If you’re looking for a drawing tablet with a screen, then you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll be reviewing the best drawing tablets with screens on the market. So you can make an informed decision about which one is right for you.
So, without further ado, let’s get started!
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iPad Pro 2021
Specs: M1 chip, 8 core CPU, up to 2TB of storage and 16GB of RAM
Display size: 11″ or 12.9″ Liquid Retina display
Price: from $799
The iPad Pro is a great option for those who are looking for a powerful and portable drawing tablet with a screen. It’s powered by Apple’s M1 chip, which gives it impressive performance, and it has a large Liquid Retina Display. The colour accuracy is near perfect, with vibrant tones and deep dark shades.
This is the best drawing tablet with a screen on the market for those who want a versatile device, that they can use for drawing, photography, videography, listening to music and more. It’s the most powerful iPad available, with 16GB of RAM, all your most demanding creative apps will run smoothly. Plus, with up to 512GB
Draw on the iPad using the Apple Pencil (2nd Generation), which has lag free tracking and tilt sensitivity that is designed to work like a regular pencil. So if you’re working in Photoshop or Procreate and decide to shade at an angle, the Apple Pencil will simulate the effect of shading with the side of your pencil with a thicker line. The other great things about the Apple Pencil, is that it has palm rejection when working with the stylus, low latency, pressure sensitivity and incredible precision. The only downside is that the Apple Pencil will have to be bought separately from the iPad.
A number of great art softwares can be used on iPad, including Photoshop, Procreate and Clip Studio Paint to name just a few. The iPad Pro is also compatible with the Adobe Creative Cloud, so you can access all your favourite Adobe apps. The brush packs for Photoshop and Procreate make working with the softwares feel like a dream! Use the Apple Pencil to draw on the screen, to create effects that look similar to traditional mediums.
If you’re looking for a top of the range drawing tablet with a screen, then the iPad Pro is the one for you. For a review on the best iPads for drawing, check out our guide.
Wacom Cintiq Pro
Specs: Professional drawing tablet with stylus that has 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity, compatible with Mac, Windows & Linux
Display: 16″, 24″ or 32″ UHD 4k display with 98% Adobe RGB coverage
Price: from $1,499
The Wacom Cintiq Pro is a professional drawing tablet with a screen that offers excellent performance, and stunning visuals. It’s available in three different sizes, 16″, 24″ and 32″, so you can choose the one that best suits your needs. The display has stunning 4k resolution, and 98% Adobe RGB colour coverage, which makes it the perfect tablet for colour sensitive work, like designing prints.
With 4k resolution, you will be able to see all the smallest details and colour transitions in your work. When compared to regular HD drawing tablets with screens, subtle colour transitions and fine details appeared much clearer on the Wacom Cintiq Pro 4k screen.
The pen has 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity and the tablet supports a 60 degree tilted pen. The pressure sensitivity allows you to create subtle variations in line width and opacity, just like with a regular pencil or paintbrush.
The Wacom Cintiq Pro is compatible with Mac, Windows and Linux, simple connect with the 3in1 cable and follow the steps in the instructions to set it up and sync it. The tablet can be used with just about any digital art software, including free digital art softwares that you can run on your computer.
The 32″ tablet is the largest canvas ever made by Wacom, it reduces the need for panning and zooming in and out on the artwork. It also reduces the need for extra screens to display reference photos and composition sketches, as there is more than enough screen space to have it all right in front of you in one place.
Overall, this is a great tablet for professionals who have the budget to spend on a high spec piece of kit. However, it’s not the most portable tablet on the list, so it is more appropriate for office and studio use. It also needs a computer to work, as it does not have its own CPU.
Huion Kamvas Pro
Specs: 6 keys with customisable shortcuts, pen has 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity, compatible with Mac, Windows & Linux
Display: 15.6″ or 19.5″ IPS LCD display with 1920 x 1080 resolution and Huion’s signature anti-glare glass panel, 92% Adobe RGB coverage
Price: from $399
The Huion Kamvas Pro has a large screen with high definition and a pen that simulates a true to life drawing experience. The matte textured screen surface reduces glare and makes it easier on the eyes when working for long periods of time. The tablet is available in two sizes, 15.6″ and 19.5″, both with 1920 x 1080 resolution.
The pen has 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity and 60 levels of tilt recognition, so despite the lower price point, the experience of drawing on the screen is similar to the higher end professional models.
