Drawing tablets are computer tablet-like or panel-like devices you use with your computer. They let you create art or other types of multimedia by measuring the pressure of a stylus.
The best drawing tablets we tested range in price from under $100 to nearly $500.
Just Buy This (All Around Best)
Wacom One 12 Pen Display
TL;DR: The Wacom One 12 Pen Display may not offer wireless connectivity, but most creatives will enjoy this excellent quality, easy-to-use, and flexible display tablet.
Why We Recommend This
We recommend the Wacom One because although it costs around $300, it’s a great value, given that many display tablets are much pricier. It worked very well in my hands-on tests, whether using it to remove dust and scratches, perform other photo edits on a digital scan of an old photograph, or for traditional drawings or paintings.
Since it’s a display, you can draw or paint directly on it. That is handy when working on complex projects like animations. Once you download and install the drivers (found on the support section of its website, where you’ll find a link to a manual), it runs on either Mac OS or Windows OS.
It worked great on imaging and drawing apps, like Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter, and it was also handy when used with audio creation software (like Reason 12) or note-taking apps (such as Notability or Microsoft OneNote).
Offers lots of on-screen programmable shortcuts
Screen is matte and slightly textured
Handy loop keeps pen attached
No physical shortcut keys
Lacks Bluetooth or wireless connectivity
Wacom has produced great drawing tablets for decades, which is why so many creatives, from illustrators to photographers to animators, have relied on its drawing tablets and displays.
The Wacom One display, which measures 11.8 x 7.5 x 0.1 inches and has a 1920 x 1080 resolution, continues Wacom’s tradition of quality by producing an outstanding drawing display that’s also affordable, even for students.
Wacom also makes a pricier version, the Wacom One 13, which has a larger screen and "10-finger multi-touch" capability.
You can program the pen to call up an on-screen menu with eight programmable shortcuts (save, undo, redo, step backward, step forward, and many others).
Like all the tablets and pens in this story, the Wacom One did a great job on all my tests and had virtually no lag. It also performed consistently from app to app. I enjoyed working on animations using the Wacom One, which can involve complicated interfaces. Using an easy-to-use, straightforward, portable display made the process much easier.
I liked the quality of the screen, which is matte to minimize glare and slightly textured to mimic the texture of some watercolor papers.
Some artists may miss having physical shortcut keys to press for repeated actions, like undoing or increasing the brush size. However, Wacom’s driver lets you program several helpful on-screen shortcuts. For instance, you can program your pen to call up an on-screen radial menu or express menu, offering eight programmable shortcuts (save, undo, redo, step backward, step forwards, and many others).
Additionally, it lets you program additional on-screen panels, such as a keypad or app shortcuts, which will also appear on the tablet’s screen for you to touch and make an edit or change. It does take a little time to figure out the on-screen shortcuts, but once you do, it works almost the same way as pressing a physical button on the side of the tablet.
One additional downside is that it doesn’t have Bluetooth or wireless connectivity. Overall, this display is an excellent addition to any artist’s toolkit.
- Who else recommends it? TechRadar, WIRED, and CGMagazine recommend the Wacom One display tablet.
- What do buyers say? On Amazon, The Wacom One received 87% four- and five-star ratings and over 3,300 global ratings.
Best Drawing Tablet with Bluetooth
Wacom Intuos Medium Bluetooth Graphics Drawing Tablet
TL;DR: If you’re looking for a well-designed, easy-to-use drawing tablet that’s also wireless and relatively inexpensive, this Wacom tablet should fit the bill.
Why We Recommend This
One reason we like this tablet is that it comes with Bluetooth, which allows you to work on your projects without needing to connect via a wired connection. So, there's no need to get tangled up in your wires while you're working. It's also relatively inexpensive, selling for about $100, which makes it an excellent value.
Unlike some tablets, like the Wacom One, it has four physical short-cut buttons, which users can program for repeated actions, like undo, save, and other commands.
Bluetooth lets you work wirelessly
Very lightweight and portable
Four shortcut keys
Adjusting driver settings can be a little confusing
This Wacom tablet stands out because it comes with Bluetooth technology, which allows you to draw, paint, or edit photos without connecting via a USB cable. (However, it also has a USB cord to connect to your computer and charge the tablet.) Although I didn’t test the battery life in Bluetooth mode, the manufacturer states it has 15 hours of battery life.
