The Best Drawing Tablets for Making Art in the 21st Century

Table of Contents

• The Best Drawing Tablets For Most Artists

• The Best Drawing Tablets for Beginners

• The Best Drawing Tablets for Professionals

Most artists find out at an early age that they have the creative gene. Doodling on papers, on the back of notebooks and breaking out paintbrushes are all early signs of an artist. Somewhere down the line, the physical “paintbrush to canvas” turns into computer programs and mouse clicks. But there will never be anything that can replace drawing with a pen, pencil or paintbrush using your own hands. For the artist in the digital era, drawing tablets seamlessly merge the physical creative world with the digital one.

In this post, we’ll help you select the best drawing tablet for your creative needs, whether you’re looking for a cheap tablet for sketches or a top-rated tablet designed for professional artists. Below, you’ll find an FAQ to help you select the right product, as well as our drawing tablet reviews. Keep scrolling to find the best drawing tablets for sale in 2021.

The Best Drawing Tablets For Most Artists

There’s a wide variety of drawing tablets you’ll find below, but first up are what we consider the best drawing tablets for the typical artist. Whether you’re a hobbyist or an aspiring pro, these tablets will offer you advanced features at accessible price points. And as noted above, most of these are on sale at the moment! We’ve highlighted the top tablets and called out their specific sales in blue just beneath their product descriptions.

If ever there was a time to get your hands on the best drawing tablets, it’s now!

1. XP-Pen Artist 15.6 Pro

There are a few slight tweaks that make the XP-Pen Artist 15.6 Pro slightly more user friendly than the cheaper Artist 15.6. For starters, the touch bar was replaced with a red touch dial that provides more accuracy and control with 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity and 1080p resolution packed into its 15.6-inch screen. The display is also improved upon with a 178-degree viewing angle. Furthermore, the Pro supports up to 60-degree angling with the stylus for more hands-on control and less adjusting your software for the right brush strokes. And if you manage to find it on sale, it won’t cost much more than the standard Artist 15.6.

Story continues

15% Off

Buy: XP-Pen Artist 15.6 Pro $339.99

2. GAOMON PD1560 Drawing Tablet

If you’re looking to step-up your drawing tablet game without breaking the bank, go for this Gaomon PD1560. It has an onboard HD monitor, 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity, and a large 15.6-inch workspace. The device also features an adjustable arm stand for the perfect angle, making it highly ergonomic. It’s great for professionals, but if digital art is a just hobby, then this is still a serious upgrade. This is also one of the best drawing tablets for students thanks to its user-friendly features and affordable price. Finally, left-handed users can access leftie mode so they’re not left out of the fun.

3. Microsoft Surface Book 3

When you pair the Surface Book 3 with the Surface Pen (sold separately), you get a portable and pressure-sensitive graphics tablet. With 4,096 pressure points on the Surface Pen on a 13.5-inch touch screen with 3000 x 2000 resolution, you get more control and better visuals, which make for cleaner lines and better drawings. And you can use your choice of artist software such as Photoshop or Corel Painter and others. On top of all that, when you don’t feel like drawing, you have a tablet with full laptop power at your disposal with an Intel Core i7 CPU and 16 GB of RAM. In short, this is a great all-in-one solution for artists on the hunt for the best drawing tablets and laptops in one.

Buy: Microsoft Surface Book 3 $2,760.99

Buy: Microsoft Surface Pen $67.99

4. Galaxy Tab S7

While you might not get the pressure sensitivity from a tablet like the Galaxy Tab S7 as you would, say, the XP-Pen Artist 15.6 Pro, the Tab S7 does allow you to draw and create using the illustration software of your choice but also provides the extras of one of the best tablets available. Sticking with its creative strengths, the S-Pen not only allows you to draw, but you can also remotely snap pictures and control movies. And when you’re done, it magnetically snaps to the side of your tablet to charge.

Get $50 Off

Buy: Galaxy Tab S7 $597.70

5. Wacom Intuos Pro L Drawing Tablet

If you want the premium feel of a Wacom product, but don’t quite want to plunk down on a pen display, the Wacom Intuos Pro L is the next best drawing tablet you can get your hands on. With 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity and multitouch capabilities, the spacious 12.1 x 8.4-inch workspace on this tablet will have you creating masterpieces in no time. While it may not have a built-in display, it is wireless, so you don’t have to worry about annoying cables, and it comes with the Wacom Pro Pen 2 which is the industry standard when it comes to digital drawing instruments.

