The Best Drawing Tablets for Beginners in 2023

When drawing, paper and pencil are the most comfortable for most artists to use. However, drawing tablets are the closest digital products that give a similar feel to artists. Despite this, it is not easy to choose the very Best Drawing Tablets for Beginners because of the very many product varieties in the market today.

This article helps you know what to consider when choosing the best and ranks the very best you can choose as you start off your journey in digital art. Drawing Tablets are now day affordable and most come at very cheap prices. This is mainly because the professional-level stylus pen price is included in the price and you do not have to buy it separately.

For professional artists, it is easy to skip through direct to choosing the best tablet. However, most beginners may face a challenge in understanding the important factors to consider when choosing their ideal tablet that will meet their needs and not be unreasonably expensive. 

Best drawing tablets For Beginners

1. Wacom Intuos Pro Best drawing tablet for beginners without a screen
2. Apple iPad Pro 12.9 inches Best drawing tablet with a screen for beginners
3. Wacom One Drawing Tablet Best drawing tablet for students
4. Wacom Cintiq 22’Best overall Wacom drawing tablet
5. GAOMON PD1161 Graphics Tablet Best GAOMON drawing tablet for Beginners
6. Samsung Galaxy S7 Best Android Tablet for Drawing
7. Wacom INTUOS Small Best Budget drawing tablets under 100$ for Beginners
8. Huion H611 Best Value for Money
9. XP-Pen Deco 01 V2 Cheapest drawing tablets for Beginners
10. HUOIN H640P Cheapest Huion Drawing tablet
11. Simbans Picasso Tab 10 Inch Cheap Standalone Drawing Tablet for Beginners
12. Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite Cheap Standalone Alternative

Wacom Cintiq 22 Best Wacom drawing tablets

Wacom Cintiq 22’ takes the lead in our list of best Wacom drawing tablets because it carries pro features and is also affordable.

The Wacom company doesn’t play when it comes to producing super functional tablets. In short, Wacom is the Apple of drawing tablets.

The Cintiq 22’ is a great drawing tablet that will help scale your creativity a notch higher. The tablet has a big 22’ screen with an HD display and an anti-glare surface.

The Wacom Cintiq 22’ comes with a Wacom Pen 2 that has great pressure and sensitivity making it easy for you to work in different variations and movements.

The tablet has legs beneath and you can use them as a stand. In fact, I feel you don’t need a separate stand as long as you open them until the snap is in place you’re good to go.

Wacom Intuos Pro

Best drawing tablet for beginners without a screen

Wacom Intuos Pro Specifications

1. Active Working Area – 8.7 x 5.8 inch
2. Resolution: No screen
3. Pressure Sensitivity: 8192 Levels
4. Pen: Wacom Pro Pen 2, Bought Separately.

Wacom Intuos Pro is a great drawing tablet for beginners and aspiring artists. First of all, it has a slim and sleek feel with a 13.2 inches by 5 inches size and 8.7 x 5.8 inches active area. Although this is an ideal size for graphic designers, there are better and larger drawing tablets for this price range or even cheaper. However, the active area is big enough to help you draw without any limits.

The tablet also works well with a Pro Pen 2, which has a great response, and we love how it feels when drawing. The pen doesn’t lag, and we love that it has tilt recognition.

Unfortunately, the Wacom Intuos Pro is not a standalone tablet and will need your computer connected to use it. The tablet lacks its own computer and screen. Luckily, you don’t have to worry about compatibility. This Wacom tablet is compatible with Mac and PC.

It also comes with 2 months of use of free After Effects and Premiere pro plus 3 months of Boris FX software.

Apple iPad Pro 12.9 inches

Best drawing tablet with a screen for beginners

If you’re looking for a lighting speed tablet that has unbeatable features, the Apple iPad Pro tablet is the best choice for you. The tablet has a solid body and it boasts power and speed. Some people have gone for this Apple tablet saying it’s a better upgrade than laptops in most instances.

Work with all your favorite art apps with this Apple tablet. Artwork doesn’t seem exciting when using a tablet that keeps on lagging.

Luckily, speed and high-quality performance are sorted with this tablet. It’s an impressive display, you can now draw and view your projects with so much detail.

Wacom One Drawing Tablet

Best drawing tablet for students

The Wacom One Drawing Tablet takes the spot for the Best Wacom Beginner Drawing Tablet. First of all the tablet has a large 13.3 inches screen, better than most tablets in its price range. The screen resolution is also good at 1920×1080 pixels. Unlike the Wacom CTL4100WLKO Intuos, this tablet comes with a screen and you can draw and view on it while connected to your computer.