Overall, I also found it easy to set up and use. So, I was up and running very quickly. One aspect that wasn’t as easy to use as other tablets, including the Wacom One, was adjusting driver settings, such as the pressure. For instance, on the Wacom One, I could set the tip sensitivity for a softer or firmer feel and then test it in the test area above it, where I could draw a line to see how the change affected the line. However, the Intuos driver didn’t have a test area to draw a line and test the new setting.
Still, this tablet performed well in all my tests, using various imaging and drawing apps, like Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter. It also worked well with audio creation software (like Reason 12) or note-taking apps (Notability or Microsoft OneNote). Once you download and install the drivers (found on the support section of its website, where you’ll find a link to a manual), it runs on either Mac OS or Windows OS.
- Who else recommends it? Digital Trends and the New York Times recommend Wacom Intuos M with Bluetooth.
- What do buyers say? On Amazon, the Wacom Intuos M with Bluetooth received 88% four- and five-star ratings and has more than 18,500 global ratings.
Large Tablet (Splurge)
Huion Kamvas 22 Series Drawing Tablet
TL;DR: The Huion Kamvas 22 Plus is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a large drawing display tablet but don’t want to spend much money.
Why We Recommend This
We recommend the Huion Kamvas 22 Plus since it offers a large display for a relatively decent price, although at $550, it’s still a bit pricey. In my hands-on tests, I found it worked very well on many different projects.
I enjoyed creating traditional still-life paintings using this display since it reminded me of working with oil on canvas or pastels on paper. It’s also handy when you’re working on complex projects like animations.
Easy to set up and use
Very versatile, great for working in animation
Includes a sturdy adjustable stand
Heavy and not very portable
Lacks physical shortcut keys
It runs on either Mac OS or Windows OS once you download and install the drivers (found on the support section of its website, where you’ll also find a link to a manual). It worked great on various imaging and drawing apps, like Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter.
Still, it was also handy with audio creation software (like Reason 12) or note-taking apps (such as Notability or Microsoft OneNote). It also comes with a pen and a pen holder, which holds extra nibs for the pen.
You can mimic the experience of painting or drawing in traditional, real-world media, like oil on canvas or pastel on watercolor paper, without worrying about getting pigment on your clothes.
One of the great things about creating drawings, paintings, or other kinds of projects on a large drawing display tablet is that you can mimic the experience of painting or drawing in traditional, real-world media, like oil on canvas or pastel on watercolor paper, (although you don’t have to worry about getting pigment on your clothes or turpentine fumes).
But to get a large display like this, you generally had to pay quite a bit. However, for its size and quality, the Huion Kamvas 22 Plus, which measures 21.5 x 12.7 x 1.1 inches and includes a full HD resolution (1920 x 1080) display, is still relatively affordable.
One aspect I really liked about setting up the Kamvas 22 Plus was its very sturdy stand, which is easily adjustable. So I could prop it up closer to 90 degrees or lay it down flatter, closer to a 45-degree angle.
It’s not perfect, though. It still costs over $500, which makes it a bit pricey for a drawing tablet. However, some of Wacom’s Cintiq models cost more than $2,000. Another downside to the Kamvas 22 Plus is its lack of physical short-cut buttons, like those found on the Huion Inspiroy or the Wacom Intuos.
It’s also pretty heavy for a display and not very portable. Nevertheless, many artists will find much to like about this powerful and versatile drawing display tablet from Huion.
- Who else recommends it? Fstoppers, CreativeBloq, and Yahoo recommend the Huion Kamvas 22 Plus drawing display tablet.
- What do buyers say? On Amazon, the Huion Kamvas 22 Plus received 86% four- and five-star ratings and has more than 450 global ratings.
Easiest on the Budget
Huion Inspiroy 2 Medium Drawing Tablet
TL;DR: Although some artists may opt for a pricier drawing display tablet, the Huion Inspiroy 2 gives users a lot for the money—including eight express keys, three group keys, a scroll wheel, an excellent-quality pen, and a wonderful textured surface to draw on.
Why We Recommend This
We recommend the Huion Inspiroy 2 M drawing tablet mainly because it offers some very well-designed features at a low price point, making it an excellent value.
