A drawing tablet mimics the experience of using paper; it accurately translates to the computer screen the strokes you make using a pen-like stylus. Commonly used by creative professionals (including artists, illustrators, animators, digital photo editors, architects and engineers) the best drawing tablets, like our top pick the Wacom Intuos Pro PTH860, make it easy for anyone to take their artistic vision to the next level.
Use a drawing tablet Instead of paper to create your digital artwork directly on a computer. Usb Drawing Tablet
Drawing tablets come in a range of prices and sizes, and they can come with or without their own screens. Many drawing tablets serve as a stylus input to your computer, but some can work independently without a connected computer. The most popular mainstream tablets available—including the Apple iPad Pro, Microsoft Surface Pro 9 and Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra—can serve as powerful and feature-packed drawing tablets in their own right when they’re used with a specialty drawing, painting or creativity app. However, our pick for best drawing tablet overall, the Wacom Intuos Pro PTH860 works directly with your computer.
Our choices for the best drawing tablets include a mixture of the tablet varieties mentioned above. Any of these devices can help you bring your creative visions and artistic creations to life.
Work surface: 12.1 x 8.4 inches | Battery powered: Yes | Supported OS: Windows, Mac | Pressure sensitivity levels: 8,192 | Dimensions: 16.8 x 11.2 inches | Weight: 2.9 pounds
Best for: Professional creatives who need enhanced drawing control.
The Wacom PTH860 Intuos Pro is a versatile and slim pen-based drawing tablet. It has a large 12-inch active surface, customizable ExpressKeys for one-touch access to common actions and a battery-free stylus pen. The Intuos Pro works with Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects and other applications. It provides comfortable, near lag-free operation.
The tablet comes with the Wacom Pro Pen 2, although it also works with the optional Wacom Airbrush Pen, for example. It feels sturdy in hand—whether it’s positioned on your desk or your lap.
Work surface: 8.5 x 5.3 inches | Supported OS: Windows, Mac, Chrome | Pressure sensitivity levels: 2,048 | Dimensions: 10.9 x 7.4 x 0.3 inches | Weight: 1.5 pounds
Best for: Beginners getting started with their first graphics tablet.
Designed with portability in mind, the One by Wacom is thin and lightweight. It provides a stylus with 2,048 pressure levels—enough to mimic a natural pen and paper writing experience, but not as nuanced as found on more expensive tablets and styluses that support higher levels of pressure sensitivity.
This device connects to your computer via a supplied USB cable. The One has an 8.5 x 5.3-inch active area and a battery-free stylus. Thanks to its relatively low price, it’s a good choice for students and teachers alike. It comes with a three-month trial of Clip Studio Paint Pro for Chromebook.
Work surface: 23.8-inch, 2,560 x 1,440-pixel display | Supported OS: Windows, Mac | Pressure sensitivity levels: 8,192 | Dimensions: 24.9 x 14.6 x 1.8 inches | Weight: 15.5 pounds
Best for: Pro creatives seeking a massive, high-resolution stationary drawing tablet.
The XP-Pen Artist Display 24 Pro is an expensive drawing tablet aimed at professionals looking for a tremendous digital drawing canvas. It has a 23.8-inch, 2,560 x 1,440-pixel display, with support for 90% of the Adobe RGB color gamut. The 2K display sets this model apart from others drawing tablets with screens. It enables attention to detail that’s not possible on mere 1080p displays, and it is large enough to provide an expansive work surface. It also connects to your computer via a USB Type-C to USB Type-C cable.
Flanking the display are 20 customizable shortcut keys and two red dial wheels to give greater control over app-based features like zooming. The XP-Pen is compatible with all the popular applications (including Adobe Photoshop and CAD tools). It includes a battery-free, PA2 stylus which supports up to 60 degrees of tilt. This tablet has an adjustable stand that allows it to be used on any flat surface or tilted to the optimal angle for viewing and drawing.
Work surface: 10.3 x 5.8 inches | Battery powered: Yes | Supported OS: Windows, Mac | Pressure sensitivity levels: 8,192 | Dimensions: 12.6 x 9.2 x 0.3 inches | Weight: 4.5 pounds
Best for: Ergonomic productivity with two styluses, one thin and one thick.
The Xencelabs Pen Tablet is a multipurpose art pad with a 10.3 x 5.8-inch, 16:9 aspect ratio workspace. It sets itself apart by including two battery-free and virtually lag-free stylus pens—one with a thin-profile barrel with two programmable buttons and the other with a wider barrel and three programmable buttons. Each stylus responds to 8,192 pressure levels and up to 60 degrees of tilt support.
