When it comes to buying a tablet for artists, there are lot of things to check like pressure sensitivity, size and accuracy and we don’t want you to get puzzled in this. Since, some of you may want a drawing tablet for basic artworks just to satisfy your hobby or maybe for professional works. Getting a tablet with right specifications can really change the game.

Note – If you’re looking for a drawing tablet without screen, then we recommend you to refer our guide to buy the – If you’re looking for a drawing tablet without screen, then we recommend you to refer our guide to buy the best graphics tablets without screen , because this buying guide refers to pen display tablets for artists. Moreover, readers should note that these pen-display tablets also need to get hooked up with a laptop or desktop. So, if you’re on a hunt of a capable laptop alongside which can handle programs like Photoshop and Illustrator with ease, then you can check out our buying guide for laptops for Photoshop at our site Laptop Under Budget.

Now the question here is that which tablet would be the best preferred and most recommended to all those artistic hands which would love to show off their art on-the-go, on a digital sketchbook with the help of a stylus pen which is as good as to maintaining their love for traditional brushes intact.

Then, here are our top picks of best tablets for artists which includes some of the best pen-display tablets for artists as well as portable and mobile drawing tablets along with few of the best Cintiq alternatives which are surely a path-breaker in the whole tablet market and would interest all the minds of an artist for their drawing needs.

Best Tablets For Artists – Top Picks of Pen-Display Tablets

1. Wacom Cintiq 16 Full HD

Do you enjoy working with a natural creative experience? And just cannot get over with your immense love for those traditional paints, brushes and canvas? Then this tablet can surely make you change your mind about the drawing tablets. Wacom Cintiq 16 lets you work directly on the screen, and tilt sensitive Wacom Pro Pen 2 performs like traditional brushes, pencils and markers. The pressure sensitivity of 8192 levels lets you draw variety of lines, meaning when you apply more pressure, it will render a thicker line. According to Wacom, the Wacom Pro Pen 2 has 4X higher accuracy and pressure sensitivity than its previous versions which promises ultimate accuracy for artists and designers and enables them to draw almost everything they can imagine. Moreover, it also supports intuitive multi-touch gestures and on-screen programmable radial menus with which you can zoom, pan and navigate through a sweep of your fingers which helps you to maximize your workflow.

The Wacom Cintiq 16 features a beautiful metallic design which seems like Macbook Air from sides. There is an integrated stand which is adjustable at 20° angles to provide you comfort while drawing on it. Weighing just 4.19 pounds, the Wacom Cintiq 16 is probably one of the lightest and thinnest tablets for artists we have ever seen. It easily fits in backpack just like a traditional tablet which enables you to carry this creative tablet no matter wherever you go. There is no need to worry about cables while carrying, the Cintiq 16 connects to your PC with HDMI cable that comes within the package. Its compatibility with all versions of Windows and Mac OS makes this tablet one of the best choices for professionals.

A perfect combo of comfortable, compact and lightweight design along with the premium 16″, Full HD Display is an actual ring rocker when it comes to competing in the tablet market.

Nothing can beat Wacom Cintiq 16 Drawing Tablet in the race of best tablets for artists.

Hardware Specifications of Wacom Cintiq 16 Full HD Display Area 15.6-inch Pressure Sensitivity 8192 levels Colors 87% of Adobe RGB Wide Color Gamut Resolution 1920 X 1080 Visual Angle 178° Response Time 25 ms Input Signal HDMI Weight 4.19 lbs

$649 | Buy at Amazon

2. Huion KAMVAS Pro 16 Best Cintiq Alternative 2020

Huion KAMVAS Pro 16 is one of the most affordable Wacom Cintiq alternatives for those who want to draw directly & naturally on the screen. How? Its a Full HD LCD panel, applies the new mirror design with smooth and ease of movement, bringing in high definition and high brightness visual experience. 8192 levels Pressure Sensitivity, Control line thickness, color, and transparency conveniently provide the value for money experience an artist expects from a drawing tablet. Moreover, the Huion KAMVAS Pro 16 is ultra-thin and light so that you can carry it anywhere easily. Weighing just 2.98 pounds, it easily fits in your backpack or briefcase so that you can carry it to School or Work without having to look at an extra case.

It has Full HD resolution and 6 express keys on-board and touch-bar with which you can work without placing the keyboard near you and especially with this kind of Full HD screen size, the pressure sensitivity of the display and viewing angle of the screen which is high enough, are also the best part of this tablet to make it a great option for an artist’s hand. Its compatibility with the most common operating systems makes this a good tablet for artists. Depending on your needs, you can make it your device of choice for creating artworks or use it temporarily until you can afford Wacom Cintiq.