Like most tablets, and all the ones recommended in this story, the Inspiroy 2 M ($62.99) can run on either Mac OS or Windows OS once you download and install the drivers (found on the support section of its website, where you’ll find a link to a manual). However, Huion goes the extra mile and includes drivers for Linux computers.
Includes a handy scroll wheel
Eight express keys (shortcuts)
Includes three group keys
Lacks Bluetooth functionality
While I found the tablet excellent for imaging and drawing apps, like Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter, it was also handy with audio creation software (like Reason 12) or note-taking apps (such as Notability or Microsoft OneNote). It also comes with a pen and a pen holder, which holds extra nibs.
I liked the textured surface of this drawing tablet. It has a slight tooth, mimicking the texture on the surface of some watercolor or pastel papers.
There’s much to like about the Inspiroy 2 M, which measures 7.1 x 12 x 0.3 inches. (This model is also available in smaller and larger versions.) It’s easy to set up by itself: There’s just one cable (a USB-A on one end and a USB-C on the other that attaches to the tablet). After you’ve installed the driver, which is easy to find on the Huion website, it’s also straightforward to use.
Like all the tablets and pens in this story, the Inspiroy 2 M performed exceptionally well on all my tests and had virtually no lag. It also performed consistently from app to app.
Here are some standout features. For starters, I liked the textured surface of this drawing tablet. It has a slight tooth, mimicking the texture on the surface of some watercolor or pastel papers. It also comes with an excellent selection of on-board controls: You get eight ExpressKeys (customizable buttons) and three group keys, which let you control a set of shortcuts. So you have, in effect, 24 shortcut keys at your fingertips.
Additionally, you have another excellent control, the scroll wheel, which is in the middle of the eight express keys. For example, one default setting (in one of the three groups) is to adjust brush size, which can be a great time saver since you won’t need to switch to your keyboard. These short-cut keys are also customizable in the driver.
Last but certainly not least, Huion also included an excellent-quality pen and a pen holder in the box, so you have a better chance of not losing your pen.
- Who else recommends it? The New York Times Wirecutter and Mighty Gadget recommend the Huion Inspiroy 2 M drawing tablet.
- What do buyers say? On Amazon, the Huion Inspiroy 2 M received 88% four- and five-star ratings and has more than 450 global ratings.
How We Tested
Although they’ve been around for more than 20 years, it appears that we’re in a Renaissance or Golden Age, of sorts, for these devices since the ones I recently tested worked exceptionally well and had very few flaws, whether they cost more than $500 or less than $100.
They’ve improved so much for two reasons. The first is that multiple companies make these competent, feature-rich, and versatile devices.
The second reason is that the laptops and mobile devices drawing tablets connect to are far more powerful and offer better connectivity than in the past.
Graphics, Audio, and Animation
I used my disparate skills and experience as a technology writer, artist, musician, and photographer to develop a functional multimedia test suite for drawing and drawing display tablets. In Adobe Photoshop, I used various tools to remove dust, spots, and blemishes on an old black-and-white photo.
I also used Photoshop to launch a plugin, BorisFX, to add various effects to a self-portrait. Next, I used Corel Painter to replicate the appearance of a traditional drawing or a painting of a still life. I also used Adobe Premiere Rush to create a short video clip with a title, filters, transition effects, and audio clips.
Additionally, I tested each tablet to see how it worked in an audio-based program (Reason 12) and a note-taking app (Notability).
Since drawing display tablets, which are similar to conventional computer tablets, like an Apple iPad, allow you to engage in a slightly more precise method of drawing and painting, I created an additional test for them: I made a short animation video (based on a selfie photo) using the paint tools in Adobe After Effects to see how well it handled in an animation app.
For this story, we didn’t include tablets like the Apple iPad Pro, which, when used with an Apple Pen, functions very similarly to a drawing tablet.
What to Look For
If you’re a beginner, consider using a pen tablet since it’s less expensive and easier to learn. There are two types: with and without a display. Both types require a computer connection to access drawing apps.
The upside is that they benefit from your computer's processing power and don't need to be charged.
For complex projects, particularly in animation, you may consider a standalone drawing display tablet since it mimics the artistic process of drawing or painting on a support panel (paper, canvas, etc.).
A standalone drawing tablet works like an iPad or Samsung tablet; you don't need to connect it to a computer to use it, but you'll need to recharge it regularly. Pro-level tablet models from Apple, Google, and Samsung also make good drawing tablets.