You will get on purchase a free sensitive Pen with tilt recognition that has a natural feel when drawing. Unfortunately, you can not install apps and software because although it has a screen, it does not have a computer.

For its price range, this tablet is a sure pick for beginner artists.

GAOMON PD1161 Graphics Tablet

Best GAOMON drawing tablet for Beginners

GAOMON is another brand rising fast, and you never know it might soon outdo Wacom company as long as they keep bringing great tablets to the market. GAOMON is an affordable tablet with an HD display and a high resolution combined with a color gamut allowing you to view your work in realistic, vivid colors.

When it comes to compatibility, GAOMON PD1161 is compatible with Mac and Windows, and the great news is that this tablet supports almost all drawing apps. This drawing tablet comes with a battery-free pen which you’ll love to use. We love how smooth the pen feels when drawing, and it also has tilt recognition.

Wacom Intuos Best drawing tablet Under 100$ for beginners

Most Wacom drawing tablets are industry standards and usually very expensive. However, For close to a third of the price of the Wacom Intuos Pro, the Wacom Intuos, takes the spot as the best budget tablet for beginners.

The tablet is smaller in size at 7.8 inches by 6.3 inches and 6.0 inches by 3.7 inches in the active working area. Normally, bigger is usually better for drawing tablets size, but this space is adequate for new artists to comfortably draw on it.

The 4096 pen pressure is great and ensures that your drawing is precise and comfortable. Unfortunately, just like the Wacom Intuos Pro, this tablet lacks a screen and depends on your computer connection for usability. This limits its portability. However, for this price range, it is by far one of the best picks for any beginner artist.

Huion H611 Best runner-up drawing tablet under 100$ with a large working area

Huion H611 is another alternative for this category if you prefer Huion Products. One thing that stands out and is better than the Wacom Intuos is the slightly larger working area that makes it more comfortable to use. Just like the Wacom Intuos, it is a great device for such a fair price.

First, the tablet’s classy lightweight, and sleek build make it easily portable. If you are a student, you can easily move around college without the bulk weight of a heavier tablet.

The tablet features over 8 multimedia keys and 10 express keys for shortcuts that ensure quick navigation. One of the best part of this tablet is the connectivity. First, it allows Android support. It is also USB-C adaptable, unlike most other graphic tablets.

XP-Pen Deco 01 V2

Cheapest drawing tablets for Beginners

Although Huion H611 is great and cheap, if you are on a tighter budget, then the XP-Pen Deco 01 V2 is the best option. You will enjoy similar features and sizes at almost half the price, making the XP-Pen Deco 01 V2 the cheapest drawing tablet you can buy.

HUOIN H640P 

Best cheap Huion Drawing tablet

The Huion H640 P is another one of the cheapest drawing tablets you can get. As a top competitor to Wacom, Huion tablets are ideal and specialized for drawing purposes and would be a great addition to your tools set.

What stands out in this tablet is the very high-pressure sensitivity, built at 8192 making it have a natural feel when drawing. The battery-free pen also comes in the box too for free. Additionally, 6 programable buttons help speed up workflow because you can set them to your quick go-to functions.

HUION Inspiroy H320M

Best Drawing Tablet for Animation

HUION Inspiroy H320M drawing tablet is another great choice for beginners, and it comes in two colors, coral red, and black. Both have a matte drawing surface that we love because it feels natural, just like drawing on paper thanks to the Battery-Free Stylus 8192 Pen Pressure.

The tablet has a simple design with 11 fully programmable express keys and four direction keys with three express keys on both sides. This means that you can set them to your quick functions speeding up workflow. The right side has a loop used to store the stylus pen with a single button on that right side which you can customize as your eraser.

The Huion Inspiroy is also a Dual Purpose Graphics Drawing Tablet LCD and Writing Tablet which sets it apart from the rest. This means that the advanced dual-purpose design of H320M allows you to use the pen tablet as well as write on the LCD writing tablet when you flip it. The drawing area is 9×5.65 inches and 10.2×6.2 inches for the writing side.

XP-PEN DECO 3

Best X pen tablet for beginners

Here is another great tablet that can match the Wacom drawing tablets, yet it just comes at a fraction of the price. XP-PEN has a big drawing area of about 10.5 inches by 5.6 inches with a matte drawing surface that feels natural as you can when drawing on paper.

