The best tablets for sketching will help artists draft their artwork either when talking to their clients during a briefing or as a sample to refer to and start off as they start to draw.
You will need to consider some key features when choosing the best one for your work. They include the tablet type, display quality, stylus type and sensitivity, performance, portability, and budget.
Top Tablets for Sketching Recommendations
- Huion Kamvas 24 Plus: Best Overall
- Wacom Cintiq 16 Pro: Best High-End Tablet for Professionals
- XP-Pen Artist Pro: Best Budget-Friendly Option
- Wacom Intuos Pro: Best for Beginners
- XP-Pen Deco: Best Without a Screen
Huion Kamvas 24 Plus 2.5K: Best Overall
The HUION Kamvas 24 Plus is the best overall option for both professionals and beginners. It features a large 23.8-inch screen with a 2.5K QHD display resolution.
These specs, together with the 140% sRGB wide color gamut and Quantum Dot technology, provide high-quality, rich, and vivid colors for your work.
To improve clarity and reduce ambient reflection and parallax, the screen is fully laminated with anti-glare glass. The overall screen texture ensures a pen-to-paper-like drawing experience when sketching or drawing your work.
Kamvas 24 Plus cannot be the best sketching tablet without a good stylus pen. It comes with the PW517 stylus pen.
The pen features high 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity, a 60-degree tilt recognition, and fast response rates that make it ideal for sketching. Additionally, the pen charges using electromagnetic resonance technology and so is battery-free. You do not have to keep charging.
For connectivity, this tablet comes with a screen but no computer and so is a pen display tablet. However, it seamlessly connects to Windows, Mac, and Android devices using a 3-in-1 or USB-C cable. This flexibility across platforms is perfect for both professionals and beginners alike.
Pros
- High-resolution display
- Large screen size
- Seamless compatibility with different OS
- Fully laminated screen with anti-glare technology.
- Battery-free stylus with high pen pressure levels
- Essential accessories like pens, stands, and cables are all included.
Cons
- Expensive
- Poor touch screen
- Bulky and too large in size
Types of Tablets for Sketching
Digital art tablets come in different types. The choice of either of them depends on your budget and how you intend to use the tablets.
You can either use dedicated drawing tablets like Huion and Wacom tablets, or you can buy a multipurpose iPad, Windows, or Android tablet.
If you choose a dedicated drawing tablet, consider choosing between a pen display, a standalone, or a graphic tablet. The graphic below explains the difference between the 3.
Key Features to Look for in a Sketching Tablet
- Display Quality
- Stylus Sensitivity
- Performance and Speed
- Portability
- Budget
- Software Compatibility
Display Quality
If you are using a standalone or pen display tablet, this is an important consideration. You need to check the screen size, resolution, and color accuracy.
For professional artists and the best user experience, we recommend a large screen size from 11 inches and above in size.
The resolution needs to be from Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixels and above, while the screen needs to display colors in high quality and accuracy. For this, consider the color gamut of your tablet screen.
Stylus Sensitivity
For the best experience, choose a tablet with a high pressure sensitivity. This will allow you to create seamless strokes with ease. You need around 8192 pen pressure levels, although 4096 will still work for beginners.
Additionally, some tablets come with a free stylus and nibs to replace when broken, while others do not. Check whether your preferred choice has a free stylus.
Performance and Speed
Pen displays and pen tablets use the connected device’s processing power. For pen computer tablets, you need to consider the processor and RAM. The best option to use should be 8 GB RAM and above, plus a powerful processor.
What are the Best Tablets for Sketching?
- Huion Kamvas 24 Plus: Best Overall
- Wacom Cintiq 16 Pro: Best High-End Tablet for Professionals
- XP-Pen Artist Pro: Best Budget-Friendly Option
- Wacom Intuos Pro: Best for Beginners
- XP-Pen Deco: Best Without a Screen
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best tablet for beginner sketch artists?
If you are a beginner artist, we recommend the Wacom Intuos Pro or XP-Pen Deco. This is because of their affordability and ease of use.
How does stylus pressure sensitivity affect drawing quality?
Higher pen pressure sensitivity levels allow you to draw precise strokes and mimic traditional drawing equipment like pen and paper. Overall, they offer a natural drawing experience.
Are budget tablets good enough for professional use?
Yes, many professionals still use the budget tablets they started with as beginners. It is possible to use them for sketching and pro-level drawing.
Can I use a tablet without a computer for sketching?
Yes, it is possible to use both pen and pen display tablets for drawing and sketching.