Xencelabs also includes a handheld Quick Keys remote, with an OLED display and a dial to program up to 40 shortcuts per application—such as changing brush size or zoom level. You also get access to programmable buttons that work with dozens of applications. This tablet connects to any PC or Mac wirelessly via an RF dongle or with a wired USB cable.
Work Surface: 23.8-inch, 3,840 x 2,160-pixel display | Battery powered: Yes | Supported OS: Windows, Mac, Android | Pressure sensitivity levels: 8,192 | Dimensions: 23.2 x 14.33 x 0.9 inches | Weight: 13.9 pounds
Best for: Exceptional detail when drawing art or editing images.
The Huion Kamvas Pro 24 4K provides a 23.8-inch display with 4K UHD resolution and HDR support. You get an active area of 20.75 x 11.7 inches. This large creative space allows you to see and interact with your work clearly, even when crafting the most minute details. It offers a 178-degree viewing angle and 140% of the sRGB color gamut. This allows you to manipulate over 1.07 billion colors. The result is terrific color accuracy and detail on a large, anti-glare display.
This drawing tablet works with the company’s latest PenTech 3.0 stylus (which offers 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity and up to 60-degree tilt support). It includes a built-in stand for one position (adjustable options sold separately). The tablet offers USB Type-C connectivity to a Windows PC, Mac or Android-based device.
Work Surface: 10 x 6.25 inches | Supported OS: Windows, Mac, Android | Pressure sensitivity levels: 8,192 | Dimensions: 14.2 x 9.5 x 0.4 inches | Weight: 1.7 pounds
Best for: A novice artist or young person getting started.
If you’ve never used a graphics tablet and you’re not sure if one of these devices can improve your workflow, try experimenting using this inexpensive device—and yes, that’s the price for both the tablet and stylus. The Huion Inspiroy H1060P makes feature compromises to achieve its low price, but it is a great way to test the waters and see if a drawing tablet is right for you. This tablet has a 10 x 6.25 active area—large and functional enough to get the job done for drawings, signatures, or sketches. It offers four programmable buttons on the top of the work area. The included battery-free stylus has 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity.
In addition to working with a wide range of Windows PC and Mac applications, the device pairs with many Android mobile devices. It connects via a micro-USB cable. Built into the tablet are 12 hard and 16 soft express keys.
Work surface: 11-inches, 2,388 x 1,668-pixel touchscreen display | Battery powered: Yes | OS: iPadOS | Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.0 x 0.2 inches | Weight: 1 pound
Best for: Meticulous drawing directly on Apple’s full-featured productivity and entertainment tablet, or on a Mac.
The 11-inch iPad Pro (2022) is a multipurpose tablet with a plethora of drawing and artist apps available. When you pair it with the Apple Pencil 2 (sold separately for $129) and the right apps, it serves as a standalone drawing tablet with precise stylus control for handwriting, drawing, painting, illustrating and more. You can then save your work and transfer it to any other computer or mobile device. If you use a Mac and Apple’s Continuity feature, you can connect the iPad to your Mac and use the Apple Pencil to annotate on your Mac, too.
The iPad versions of Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop offer full compatibility with their computer counterparts. This configuration includes a baseline 128GB of storage, with higher capacities available. If you need a larger work area, Apple sells a 12.9-inch, $1,099 version of the iPad Pro. Both versions use Apple’s powerful M2 processor.
Work surface: 13-inch display, 2,880 x 1,920-pixel touchscreen display | Battery powered: Yes | OS: Windows 11 | Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches | Weight: 1.9 pounds
Best for: A PC-user who wants a full-featured drawing tablet and laptop computer combo.
If you’re looking for a drawing tablet that runs Windows 11 and can serve as a laptop computer (with optional keyboard) or Windows tablet (without the keyboard), the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 is the perfect and most portable tool for the job.
When used with the Surface Slim Pen 2 (sold separately for $130) and the right apps, it’s easy to transform this device into a highly accurate drawing tablet. The model highlighted here has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, which we’d recommend so you have room for both applications and content. It’s powered using an Intel 12th Gen Core i5 processor. A higher priced Surface Pro 9, with a 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, 32GB of RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage is also available for around $2,600.