The overall design of this drawing tablet is just simple and beautiful at the same. The tablet comes with a battery-free pen, and it has 6 shortcut keys that you can customize to the shortcuts you want, speeding up workflow.

The XP-PEN Deco 3 tablet is compatible with Mac and Windows, and we love how seamlessly the tablet runs all popular drawing apps like Illustrator and Photoshop.

Simbans Picasso Tab 10 Inch

Cheap Standalone Drawing Tablet for Beginners

The Simbans Picasso Tablet is one of the best-priced standalone drawing tablets for beginners. We like the large 10.1-inch screen size coupled with a high resolution 1280×800 screen resolution. This means that you have a great and comfortable drawing experience on a large screen. Furthermore, the images are clear and crisp and you are able to view your artwork in awesome color.

Unlike the earlier discussed tablet, the Simbanss Picasso has both a screen and a computer and does not need a computer connection. You need to consider the processor speed and RAM because the applications and software you use will be installed in it and not on a remote computer.

Quad Core MTK8163 1.3GHz/Core processor and 2 GB RAM ensure that the Simbanns Picasso runs programs seamlessly without annoying lags. Although drawing applications and some games will run without a problem, complex games may be a challenge and not work well.

When you buy the Simbans Picasso tablet, you will get a free screen protector, drawing glove, charger set, and cool leather case all in the box. For this price and the additional free things, this tablet is a great deal.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 

Cheap Standalone Alternative

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 lite is slim sleek and lightweight plus balances off this great look with a durable metal back. The body builds paired with up to 12-hour battery life, making it easily portable for the traveling artist or if you like working away from your office.

The 10.4 inches screen size and 2000×1200 pixels screen resolution make the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 lite large enough for comfortable drawing plus a nice crisp and clear view of your artwork.

When you buy, you get a free S Pen that offers a great natural feel when drawing. Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite comes with 4GB RAM memory and an Exynos 9611 processor that makes sure it runs smoothly on all your drawing apps without unnecessary lags. However, some heavy games may lag a little when running heavy projects.

You can also save a lot of files in the 128 GB storage space that you can expand using external SD cards up to 1 TB. Unlike the more expensive S6, S7, and S7+, the Samsung Galaxy S6 Tab lite boasts a 3.5 mm audio jack that you can plug into headphones.

As a digital artist, a drawing tablet is essential because it allows you to become more creative. There are several drawing tablets available in online stores, but some might be a little bit complex if you’re starting your career. With the above list, we trust you can pick the right tablet that will allow you to explore and express your hobby.

How we selected the best drawing tablets

To get the best drawing tablet, you have to factor in the various types of tablets on the market. In the first category, we will look at the best drawing tablets that have a screen. Here we review tablets that come with an inbuilt screen but lacked a computer to install apps. These are referred to as Pen Tablets.

Under this category, we also have products that have both a screen and a computer. At this stage, we found that most android tablets for drawing fall in this category. Such tablets are referred to as Standalone Drawing Tablets.

Finally, if you are on a budget, we have added the best drawing tablet for under 100$ that you can buy. For this price range, all products we reviewed were screen Graphic Tablets.

What are Graphic Tablets?

Graphic tablets are the simplest types of tablets you can get. They lack a computer and a screen and have to be connected to a computer to us. One common characteristic of tablets in this price range has a small drawing area. Additionally, most of the tablets in this price range do not have a screen and have to be connected to a computer to use. All tablets in this category are simple and cheap.

However, do not let the low price and simplicity rule out these tablets. These tablets are most preferred by many professionals because of their very simple and ergonomic design.

Best drawing tablets for beginners

1. Wacom Intuos Pro Best drawing tablet for beginners without a screen
2. Apple iPad Pro 12.9 inches Best drawing tablet with a screen for beginners
3. Wacom MobileStudio Pro 13’ Best Wacom Drawing Tablet
4. Wacom One Drawing Tablet Best drawing tablet for students
5. Wacom Cintiq Best Wacom Drawing Tablet for Beginners
6. GAOMON PD1161 Graphics Tablet Best GAOMON drawing tablet for Beginners
7. Samsung Galaxy S7 Best Android Tablet for Drawing
8. Wacom INTUOS Small Best Budget drawing tablets under 100$ for Beginners
9. Huion H611 Best Value for Money
10. XP-Pen Deco 01 V2 Cheapest drawing tablets for Beginners
11. HUOIN H640P Cheapest Huion Drawing tablet
12. Simbans Picasso Tab 10 Inch Cheap Standalone Drawing Tablet for Beginners
13. Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite Cheap Standalone Alternative