The 10 Best Drawing Tablets 2020

In this article we’re counting down the best digital art tablets, starting with the most expensive pro-models and finishing with the best cheap drawing tablet.

How to Choose the Best Drawing Tablet for Your Needs

• Screen – Many of the professional drawing tablets come equipped with screens which some artists prefer. Also, consider the size and whether you value a larger active area over a portable design.
  
  
• Stylus – The more pressure levels, the more control you have while shading. Tilt-able styluses are great for replicating the way in which you’d use a traditional pencil or paintbrush. Look out for battery-free designs to remove the hassle of charging it between uses.
  
  
• Hotkeys – Customizable buttons that can be used with multiple third-party software can be extremely useful for productivity and timesaving.
  
  
• Connectivity – A wired tablet gives you less freedom of movement but can provide a more reliable connection. Whether you go wireless or not is a personal choice.

10. Wacom Cintiq 22HD ​

Wacom’s Touch Strip controls are great for zooming, scrolling, and changing brush size, giving you a much more intuitive way of working. Customizable ExpressKeys up your productivity by making it easy to access all your favorite shortcuts.

The rotating stand allows you to adjust your working position from portrait to landscape but the quality of it falls behind the build of the tablet itself, which is disappointing considering the high price of this drawing tablet.

9. XP-PEN Artist22E Pro

16 customizable shortcut keys can be linked to various third-party design software which is great if you tend to work with more than one program.

When compared with Wacom’s Cintiq 22HD, it’s cheaper, slimmer, and smaller, but the display lacks sharpness which can make it difficult to see fine detail in your sketches and paintings.

8. GAOMON PD1560

The 3-in-1 cable is also small-space friendly and solves the annoyance of having cables trailing all over your workspace (this is an issue with other options on our list). Ten express keys can be customized to suit your workflow, and the stand is easy to adjust to your perfect position.

If you rely heavily on color for your work, keep in mind that it can be difficult to match your computer’s colors exactly. Color accuracy is pretty decent straight out of the box though, so unless you’re a total perfectionist this probably won’t be an issue for you.

7. Huion KAMVAS Pro 13 GT-133

The Full HD screen packs in 16.7 million colors which matches the Cintiq 22HD, and with the industry’s highest report rate you’ll enjoy better performance and quicker response time.

The stylus matches XP-PEN and GAOMON’s offerings in terms of pressure sensitivity and it’s also tilt-able so you get the satisfying feel of real art tools.

There aren’t as many buttons on this drawing tablet so you won’t have as much control as you do with the larger, higher-priced models, and the slider can’t be assigned separately which makes it feel a little redundant. Our only other complaint is that the stand isn’t particularly well designed and you might get some slipping when using it at a steeper angle.

6. Wacom Intuos Pro Medium

Support for multi-touch gestures is a nice addition and gives you a more intuitive way to work. And, if you work with 3D you’ll love that this tablet provides full navigation control in this medium.

Built-in Bluetooth connectivity will please anyone who appreciates a tidy desk, and the lack of cables makes it ultra-portable. There’s also USB support if you do prefer to be wired in.

Our only complaint is that pencil nibs tend to wear down fairly quickly, but that’s hardly a deal breaker considering the many plus-points of this model.

There’s also a larger version of this drawing tablet if you’d prefer a bigger surface area with the same great features.

5. Artisul D13 S

The Full HD screen covers 16.7 million colors and 75% of the Adobe RGB color gamut so you can create shades and tones exactly as you imagined them. The included drawing glove ensures that your hand glides smoothly across the surface of the screen, making every drawing session effortless.

The six FastAccess keys and QuickDial combine to up your productivity and are fully customizable to suit how you work. The two side buttons on the pen make your creative process even more intuitive.

Connectivity is powered via USB for a neat and tidy setup, making it semi-portable should you need to work on the go. It’s worth noting though that there’s no option for standalone usage, so you’ll be chained to your computer when using this drawing tablet.

4. Simbans PicassoTab 

There are a few added extras with the PicassoTab including a pre-applied screen protector and a tablet case which makes this option even better value for money.

Connectivity includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS making this tablet a great all-rounder, but the small surface area and less-than-perfect screen might frustrate serious artists. Put simply: if you’re a pro, you might want to avoid this drawing tablet.

3. XP-PEN Deco 03

The passive pen has impressive sensitivity for a low-budget tablet and feels great to use. It’s equally as usable for left and right-handed people and the onboard buttons literally put control at your fingertips. For added productivity, XP-PEN’s signature Red Dial looks beautiful, feels like satin in your fingers and makes the tablet easy to control.

The main issue with this tablet is that it’s too sensitive to the pen’s presence, and it can register strokes when it’s hovering nearby. This can be irritating, but with regular use it’s easy to learn to work around this.

XP-PEN’s Deco 01 is another great option if your budget won’t stretch to the 03.

2. Huion H610 Pro 

Much like XP-PEN’s Deco 03, this is a super sensitive tablet and the buttons on the pen are also easy to catch, so you’ll need to learn to have a light hand with this product. There’s also a little lag when using some third-party programs, but it’s not noticeable enough to put you off purchasing this bargain drawing tablet.

1. Huion 420

The pressure levels of the pen don’t stand up against most of the drawing tablets on our list, so this might not be the best option for artists who mainly paint and draw. That being said, it has great battery life and the price is so good that it’s worth a try.

Conclusion

Wacom dominates the drawing tablet world and their Cintiq 22HD is unbeatable. The screen is built to perfection and the tilt-able pen is adored by traditional artists and hardcore digital artists alike. If you don’t have the budget and you can live without a screen, the wireless Intuos Pro Medium will satisfy all of your digital art needs. For those with a smaller budget, or for newcomers to digital art, we recommend XP-PEN’s Deco 03 for its pro features and entirely affordable price.

Which digital drawing tablet do you use for your artwork? Let us know in the comments.