Hardware Specifications of Huion KAMVAS Pro 16 Display Area 15.6-inch Pressure Sensitivity 8192 levels Accuracy 0.25mm Resolution 1920 x 1080 Response Time 25ms Express Keys Yes, 6 Keys and Touch-Bar Connection HDMI, USB Weight 2.98 lbs

$399 | Buy at Amazon

Huion KAMVAS 20 | 19.5 Inch (#1 New Release) The Huion KAMVAS 20 is the bigger version of KAMVAS GT-156 with the same specifications onboard. The Huion KAMVAS 20 features a 19.5 inch Full HD IPS LCD with 72% NTSC color gamut which allows the display to light up 16.7 millions color even more vividly. Having a larger display area allows you to have plenty of room to edit, design and create, meaning you can work consistently for hours without sacrificing your workflow. All in all, this 19.5″ strong contender is also one of the best Cintiq alternatives to buy rightnow as it has 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity. Key Specifications: 19.5 inch IPS LCD widescreen 16:9 ratio

1920 x 1080 Full HD resolution

8192 Levels of Pressure Sensitivity

Comfortable Ergonomic Pen Design $369 | Buy at Amazon

3. XP-Pen Artist 12

The XP-Pen Artist 12 is ergonomically designed with adjustable stand and anti-slip rubber cover, you can adjust the screen according to your needs and comfort no matter you’re standing or sitting, the XP-Pen Artist 12 lets you draw your art without any kind of discomfort. The 11.6-inch screen on the front produces good brightness and contrast with real colors so that you can draw your art even more accurately. Moreover, the 1920 x 1080 pixels of resolution with 16.7M color support is enough sharp to meet the requirements of artists. With pressure sensitivity of 8192 levels, you can draw a variety of lines. For instance, if you apply more pressure then it will render a thicker line. This is really a good feature especially in a tablet for artists.

The XP-Pen Artist 12 is compatible with all versions of Windows and Mac operating system and works with most of the software like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator 3D Max, AutoDesk Sketchbook, Corel Painter, Autodesk MAYA, ZBrush and many more. Hence, there’s no need to worry about compatibility. In the package, along with the device, you will get a screen protector, 1 pen, 8 replacement nibs, 1 USB cable and other necessary cables. All in all, the XP-Pen Artist 12 is a complete package of features and is also one of the best tablets for artists, designers, architects, and students who are expecting a good value for their money.

Hardware Specifications of XP-Pen Artist 12 Display Area 11.6-inch IPS Display Pressure Sensitivity 8192 levels Accuracy 0.5mm Resolution 1920 x 1080 Full HD Resolution Response Time 14ms Support Color 16.7M(RGB 6-bit data + HiFRC data) Contrast Ratio 700:1 Weight 2 lbs

$199 | Buy at Amazon

Wacom One - The Best Tablet For Beginners Recently Wacom launched the One pen-display tablet, and it has become one of the most popular tablets among beginners. The tablet comes at $399 and offers an excellent 13.3″ HD display that has a great response. The pen that comes with the tablet is battery-free and is ready to use right out of the box. It is compatible with Windows, Mac, and can also be connected to smartphones. Plus, you get 2-months free membership of Adobe Photoshop, and Lightroom when you register this product after buying. Key Specifications: 13.3″ IPS Display with 1920 x 1080 Pixels Resolution

4096 Levels of Pressure Sensitivity

Ergonomically Designed

72% NTSC Color Coverage $399 | Buy at Amazon

4. GAOMON PD1560

15.6″ Full HD dust-free display with full HD resolution and wide viewing angle, enhanced visual experience is what GAOMON PD1560 offers you on its first sight. A well-protected high strength toughened glass and rubber covers, anti-scratch and shockproof outer structure would simply make you fall for it and its convenient utilization which allows you to naturally and intuitively sketch paint, design, and edits on the screen is also a treat for the artists.

Precise and natural pen pressure control and speed up the boost to your drawing efficiency would definitely interest you as this tablet has an 8192-level pressure sensitive rechargeable pen to do so. A simple set-up with your PC or Mac which is compatible with most of the graphics software such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator CC, Corel Painter and Autodesk Sketchbook etc., ergonomically makes it more comfortable and provides you with a distinguished drawing experience. Overall, the GAOMON PD1560 is a complete package and best value for money tablet for artists.

