Best Wacom Tablet

Finding the best Wacom tablet for your artistic needs can be tricky. There are so many models to choose from, and with such varying specifications. How can you be sure that you’ve picked the right one? There are many factors you’ll need to consider when it comes to finding the best Wacom tablet for your needs.

Not to worry! We’ve covered the main things you should think about before committing to your chosen Wacom tablet below. The right Wacom tablet for your needs will depend entirely on what you need it for, but these should help you choose the right tablet for you.

Size

What size tablet do you need? Professional digital artists will need a larger tablet than hobbyists. You will need more room to work with when it comes to using the tablet for long periods of time. If you’re more of a casual digital artist or are looking to get your first tablet, a smaller tablet should be more than enough.

Often the size of your chosen graphics tablet will influence the price. The larger the tablet, the more expensive it will be. Another factor to consider if you’re a professional artist is whether you want a built in screen with your graphics tablet.

Pressure Sensitivity

When it comes to choosing between all of the Wacom tablets available, you should consider how sensitive you want your drawing pen to be. The more pressure sensitivity levels the pen is able to offer you, the more versatile it will be.

Again, if you’re a professional digital artist, chances are that you’ll need the greater variety of sensitivity levels. These can help you adjust the color gradients, highlights, and shadows in your artwork that you need.

For the more casual hobbyist, a pressure sensitivity level of around 1,000 should be more than enough. This should give you more than enough sensitivity levels to play with when it comes to creating your own art.

Compatibility

Another factor to consider is whether your chosen Wacom tablet is compatible with your preferred computer of choice. Does it work with Mac? Or does it only work with Windows? What cable is needed to connect it to your computer? Does it offer Bluetooth connectivity so that you can free up a USB connector?

These are important factors to consider. There’s no point having spent all that money on a tablet that you can’t use with your computer!

Which is the Best Wacom Tablet to Buy?

The best Wacom tablets to buy are:

• Wacom CTL4100 Intuos Graphics Drawing Tablet
• Wacom PTH660 Intuos Pro Digital Graphic Drawing Tablet
• One by Wacom Student Drawing Tablet
• Wacom DTK1660K0A Cintiq 16 Drawing Tablet with Screen
• Wacom Bamboo Fun Tablet

Is a Wacom Tablet Better Than an iPad?

There’s no black and white answer as to whether a Wacom tablet is better than an iPad. It comes down to several factors, but most of these will depend upon your personal preferences.

Wacom tablets are much cheaper than iPads, and you get everything you need to use them included, such as the pen. Wacom tablets are designed just for drawing, whereas iPads can be used for multiple purposes.

Out of the two, we would opt for a Wacom tablet, as these are designed with drawing in mind.

Our top pick is the Wacom CTL4100 Intuos graphics tablet. This particular tablet is a great fit for you regardless of your experience level. It’s easy to set up for use straight out of the box and is suitable for both left and right hand use.

The graphics tablet is suitable for use with both Mac or PC. So you’ll know it’s the perfect fit for your PC setup of choice regardless of whether you favor Apple or Windows. Simply connect the tablet to your PC via the USB cable and you can draw or write away to your heart’s content.

The pen that comes with the Intuos features 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity. You’ll easily be able to achieve the gradation you need when applying highlights and shadows to your work. You can easily achieve bolder or softer lines to suit your work. The pen also doesn’t need to be charged at any point as it’s battery-free.

This particular graphics tablet measures 6 x 3.7 inches. This makes it a great fit for your desktop workspace regardless of the room available. You can also easily transport it with your laptop. The Wacom Intuos comes with 3 month trials of various EdTech software, too.

The Wacom PTH660 Intuos Pro digital graphics tablet is a great choice if you’re looking for a professional drawing tablet. This tablet is an upgraded version of the standard Intuos and comes with a variety of fancy features. This particular model has been optimized for hours of use, regardless of what you need it for.

The pen included with this tablet is battery-free. You won’t have to worry about charging it before you use it. This pen is also able to offer you a whopping 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity. It also features a tilt-response and lag-free tracking for more precision drawing.

A great feature of the Intuos Pro is that it features programmable express keys. So you can easily customize your tablet for easier working. The Intuos Pro also features radial menus and pen side-switches so that you can better navigate your favorite settings.

The Intuos Pro is suitable for use with both Mac and PC. What’s really great about it is that you can choose between USB or Bluetooth connectivity. This will be perfect if you want to free up one of your USB connectors.

If you’re more of a hobbyist or are looking for your first graphics tablet to start drawing digitally, the One by Wacom is a great fit. This has been designed with students in mind who are wanting to dabble their toes in the digital drawing world. This tablet also includes 3 month trials of various EdTech software to get you started.

The One by Wacom is suitable for use with both Mac and PC. So you can easily start drawing digitally regardless of your preferred computer setup. All you have to do is plug it in using the USB-A. It’s worth noting that some devices may need a USB-C adapter depending on the computer you have.

The pen is super easy to use. There’s no built in battery, so you won’t have to worry about charging it before you want to use it. It’s also pressure sensitive so that you can create more intricate details in your digital art. The pen is comfortable to use, and you’ll feel like you’re drawing on paper.

The One by Wacom is compact and easy to use. It measures 6 x 3.7 inches. This makes it a great fit for students who have limited desk space. Its compact nature makes it easy to take with you on the go between classes and home, too.x`

The Wacom DTK1660K0A Cintiq 16 drawing tablet with screen is the perfect fit for more professional artists. This particular tablet comes with a built in screen so that you can easily draw and adjust your work. This feature gives you better precision rather than having to guess where on the canvas you’re drawing.

The screen has been covered with an anti-glare coating with reduced parallax. This helps to give you a precise pen-to-paper feel. The glare reduction also ensures that you don’t get distracted by any reflections. The surface itself is scratch resistant to last you even longer.

The Cintiq comes with an HD display for better artwork. The graphics tablet can be connected to your computer using the 3 in 1 HDMI cable. The tablet itself also features foldable legs so that you can find the right working angle for you. The Cintiq measures 15.6 inches with an active area of 13.6 x 7.6 inches, giving you plenty of room to play with.

The pen included with the Wacom Cintiq 16 comes with 8,192 pressure sensitivity levels and tilt recognition. It gives you the precision you need for truly outstanding results.

Last on our list is the Wacom Bamboo Fun Tablet. This particular graphics tablet is another great choice for beginners who don’t want to spend as much money on one of the more professional Wacom models. You can use this powerful little tablet for any digital art needs.

The Bamboo Fun tablet is suitable for use with both Mac and PC. So you won’t have to worry about it being compatible with your computer of choice. Simply connect it to your computer using the USB cable and you’ll be ready to go.

The pen that comes with the Bamboo Fun tablet offers you 1,024 pressure sensitivity levels. This will be more than enough for the casual hobbyist. The pen works to give you a pen-on-paper feel, so you can make the switch to digital drawing effortlessly.

A unique feature of the Bamboo fun tablet is that you can use the intuitive multi-touch system to navigate your computer using your fingertips. This will mean you don’t have to switch between your mouse and your tablet to move things around on the screen or switch between programs.