The tablet also comes with 6 keys that you can customise to create shortcuts for your favourite software functions. The keys are pressure sensitive, so you can set them to perform different functions depending on how hard you press them. This is a handy feature that can help speed up your workflow.
The Huion Kamvas Pro is compatible with Mac, Windows and Linux and can be used with any software that supports graphic tablets. It comes with a USB cable and an adapter, so you can just plug it in and start using it right away.
The only drawback of this tablet is the lack of 4k resolution. The colour accuracy also isn’t as high as the Wacom Cintiq Pro. However, at this price point it’s still a great value tablet.
Apple iPad Air 5th Gen
Specs: M1 chip, 64GB of storage, 8GB of RAM
Display: 10.9″ Liquid Retina display with True Tone and P3 wide color
Price: $499
The iPad Air 5th Generation comes at a much cheaper price point compared to the iPad Pro. It’s smaller and more lightweight. With less storage and RAM, the processing power isn’t top notch as it is with the iPad Pro, when testing both side by side, the iPad Pro is more efficient. However you will still be able to run all your favourite art software seamlessly and smoothly, without any lagging.
Just like with the iPad Pro, you can use the Apple Pencil 2nd Generation to create wonderful artworks with your drawing app of choice. If you want to create a laptop set-up, the iPad Air is compatible with the Magic Keyboard. This will give you the best of both worlds, a portable drawing tablet with the processing power and functionality of a laptop. So if you need a device to run your online art business, to update your website or reply to emails, this tablet is versatile enough to handle all those creative tasks.
Make sure to also get an iPad drawing stand—our review highlights the best stands for digital artists that provide stability when creating digital art.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+
Specs: 4G LTE connectivity, Octa-core processor, 256GB storage, up to 12GB of RAM
Display: 12.4″ Super AMOLED with 2800 x 1752 resolution
Price: $649
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ is one of the best Android tablets on the market. It’s fast, has a large screen and 4G LTE connectivity, so you can always stay connected. The processor is the Octa-core and it comes with 256GB of storage.
The 12.4″ Super AMOLED display is bright and clear. It’s large enough that you won’t have to zoom in and out too much when working on art projects. The tablet comes with the S Pen, so you can use it to draw, write or take notes.
One of the best features of this tablet is DeX mode. This allows you to use the tablet as a PC. You can connect a keyboard and mouse and use all your favourite Android apps on a larger screen. This is great for when you need to be productive and get work done.
If you need a fast, large screen Android tablet that can also double as a PC, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ is a great option.
UGEE U1600
Specs: Compatible with Windows, Mac & Linux, 8192 stylus pressure sensitivity levels, matte textured screen, 60° tilt sensing
Display: 15.4″ display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, 94% Adobe RGB accuracy
Price: $299.99
The UGEE U1600 is a budget friendly drawing tablet with a large screen. It’s a great choice for beginners who are serious about getting into digital art, as it has a great set of specs at a low price.
For the price, this tablet offers a large screen size, much larger than the regular 11″ or 12″ of other budget tablets.
It has a 15.4″ IPS display with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. It’s compatible with Mac, Windows and Android.
The colour accuracy is better than the Huion Kamvas Pro, but not as good as the Wacom Cintiq Pro. The tablet that this device could be most closely compared to is the Kamvas Pro, it has a similar textured matte screen which reduces glare and improves the friction on the surface. This creates a more realistic drawing experience.
One drawback of this tablet is that there are no buttons on the tablet itself. So you won’t be able to create hotkeys or shortcuts on the device. However, the stylus has three buttons and one for erasing.
The design of the tablet is simple, with fewer frills and switches than some of the higher end models. If you’re looking for tablet with 4K ultra high definition display, go for the Wacom Cintiq. However, if you’re looking for a cheaper tablet that rivals the more expensive options out there in terms of functionality, this is a great option.
Microsoft Surface Pro 8
Buy the Microsoft Surface Pro 8
Specs: Intel i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, 512GB storage, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB graphics card
Display: 15″ PixelSense display with 2280 x 1920 resolution, 10 point multi-touch support
Price: $1,499.99
The Microsoft Surface Book 8 is a high end drawing tablet with some great features.
The tablet has a 15″ PixelSense display with a 3000 x 2000 resolution. It also has 10 point multi-touch support, so you can use your fingers to draw directly on the screen.
The Surface Book 8 is powered by an Intel i7 processor and has 16GB of RAM. This is a great tablet, that bridges the gap between drawing tablet and laptop. Use this device for any of your art business needs. For running your favourite drawing software, editing images for print or doing the admin for your art shop.