Hardware Specifications of GAOMON PD1560 Display 15.6-inch IPS Pressure Sensitivity 8192 levels Accuracy 0.25 Resolution 1920 X 1080 Report Rate 233 PPS Keys 10 Shortcut Keys Contrast Ratio 1000:1 Weight 8.1 lbs

$246 | Buy Now From Amazon

5. Huion KAMVAS Pro 13 GT Best Cintiq Alternative 2020

The new Huion KAMVAS Pro 13 has been overall improved in terms of display and functionalities over its previous generation predecessor. Featuring a sharp 13 inch IPS display, the KAMVAS Pro 13 is really very comfortable to work with, the size of texts and palettes didn’t felt too small when our experts at Tablet Under Budget tested out. With 16.7 million colors, the Pro 13 gives you probably the most color-rich experience while drawing on its Full HD screen. However, the screen surface is glass, and glass isn’t the best surface to draw on as it feels slippery which eventually also decreases accuracy. To overcome this we recommend our readers to get a matte screen protection from Huion which will provide textural feel while drawing.

Along with the new design and display, the firmware has also been upgraded which provides responsive and accurate cursor positioning to make drawing experience sharper. Talking about Pen, the next generation ergonomically designed Huion Pen has the ability to sense 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity which will enable you to draw a variety of lines depending on the amount of pressure you apply. Its compatibility with Windows and Mac operating system makes this one of the most widely used devices by artists and graphic designers for their work as it provides Wacom Cintiq level of features at an affordable price of $399.

Hardware Specifications of Huion KAMVAS Pro 13 Display 13.3 inch IPS LCD Pressure Sensitivity 8192 levels Aspect Ratio 16:9 Resolution Full HD 1920 x 1080 Resolution Contrast Ratio 1000:1 Response Rate 5ms Pen Yes, included in the package Weight 7.2 lbs

$279 | Buy at Amazon

Huion GT-190 S | 19 Inch - Bigger Alternative Huion GT-190 S, a tablet especially designed to speed up your workflow comes with 8 customizable hotkeys, convenient shortcuts setup and compatible with lots of illustration and 3D programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Corel Draw, Corel Painter, Zbrush, Manga Studio, Sketchbook Pro and more making it best choice for wide array of artists and painters. The GT-190 S has smooth and solid edges that you can comfortably rest your arm on. Its adjustable monitor stand allows you to set up the monitor at different angles and gives you smoother and more precise pen pressure sensitivity that maximizes your creativity with total freedom and flexibility. Screen resolution and display as compared to other tablets in its competitive market are not that great but it can be fairly feasible for fulfilling a beginners artistic and creative needs. $279 | Buy at Amazon

6. XP-Pen Artist 12 Pro

Functions such as sketch, paint, design, and edit are expected to work out naturally and intuitively on a tablet and XP-Pen Artist 12 Pro is something added up to the tablet revolution. 11.6-inch 1920 x 1080 IPS Full HD display with 178° visual angle delivering, even more, lifelike colors in greater contrast with sharper and vivid images is what gives it an artist’s interest and feel. The custom-designed anti-reflective coating reduces glare by 56 percent making it more bright and beautiful, even if it’s bright outside.

The latest battery-free pen technology with 8192 levels of instant Pen Pressure Sensitivity- providing you with groundbreaking control and fluidity to expand your creative output which does not require charging is designed to have a big impact on user’s creativity. On a simple note, XP-Pen Artist 12 Pro is the best inexpensive tablet for artists.

Enhancing the creative streak of an artist and supporting it is what this tablet offers to its users and also is successful in doing so.

Hardware Specifications of XP-Pen Artist 12 Pro Display Area 11.6-inch Full HD Pressure Sensitivity 8192 levels Fast Access Keys 8 Express Keys Resolution 1920 X 1080 Visual Angle 178° Connection HDMI & USB Report Rate 200 RPS Weight 2.18 lbs

$249 | Buy at Amazon

Also Check – Buying Guide to Buy Best Tablet For Photoshop

7. Apple iPad (Latest Model)

No doubt in the fact that any product which has an ‘I’ in front of its name is one of the most renowned and accredited products ever. Apple and its products such as iPhones, iPads and even MacBooks are one of the best of the lot in the market. Apple’s iPad which comes with a 10.2” Retina display and has a resolution of 2160 x 1620 pixel is the most preferred one out of the lot by artists. Its slim and lightweight design and powerful hardware would just leave the artist mesmerized when he finally looks at his finished piece of art.

It is a fully functional tablet running Apple’s iPad OS 13.1 so apart from drawing, you can also use this tablet for checking emails, taking pictures and consuming media. For that, it has 8 MP iSight Camera, 32GB of internal storage and up to 10 hours of battery life which is best for the tablet with such a huge display. This new iPad also supports Apple Pencil which enables its users for giving them the best drawing and designing experience with its high-pressure sensitivity and palm rejection. So overall, it is a good tablet for artists with a powerful set of specifications.

Why go for the rest, when you can afford the best, iPad ! – $299 on Amazon.

Here’s what a professional artist really thinks about drawing on an iPad.