Work surface: 14.4-inch, 2,400 x 1,600-pixel touchscreen display | Battery powered: Yes | OS: Windows 11 | Dimensions: 12.7 x 9.0 x 0.7 inches | Weight: 3.8 pounds
Best for: Drawing on a full-featured Windows laptop.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio stands out among 2-in-1 laptops—all of which have touchscreens and stylus support. This model has a 2K touchscreen display with a fast 120Hz refresh rate, so it’s both highly responsive and displays graphics that showcase vivid colors and impressive detail—which is ideal for creative professionals. Uniquely, the display can tilt forward for drawing at a comfortable angle; or it can flatten out like a tablet.
Together with the optional Surface Slim Pen 2, you can draw, illustrate, paint or annotate on-screen with ease. The display’s flexible design gives you control over how you want to work in your favorite applications. Inside sits a 12-generation Intel Core i5 processor, 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. The battery lasts up to 19 hours.
Work surface: 14.6-inch, 2,960 x 1,848-pixel touchscreen display | Battery powered: Yes | OS: Android | Dimensions: 12.9 x 8.2 x 0.2 inches | Weight: 1.6 pounds
Best for: Animations and sketches using Android apps.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is perhaps the best of the standalone drawing tablets, if for no other reason than the ample size of its 14.6-inch Super AMOLED display with a fast 120Hz refresh rate. We’ve priced out the mid-tier spec, with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of memory. Many optional Android-based apps are available for creating detailed and fluid animations (making this tablet one of the best drawing tablets for animation). This tablet is great for sketches and artwork, too.
The Galaxy Tab S8 uses the Samsung S Pen stylus, which comes bundled with the tablet. It offers extreme accuracy, near zero-latency and an authentic on-screen writing and drawing experience. Between ongoing promotions and generous trade-in offers, there are always great deals to be found when purchasing this tablet directly from Samsung.
Work surface: 16-inch, 3,840 x 2,160-pixel display | Battery powered: Yes | Supported OS: Supports Windows, MacOS | Dimensions: 10.2 x 16.5 x 0.8 inches | Weight: 4.7 pounds
Best for: Taking a 4K creators’ studio on-the-road.
The second-generation Wacom Mobile Studio Pro offers a stunning 4K display with a 176-degree viewing angle. The display packs a Nvidia Quadro P1000 graphics, and an Intel system-on-chip (the Core i7-8559U processor). It also comes with 16GB of system memory and a 512GB SSD for storage. The Wacom Mobile Studio Pro has a USB Type-C port with Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, for fast data transfers between the tablet and your Windows or Mac computer. However, the Link Plus Adapter—which enables the display to work as a second screen for a PC or Mac—costs extra.
The tablet includes a Wacom Pro Pen 2 stylus, with 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity, tilt response and lag-free tracking. Along the side edge sit ExpressKeys, which help speed up your workflow. It also integrates Radial Menus and other workflow-friendly short cuts. Choose from three working angles via the included stand. Battery life is up to 5.5 hours.
The Forbes Vetted tech team strives to offer accurate, trustworthy product assessments that are the result of intensive research and hands-on testing. Our writers and editors have years of experience writing about a broad range of consumer electronics and have the background and expertise to help you make the best buying decisions possible.
We start by doing extensive research, follow it up with hands-on testing and then consult with product experts and industry leaders to help us compile the roundup of products featured within an article.
Our goal is to recommend the very best products in each category, in this case by carefully evaluating each drawing tablet’s drawing or work surface, display resolution (if applicable), stylus pressure sensitivity, connectivity, overall product quality, its value and its price. We also paid attention to what special features are offered by each product that set it apart from the competition.
First, consider whether you want a drawing tablet with or without a screen; or whether you want a standalone tablet to use for drawing. Next, think carefully about which applications you plan to use with the tablet and how you expect it to enhance your workflow, creativity and productivity.
With a wide range of drawing tablet options, everyone can find something that meets their needs and ... [+] budget.
Once you have a general idea about what you need and how you plan to use the drawing tablet, consider the specific features, functions and connectivity offered to decide which drawing tablet best meets your needs. Let’s look at some of the most sought-after features to consider.
This refers to the area or surface you can actually draw, write, paint, or annotate on using a stylus. If the drawing tablet has a screen, this refers to the actual screen size (not the area surrounding the screen). If the drawing tablet doesn’t have a screen, the active area is the surface, which works with the stylus. Some tablets have buttons or controls surrounding the work surface.
Especially for artists and illustrators, the pressure sensitivity of the stylus determines how authentic the writing, drawing or painting experience is when working with the tablet. How much pressure you use when interacting with the stylus on the tablet’s active area accurately simulates the force applied when using a pencil, pen or paintbrush, for example, on paper or a canvas. If you’re a professional artist, illustrator or graphic designer, for example, look for the highest level of pressure sensitivity possible.
