The best drawing tablets of 2024: Expert recommended

Apple’s most powerful tablet is the best drawing tablet, thanks to its ease of use and superb display that provides crisp detail while drawing. ZDNET’s editor-in-chief, Jason Hiner, even said, “The M4 OLED iPad Pro is a much easier sell for professional digital artists.”

Apple gave the iPad Pro a notable upgrade in May with an M4 chip that delivers better performance, battery, and a brighter display. Both the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pros feature an OLED display with ProMotion with up to 1,600 nits for HDR content and improved color accuracy at a per-pixel level. If you are planning to do a lot of professional drawing work, you will have more than enough power with the Apple Silicon M4 chip and high storage options.

Review: Apple iPad Pro (7th generation)

ZDNET reviews editor June Wan went hands-on with the new iPad Pro and was completely impressed by its display, saying, “The iPad Pro is better purposed for consumers watching content, editing photos and videos, and handling other use cases that involve attention to visual detail.”

The tablet also has Apple Pencil Pro compatibility, giving you a professional feel while allowing you to draw by hand, like with a regular pencil. Upgrade to this model includes a squeeze function to switch between tools, colors, and line weights; a gyroscope barrel roll for precise brush and pen control; and custom haptic feedback that you can feel via a pulse. 

iPad Pro tech specs: Dimensions (L x W x H): 11-inch: 9.74 x 7.02 x 0.23 inches, 13-inches: 11.04 x 8.46 x 0.25-inches | Compatibility: iPad OS 17 and Apple Pencil Pro | Display: 11-inch and 13-inch OLED with 120Hz

If you’re shopping on a budget, Huion drawing tablets have come a long way in the last decade or so. While some of its models can go up to $600, this pen display tablet is an excellent budget option that costs just $250. 

This tablet has four user-defined express keys and a touch bar to control canvas zooming, brush adjusting, and page scrolling. Like the Wacom Intuos Pro, you can customize these express keys.

The display’s 120% sRGB color gamut volume presents 16.7 million colors vividly, and the anti-glare technology reduces glare while working in a brighter setting to shorten the distance between the pen nib and the cursor.

Chuan Shin, a freelance concept artist, told ZDNET that he works exclusively with Huion tablets. “Huion makes the best tablets when it comes to value and cost,” he said. “Huion also does not have issues with driver updates, which I appreciate.”

Even though this is a pen display tablet, this model still requires you to connect it to a computer or laptop for it to work. However, Reddit users note that the display screen is both glare and scratch resistant. 

Huion Kamvas Pro 12 tech specs: Dimensions (L x W x H): 13.78 x 7.82 x 0.43 inches | Active area: 10.09 x 5.68 inches | Compatibility: Linux(Ubuntu), Mac OS 10.12 and above, Windows 7 and above | Pressure levels: 8,192 and ±60 pen tilt support

Wacom is one of the industry leaders in drawing and graphics tablets. With virtually no lag and 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity in the included battery-free Wacom Pro Pen, the Wacom Intuos Pro is the best drawing tablet on the market for professional artists, such as Portia McLean who used the Intuos Pro for visual effects on Game of Thrones.

It comes with the included Wacom Pro Pen, which comes in three sizes (small, medium, and large) to suit all sizes of artwork and editing.

The tablet’s lightweight design makes it easy to use on your desk or lap, and you can customize everything from the tablet’s ExpressKeys to the Pro Pen 2’s buttons, depending on your favorite shortcuts. Reddit users note that the Pro Pen 2 is better than anything they have experienced in a stylus and that it alone is worth buying the Wacom Intuos Pro for. 

My experience with this tablet was fairly easy and enjoyable (especially for someone who is not a professional artist). The pen makes it easy to fine-tune details and brush strokes in any drawing program you are working on.

Read the review: This Wacom drawing tablet feels like putting pen to paper

Wacom Intuos Pro tech specs: Dimensions (L x W x H):13.14 inch x 8.54 x .31 inches | Active area: 8.7 x 5.8 inches | Compatibility: Mac OS X 10.12 or later / Windows 7 or later | Pressure levels: 8,192

Artists who are Wacom fans but prefer a pen display over a pen tablet should look no further than the Wacom Cintiq Pro 24. Although expensive (starting at $1,900), you get what you pay for, which is an incredible display, reliable software, and an excellent drawing experience.

