

However, you’ll have to pay nearly $100 more for this device. What makes it different is that it offers 10 assignable function keys (lined up in a column on the left edge of the device), which is more than the Artist12.

In some ways, it rivals the Wacom options, but because it doesn’t feature a touch wheel or flashy multi-touch, we think it's a more suitable rival with our top pick from XP-Pen.īecause of the 72% color gamut accuracy and the 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity from the active pen, it really does have many of the features of the Artist12. The Gaomon PD1560 boasts a big, bright, 15.6-inch display with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. Screen Size/Active Area: 11.6 inches | Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | Pen Type: Passive | Standalone: No The device is compatible with Windows 7, 8, or 10 (in 32 or 64 bit) and Mac OS X as old as version 10.10. This makes it less of a drawing-only tablet and more of a full-featured control surface for your design programs. In addition, the Artist12 gives you a full-high touch bar you can program to fulfill certain commands on your computer (XP-Pen recommends mapping it to the zoom-in/zoom-out feature), and you can harness six different assignable shortcuts keys. It can actually be a good thing that that pen is passive because it would otherwise be just another device you have to charge. The passive hexagonal pen (which feels very pencil-like) allows for 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity so that you can really get the hand-sketched feel in your work. This makes it feel like you’re really creating art in the real world.

What’s great about having an 11.6-inch display inside your drawing tablet is that you don’t need to look at your other screen while drawing on a separate surface-you’re drawing on the device where your lines and colors are appearing. The touchscreen display-a 1920 x 1080 HD IPS display-isn’t the highest resolution available, but with 72% NTSC Color Gamut accuracy, its focus is on reproducing your work with as much precision as possible.
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The XP-Pen Artist12 earns our top spot because of its compatibility, customization, and reasonably affordable price point.