Read More: The Best Samsung Tablets

Buy: Wacom Intuos Pro L $499.95

The Best Drawing Tablets for Beginners

6. Wacom Intuos S Drawing Tablet

With a dot grid to help beginners draw straight lines and keep things to scale, along with a textured surface that feels like pen to paper, the Wacom Intuos S is a great choice for entry-level graphic designers. The 6 x 3.7-inch drawing surface provides 4,096 levels of pressure which is plenty for a beginner to have complete control, but not overly sensitive to become overwhelming. It comes with Corel AfterShot and Corel Painter Essentials 6 so beginning artists can get right to work.

Read More: Best Gaming Tablets

Buy: Wacom Intuos S $78.23

7. XP-Pen Deco 01 V2 Drawing Tablet

The XP-Pen Deco 01 V2 is affordable and ideal for online learning. It has a big 10 x 6.25-inch workspace providing plenty of room to draw or write. It works in both portrait and landscape orientation which is useful depending on what you are working on. You might want to use portrait when you are working on a math problem in MS Word, or landscape when you are making edits in Photoshop. Speaking of, when you’re using the stylus, it can tilt 60 degrees so you can be more interactive with the pen and less with the software.

14% Off

Buy: XP-Pen Deco 01 V2 Drawing Tablet $59.99

8. XP-Pen G430S

If you’re new to drawing tablets, digital art or just art in general, you don’t have to risk dropping hundreds and then realizing digital art isn’t for you. This tablet (also from XP-Pen) costs just $20, and while it’s not prepared for serious art, it’s fantastic for messing around with and learning the craft. Plus, it comes very highly-rated with over 400 reviews and 4.3 stars.

Read More: Best Tablets for College

9. Huion H420 Drawing Tablet KIT

There are a few accessories that upgrade the drawing tablet experience, and this bundle has them all. This affordable tablet from Huion includes cleaning supplies, anti-fouling gloves, pen tip replacements and more. You get all this for under $30, making it another great option for beginners or gifting.

10. XP-Pen Artist 12

If you’re looking for the best drawing tablets with screens, one of our overall favorites is this XP-PEN Artist 12. It’s simple and reasonably priced at $200, but still has some premium features to keep a professional in business. The device boasts the highest pressure sensitivity possible with 8,192 levels, an elegant, handy touch bar on the side and a crisp HD display. Pick up one of these for any artistic job, drawing hobby, or as a great gift for any artistic soul in your life.

SAVE $30

11. Huion Inspiroy H640P

Looking for a compact yet professional tablet? Go for this thin, 6.3 x 3.9-inch Huion Inspiroy. It’s a clear upgrade from the Huion tablet above thanks to 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity, a battery-free stylus and android compatibility for drawing on-the-go. It’s a good beginner tablet, but can also be used as a back-up or traveling tablet for professionals.

The Best Drawing Tablets for Professionals

12. Wacom Cintiq Pro 24 Pen

In the digital art world, Wacom’s Cintiq Pro is the crème de la crème amongst the best drawing tablets. It boasts an incredible 24-inch, full-4K display with 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity, making it the best screen you’ll find anywhere. This means clear, virtually lag-free drawing and designing, and freedom to make whatever you want. For professional artists, you won’t find a better option anywhere. The best drawing tablets don’t come cheap, and this device has everything creators could want.

13. Apple iPad Pro Tablet

iPad Pro is about as powerful as a tablet can get. And when you pair it with an Apple Pencil, or an Apple Pencil alternative, you can really create some artistic magic with it. The Liquid Retina True Tone display looks absolutely incredible on both the 11-inch and 12.9-inch models and provides the clarity to see every detail in your drawings. It’s compatible and powerful enough to run major editors like Photoshop, so no need for an additional computer. And it’s small enough to bring with you wherever you go. iPad makes a strong case as a drawing tablet.

Buy: iPad Pro $1,028.94

14. Huion Kamvas 24 Drawing Tablet

What do you get when you combine a 1440p laminated IPS display with 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity, 20 programmable keys, an anti-glare coating and a wide color gamut that can cover 120% of the sRGB color space? Well, you get Huion Kamvas 24, which is the best drawing tablet for pros on a budget. This pen display represents a step up from a graphics tablet, and while that means a decidedly larger price tag, it’s still a great value relative to similar products on the market.

Buy: Huion Kamvas 24 $899.00

15. Wacom Mobile Studio Pro 13 Drawing Tablet

If you’re looking for a no-compromises drawing tablet that is also fully portable, then look no further than the Wacom Mobile Studio Pro 13. A completely self-contained pen display, the Mobile Studio Pro 13 sports a 4K display and running Windows 10. The secret to this drawing tablet’s power is the fact that it has an Intel Core i7 CPU, 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD under the hood. Combined with the Wacom Pro Pen 2’s 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity and you have a drawing tablet that you can use absolutely anywhere and can handle nearly anything you throw at it.

Buy: Wacom Mobile Studio Pro 13 $2,599.95

More from SPY

Best of SPY