Hardware Specifications of Apple iPad (Latest Model) Processor Apple A10 Fusion RAM 3 GB RAM Storage 32 GB / 128 GB Display 10.2 inch Retina Display with 2160 x 1620 Resolution GPU PowerVR Series7XT Plus (six-core graphics) Operating System iPad OS 13.1 Battery Life 10 hours Weight 1.07 lbs

$299 | Buy at Amazon

8. Samsung Galaxy Tab S6

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is an android based drawing tablet for artists. Its 10.5″ Super AMOLED screen is very large and comfortably perfect for artists who would love to show off their art skills on the go. As we have seen in the iPad Pro, the Galaxy Tab S6 also comes with Pressure Sensitivity and Palm Rejection to provide you with accurate drawing experience. It doesn’t matter whether you’re Pro or Beginner, with this tablet, you can take your skills to the next level with Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Autodesk Sketchbook and thousands of related apps from the Play Store. Moreover, you can also use this tablet as your daily driver for media consumption, browsing the web and watching YouTube videos, means killing two birds with one stone!

Hardware Specifications of Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 with S Pen Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Octa-Core Chipset RAM 4 GB RAM Storage 128 GB (Expandable upto 1 TB) Display 10.5 inch Super AMOLED with 2560 x 1600 Resolution Camera Rear- 13MP (wide), 5MP (Ultrawide), 2160p | Front- 8MP, 1080p Operating System Android 9.0 Pie Battery Life 15 hours Weight 0.92 lbs

On a conclusive note, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 with S Pen is the perfect tablet for professional artists as well as for beginners who are looking for a drawing tablet which can also suffice other everyday requirements.

9. Microsoft Surface Pro 7

Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is the tablet that can replace your laptop. Featuring an Intel Core i5 10th Gen Processor with 8GB memory and a 128GB solid-state drive, it is more powerful than its predecessor yet lighter than ever before at 1.06 pounds. The amazing 12.3″ touchscreen PixelSense display with 2736 x 1824 resolution has extremely high contrast and low glare so you can work through the day without straining your eyes.

Surface Pro 6 powers through everything you need to do while being lighter than ever before. The already included Surface Pen could be easily used to mark up presentations, sign documents, take notes and much more. Undoubtedly, the performance and versatility of this tablet for professional designers, artists, and other creative people is highly recommended. Best one of the cheapest and slimmest of a lot this tablet gains its popularity from its high-quality display and processor. Now, you know that there is a reason why Microsoft is always on top!

Hardware Specifications of Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Processor Intel Core i5 Processor (10th Gen) RAM 8 GB RAM Storage 128 GB SSD Display 12.3 Inch PixelSense Display with 2736 x 1824 Resolution GPU Intel Iris Plus Graphics Operating System Windows 10 Home Battery Life 10.5 hours Weight 1.06 lbs

$859 | Buy at Amazon

10. Lenovo Yoga Book

If you’re looking for a good laptop (actually 2-in-1) and expecting good drawing features in it, then your search ends here. The Lenovo Yoga Book is a convertible laptop for artists that ships with some hefty useful features in it.

What makes this Yoga Book special is its 360 hinge, which coverts it into standalone tablet and making it easy to carry everywhere and draw with. To enhance your drawing experience, there is Wacom EMR Digitizer with 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity onboard which is usually found in professional drawing tablets. The Wacom Pen also comes within the package so you can start drawing directly out of the box.

Talking about the designing and painting softwares, as it runs on Windows OS, you will be able to access all the Windows supported softwares like Photoshop, Lightroom and ArtRage. In simple words, the Lenovo Yoga Book is the best tablet for artists and a complete package for digital painting.

Hardware Specifications of Lenovo Yoga Book Processor Intel Atom X5, 2.4GHz RAM 4 GB RAM Display 10.1 inch IPS LCD with 1920 x 1200 resolution Pressure Sensitivity 2048 levels Storage 64 GB Operating System Windows 10 Battery Life 13 hours Weight 1.52 lbs

$370 | Buy at Amazon

That’s it! These were our Expert’s recommended top 10 best tablets for artists. We tested all of them and found all the goods and bads of them to point them out in this tablet buying guide so that you can make an informed decision to buy best tablet for yourself within your budget.

All that said, its now up to you to choose a perfect tablet from the aforementioned list and continue your artistic works on a digital platform. But all said and done, the value of a digital sketchbook is only known when an artist’s perfect perspective and creative streak holds it in his hands and then uses and reviews it. And so, with the most amazing and distinguished features, these 10 tablets are surely to win the hearts of every artist who loves to work when on the run for his time and flow of ideas. Well, the right time to portray something is just when you know how to showcase it and for that these tablets and digital sketchbooks definitely come in handy and hence, all artists call their traditional brushes their first lovers and their digital sketchbooks their loving wives making them go media and fan frenzy in the competitive market.