The best drawing tablets for beginners and professionals

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Whether you’re just starting out as a digital artist or you’re a full-fledged creative professional, a drawing tablet is one of the most important tools you could have in your arsenal. They come in different shapes and sizes, and made by various brands, but their primary purpose are all the same — provide a better alternative to using your mouse in drawing art. If you’re thinking about getting one but you don’t know where to start in making your decision, you’ve come to the right place because we’ve rounded up the best drawing tablets for beginner and professional digital artists below.

The best drawing tablets

• Best drawing tablet overall: Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2022)
• Best drawing tablet with pen: Wacom Intuos Pro Medium
• Best drawing tablet with display: XP-Pen Artist 12
• Best drawing tablet on Android: Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
• Best drawing tablet on a budget: Wacom Intuos Small

How to choose a drawing tablet

There’s an overwhelming number of options in the market for drawing tablets, so you should start by going for trusted brands such as Apple, Samsung, Wacom, and XP-Pen. You should also know that there are two major types of drawing tablets — those that come with a pen that you use on a blank surface to control your computer’s cursor, and those that come with a display where you draw directly on their screen. You need to figure out where you’re more comfortable as an artist before making the decision on what kind of drawing tablet to buy.

Other important features to consider when buying a drawing tablet include the size of their display or active surface area, their weight in case you’re thinking about carrying them with you at all times, and their connectivity options with other devices. Last but not least, you better think about how much you’re willing to spend on a drawing tablet, and you shouldn’t go over it to avoid the stress of overspending.

How we chose these drawing tablets

We want you to get the best bang for your buck, so we’ve chosen the drawing tablets that offer amazing value for money with features and specifications that are worth their respective prices. A drawing tablet needs to be reliable and durable as you may use them for long hours when working on a project, and we’re sure that any of our recommendations won’t let you down. You have to hurry with your purchase once you’ve decided what to get though, as there’s no assurance that stocks of these drawing tablets will always be available.

Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2022)

The 2022 Apple iPad Pro with a 12.9-inch screen, which is compatible with the the second-generation Apple Pencil, is our top pick among the best drawing tablets. That’s partly because its Liquid Retina XDR display featuring ProMotion, True Tone, and P3 wide color is downright gorgeous, which will give justice to your works of art. The tablet is powered by Apple’s M2 chip, which promises powerful performance, while iPadOS 17 enables the latest features beyond using the 2022 Apple iPad Pro as a drawing tablet and makes it a great addition for artists who have invested in the Apple ecosystem.

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Wacom Intuos Pro Medium

The Wacom Intuos Pro comes in three sizes — Small, Medium, and Large — with the Wacom Intuos Pro Medium offering an active surface area of 8.7 inches by 5.8 inches. The drawing tablet comes with the Wacom Pro Pen 2, an ultra-responsive and battery-free pen that will let you draw with exceptional sensitivity. You can personalize the drawing tablet with touch gestures and programmable buttons, and it’s compatible with both Windows and MacOS computers.

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XP-Pen Artist 12

For a drawing tablet with a display, you can’t go wrong with the XP-Pen Artist 12. It’s equipped with an 11.6-inch HD screen that shows sharp details and vivid colors, and there’s a slim touch bar that you can program to zoom in and out, or scroll up and down. There are also six shortcut keys that are customizable, and it comes with a battery-free stylus with a digital eraser at the other end. The XP-Pen Artist 12 also works with both Windows and MacOS, as well as most graphics software.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

Android fans who want a device with functions beyond a drawing tablet can invest in the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, which comes with the S-Pen stylus that you can use for your drawing projects. The device features a 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen, and it’s powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip for smooth performance. It’s also a great choice if you want a drawing tablet with durability, as it’s protected by an Armor Aluminum frame and an IP68 rating for resistance against water and dust.

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Wacom Intuos Small

The Wacom Intuos may be affordable, but it’s going to give you all the benefits of a drawing tablet at a low price, which makes it a perfect choice for beginners. The Wacom Intuos Small Wired, which is the cheapest option, offers an active surface area of 6 inches by 4 inches, on which you can draw with all of the popular graphics software. The ergonomic and lightweight pen grants precision and control, and you can customize its buttons as well as the ExpressKeys on the drawing tablet.

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This article is managed and created separately from the Digital Trends Editorial team.