working surface. The dimensions of the core are 225 × 350 mm. This, of course, is slightly different from standards like A4 or A5, but it's still very convenient. The core resolution is 5080 lines per inch.

Another important advantage of the tablet is its ergonomics. The active area occupies most of the front surface of the device and has practically no bounding frames. This is really convenient, both for continuous work and for quick edits.

Programmable buttons – 12. They are divided into 3 blocks of 4 keys, which allows you to conveniently group instruments.

Advantages

• Huge high resolution active area;
• Rich equipment;
• Wireless and wired connection;
• Built-in 8 GB memory that acts as a 'flash drive';

disadvantages

• An active stylus that needs periodic recharging;
• Few degrees of pressure sensitivity in the stylus.

Best budget graphics tablets

XP-Pen Star 03

Rating: 4.8

Why first place: Excellent quality, optimal functionality, suitable for professional artists.

Description: Ultra-budget, but high-quality and functional tablet. Equipped with a 10 “active area (actual dimensions 260 x 170 mm) with minimum bezels on the sides and a sensitivity of 5080 lines per inch. The included stylus recognizes up to 2048 degrees of pressure and is equipped with a button for switching the operating mode – from the pen to the eraser.

An interesting feature of the tablet is the automatic line correction mode, which allows you to draw lines and arcs with excellent geometry, even if your hand trembled during the guide. The anti-shake function built into the pen reduces the risk of imperfections in the drawing due to poor movement.

Programmable keys are also available. There are 8 of them and they are divided into 2 groups of 4 buttons.

Advantages

• Large work area with high resolution;
• Rich equipment;
• Mode switch button on the stylus;

disadvantages

• Rough active surface;
• Reinstallation of drivers is periodically required;
• The surface is easily scratched, but it does not affect the work;

Triumph Tablet RF40

Rating: 4.7

Why second place: Huge functionality – but more expensive than its predecessor.

Description: A wireless graphics tablet with a large enough active area (6 “x 8”). A good solution for aspiring artists and designers. Working surface sensitivity – 2000 lines per inch; the supplied stylus recognizes up to 1024 degrees of pressure. This is complemented by 16 programmable buttons on which you can 'hang' any desired instruments and key combinations.

Free up desk space with a 2.4GHz wireless radio connection. The built-in battery is recharged using the supplied LCD cable.

An interesting feature of the tablet (more precisely, the bundled software for it) is the saving and publication of handwritten notes. Therefore, the device can be used not only for drawing.

The tablet design includes a small LCD display that displays the selected tools, operating mode, battery power and other parameters.

Advantages

• Wireless connection;
• Wide functionality;
• Large number of programmable buttons;
• Attractive design;

disadvantages

• Relatively low resolution;
• Poor location of programmable keys;
• Relatively low pen sensitivity;

The best tablet for artists and designers

Wacom Cintiq 22HD DTK-2200

Rating: 5.0

Why Choose It: A huge 22-inch interactive tablet display with FHD H-IPS screen, Wacom stylus and licensed graphics processing software included.

Description: The Wacom Cintiq 22HD DTK-2200 is perhaps the perfect tool for artists, designers and other graphics professionals. Structurally, it's more of a tablet computer than just a graphics tablet.

The tablet is equipped with a 22-inch FHD-display, which is made using IPS technology and provides rich, lifelike colors. But the main advantage of the device is the proprietary Wacom pen, which recognizes both the intensity of pressing (up to 2048 steps) and the angle of inclination (up to 60 degrees). Includes as many as 10 stylus nibs – 6 standard, 3 'felt-tip' and 1 'brush'.

Thanks to the installed operating system Windows with additional graphics processing software, the tablet can be used separately from the computer, turning into a full-fledged workplace.

Advantages

• Excellent display
• Touch panels for fine-tuning instruments;
• Swivel stand;
• Autonomy;
• Rich equipment;
• Branded Wacom pen;

disadvantages

• Large, bulky.

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Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

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