The Wacom Cintiq Pro 24 comes in four sizes, depending on your drawing needs: 16″, 24″, 27″, or 32″. No matter what size you get, you can expect a 4K resolution display with industry-leading color accuracy (including 99% Adobe RGB coverage) so that you can see every tiny detail and stroke of your artwork, design, or photographic projects.

Jim Mortensen, a director, storyboard artist, and writer for animation, said he only uses Wacom tablets. After using the Wacom 21UX for 15 years, he upgraded to the Cintiq Pro 24 and said he couldn’t be happier.

“Wacom products have been incredibly reliable for me,” he said. “Their driver software is consistently reliable compared to other companies, and their software and hardware support have always been great. It will take a LOT for me to switch away.”

The tablet utilizes the same Pro Pen 2 as the Intuos Pro, so you’ll still get that pen-to-paper feel even on a tablet screen. Reddit users say that they ultimately chose the Cintiq Pro 24 thanks to its 4K resolution, glass surface and sheer precision.

Wacom Cintiq Pro 24 tech specs: Dimensions (L x W x H): 26.6 x 15.5 x 1.9 inches | Active area: 20.6 x 11.6 inches | Compatibility: Windows 7 or later, macOS X 10.11 or later | Pressure levels: 8,192

All of these drawing tablets come with a stylus pen to create with, but this tablet from Xencelabs lets you add more accessories to make your experience even better. You’ll get combo nibs, a drawing glove, a Quick Keys remote, and two battery-free pens for 2D and 3D design. Verified Amazon customers say that the customization options of this drawing tablet is ultimately what drove them to purchase it. 

It’s a pen tablet, so there is no display, but it is built with a gently curved armrest on the sides and is only 8mm thick, making it comfortable to use.

Nick Saporito, a graphic designer of over 10 years, who teaches how to use design software and drawing tablets on his YouTube channel, likes the precision and surface area of the Xencelabs Pen Tablet.

“The feature that stands out to me the most is the programmable controller it comes with,” Saporito said. “It can be used to create custom key bindings for whatever features you most commonly use. For example, you can program one of the buttons to ‘Undo’ by binding it to Control + Z.” 

He added that the glove that comes with the bundle makes it so the tablet won’t accidentally register your hand as a pen stroke and that the pens’ various removable tips allow for different types of brush strokes and detailing.

Xencelabs tech specs: Dimensions (L x W x H): 12.61 x 9.16 x 0.3 inches | Active area: 10.33 x 5.8 inches | Compatibility: Windows 10 and above, macOS 10.12 and newer | Pressure levels: 8,192

For digital artists who prefer a pen display, the Wacom One 13 Touch is a great option. What stands out in this drawing tablet is its touchscreen: the a 920 x 1080 Full HD resolution display allows for 10-finger multi-touch gestures, giving artists a new dimension of intuitive use and interaction. You can utilize several gestures like scrolling, panning, and zooming during the creative process while you’re drawing in a program, or you can turn it off altogether if you’d prefer. 

I was able to go hands-on with this drawing tablet and, like the Wacom Intuos Pro, was impressed by the pen-to-paper feel. The pen is also impressive and had great palm rejection technology. Plus, Wacom says you never have to charge it.

Review: This Wacom drawing tablet is loaded with perks digital artists will love

I could see artists who prefer a screen display but still want to use programs like Adobe or Corel Painter finding the Wacom One 13 Touch more valuable than a regular tablet like the iPad. 

While the tablet is advertised by Wacom as one for aspiring artists, Reddit users note that its higher price tag of $600 might be better off for artists who have worked with a drawing tablet before rather than someone buying their first drawing tablet. 

Wacom One 13 Touch specs: Dimensions (L x W x H): ‎13.2 x 8.7 x 0.1 inches | Active area: ‎11.6 x 6.5 inches | Compatibility: Windows 10 and over, Mac OS 11 and over, Chrome OS, Android 8 and over | Pressure levels: 4,096