If you’re looking to get into digital drawing or painting, it helps to have the right kind of hardware and software. When it comes to finding the best drawing tablet for Photoshop, or other kinds of work with different software, look at some of the popular brands and models below to determine which one fits you the best.
While all of them are good, most people will find that Wacom Cintiq 16 offers the best set of features, which could be particularly useful if you plan to use it extensively.
Wacom Cintiq 16
Wacom has a lot of good models available when it comes to drawing tablets. They’ve been producing them for years now and have different models at different price points.
The Wacom Cintiq 16 is in a great spot: it has a selection of awesome features that should impress artists with their utility and function while remaining affordable and not in the higher range of some of these tablets, which can go for several thousands of dollars.
Wacom Cintiq 16 goes for about a little over $600. The other Wacom models go for far more except the Wacom One, which is about $400 on Amazon.
What kind of features does this model have, and why is it one of the best tablets for Photoshop?
- It has a variety of different pressure levels and insane precision, letting artists make micro-movements and tiny details that can help their art stand out and shine
- The screen is 16” 1080P and has a scratch-resistant surface/coating to ensure the longevity of the screen and make sure the product remains useful.
- Millions of different colors and the pen is battery-free and charges from the screen as you draw and write.
The Wacom Cintiq 16 is in a great price range for what it offers. It has good quality, expert craftsmanship, and even works with a bunch of other software besides Photoshop if you have different interests or needs. The Wacom can perform great at every level as a device for creating different kinds of digital art.
HUION Kamvas 13 Black
The Huion Kamvas 13 Black is another great drawing tablet. HUION possesses a variety of tablets at different ranges as well.
The Kamvas 13 Black is one of their cheaper models, going for only about $260. It’s on the cheaper end of drawing tablets, but this device can still perform well.
As with all of the devices on this list, it’s capable of working with Photoshop, and also supports a wide range of OSes that it will function with. It’s great for a professional artist, someone new to the industry, or even just someone looking to take up digital drawing as a casual hobby.
It can also game, sign digital documents, paint and sketch, of course, and has a whole bunch of other minor side-functions.
When it comes to value at a price, the Kamvas 13 occupies a really great spot. It has standard-industry features like millions of colors and battery-free pen support, as well as a few other nice little tidbits that make it stand out a bit more.
The Huion Kamvas 13 Black has:
- Huge support for all kinds of Android devices and different OSes, like the Samsung Galaxy Note, the Samsung Galaxy, and other models
- A fully-laminated anti-glare glass panel, with 60-degree pen tilt and 8,192 levels of touch pressure when it comes to the screen sensing your pen
- Has a wide variety of functions, like e-learning and teaching, gaming, video editing, and more, in addition to the normal art functions
If you want power and value at a really good price, the Huion Canvas 13 Black is a great choice for the buyer who wants to get the absolute most bang for their buck.
It possesses a smaller screen and is missing a few features that the Wacom doesn’t have (such as some programs that Wacom supports that Huion doesn’t), but considering the price difference, that may be exactly what someone is looking for.
XPEN Artist12
The cheapest model on this list, the XPEN Artist12 is a digital drawing tablet that’s capable of working with Photoshop, Illustrator, SketchBook Pro, Medibang, and more.
It supports all recent Windows and Mac OS versions. It supports a similar amount of colors and touch-pressure as the other tablets do, and it comes with a one-year warranty and lifetime technical support.
The XPEN Artist12 also offers support for using streaming platforms like Youtube, Twitch, Khan Academy, Code Academy, and more.
This is very useful for educators and people who wish to show others what they’re doing at the moment, for any reason.
Some of the XPEN’s best features are as follows:
Cheap price and support for streaming platforms, while also having industry-standard pressure technology and millions of colors
- Useful for animation and 3D modeling, among other applications and software
- The smaller size means that it’s more portable, and can fit and be used in many different places and workspaces
- Supports a wide variety of products and software
The XPEN Artist12 is a very cheap drawing tablet that has a lot of features and support for tons of popular products and software, all at an amazing price point.
It’s a great option for a smaller tablet, good for a small desk or work at home. It’s the cheapest model in this review.
Conclusions & Thoughts
For the brand name and the sheer power and size, Wacom has the best drawing tablet available and affordable to the average consumer.
The Huion is a bit less expensive and smaller, as a middle-tier price option, with a bunch of great features that make it really wonderful for what you pay for it.
Finally, the XPEN Artist12 is cheap but has support for streaming and a ton of other products in a nifty, affordable package.
Any three of these products would be great for a digital artist or a hobbyist looking to get into digital drawing, but if you have concerns or aren’t sure which to pick, go with what price and set of features feel best for you.
No matter which one you choose, however, they should be able to fulfill your need for some of the best drawing tablets available on the market.
Drawing Tablets with No Screen
One thing that should be mentioned about the drawing tablets above, is that they are all equipped with screens/displays.
Drawing tablets come with and without screens and each has its pros and cons.
A drawing tablet with a screen is essentially not much different from a normal tablet. In fact, some of the more recent iPad models that support the apple pencil can work quite well as a drawing tablet.
Having a screen on your drawing tablet can make your drawing and editing experience much smoother compared to one without, and it is something you will really appreciate when you are doing some advanced work in photoshop.
However, it is definitely possible to get used to and work with a drawing tablet with no screen. They usually come at a lower price and if you are interested, you can check out this list of drawing tablets with no screen.