Some graphics tablets connect to a computer wirelessly (either via Bluetooth or an RF USB dongle), while others rely on a cable connection. For higher-end applications, a wired connection will typically eliminate any latency (signal delay) between the tablet and your computer.
For most people, however, which option you choose is a matter of personal preference. If you want to hold the tablet on your lap while interacting with the computer, a wireless connection is more convenient than a wired connection. If the tablet is going to sit near your keyboard on a desk—and especially if it has a high-resolution display—a wired connection makes more sense. Sometimes, the connectivity option also determines whether the tablet needs its own power source.
Programmable function keys and dials, a selection of styluses, tracking speed and the physical size of the tablet (compared to the active area) are additional considerations.
This depends heavily on how you plan to use a drawing tablet. If you’re a digital artist, illustrator, photo editor, to architect, for example, a drawing tablet offers a huge advantage compared to creating your content on paper or canvas, since the tablet lets you take your creations direct to digital. Plus, when used with an appropriate stylus, you gain much more accuracy than when using a mouse.
Not all standalone tablets work with a pressure sensitive stylus. For example, many of Samsung’s tablets support a pressure sensitive S Pen stylus, while other tablets will only work with a capacitive or passive stylus—good enough for line sketches or signatures, but not great for intricate drawings. Furthermore, some tablets come with a stylus, while others make it a separate purchase. For example, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra comes with a stylus, while the Apple iPad Pro and Microsoft Surface Pro 9 tablets do not.
To use any Apple iPad as a drawing tablet, consider purchasing either the Apple Pencil ($100) or Apple Pencil 2 ($129), depending on which version of the iPad you own. The Microsoft Surface Slim Pen 2 ($130) will work with most of the latest Microsoft Surface Pro tablet models.
The Adonit Start stylus is an alternative to the Apple Pencil with almost any iPad model.
There are also optional stylus devices from independent companies that work with popular tablets. These include the Adonit Note 2 ($55), Zagg Pro Stylus ($70) and Logitech Crayon ($58). We particularly like the Adonit Star for iPad ($50), because it replicates the timeless and elegant look of a fountain pen, while offering a tool that fits comfortably within a hand.
No. A drawing tablet with or without a screen can connect to a Windows PC or MacOS-based computer either using a USB cable or wirelessly. Many also work with Google Chrome OS and Chromebooks. Some also connect directly to Android mobile devices. Standalone drawing tablets, like an Apple iPad Pro or Microsoft Surface Pro are used on their own.
This varies based on a lot of factors. You can purchase a drawing tablet without a screen for less than $50. However, if you want a standalone tablet that can serve as a drawing tablet, you’ll typically need to spend anywhere from several hundred dollars to more than $1,000.
A lot depends on the type of work the artist does–such as freehand illustration, digital painting, photo editing or animation, as well as the personal workflow of the artist. A professional artist will choose a drawing tablet which works well with the apps they already use; has the highest possible level of pressure sensitivity; a large drawing area; and replicates working with an actual pen, pencil or brush. For many years, high-end Wacom devices were a top pick amongst professional artists, but these days, a broader range of powerful options are available from a variety of companies.
This depends a lot on what you’ll be using the tablet for and your budget. If you’re looking to spend less than $75, we recommend the Huion Insiroy H1060P.
Many full-featured tablets that support a stylus have a wide range of optional drawing, painting, ... [+] and artistic apps available for them.
However, most full-featured tablets, like any of the Apple iPads (such as the 11-inch iPad Pro), Microsoft Surface tablets (such as the Surface Pro 9), or Samsung Galaxy tablets (like the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra) also work nicely with a pen-shaped stylus and have a wide rate of art, drawing and creative apps available.
This comes down to what functionality you want from the drawing tablet and with which applications you plan to use it with. Plan on spending at least $300 for a powerful drawing tablet that connects with your Windows PC or Mac, or upwards of $1,000 for a high-powered, full-featured tablet you can use with drawing, painting or other art-related apps. There is no single drawing tablet that will work perfectly for everyone. Determined your needs and then shop around for the best drawing tablet you can afford.
For an amateur artist, a full-featured tablet that’s combined with a pen-shaped stylus and the right mobile app can suit your needs. However, if you’re looking for pr0-level functionality and precision, consider a drawing tablet with its own 4K display that connects with your Windows PC or Mac.
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