This is the digital art tablet you should buy

I have been asked countless times about which tablet a beginner digital artist should get, so I decided that I would make a super-comprehensive video to answer all of your questions in one place, in one video, right here, right now. about what tablets are actually out there. I’m going to explain to you the four types of drawing tablets that you can buy today, and then later on well talk about my recommendations about which ones you should pick depending on your own unique situation. If you already know about the tablets that are available out there, then you can skip to this timestamp here, or in the description or in the comments to my own recommendations.

So, there are two main categories of devices. You have the mobile and multipurpose tablets like these right here, and then the more conventional stationary dedicated tablets. When it comes to mobile tech, you have two main options. The first are tablets. These are tablets that have a computer chip inside of them and usually they run on either Windows, Android or iOS. All you have to do is buy the tablet and then the stylus or pen if it doesn’t already come with it. When it comes to Android, there are a ton of options, and they often come at much less of the cost than an iPad.

However, this comes at the cost of overall performance, where the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil currently stand undefeated. Tablets are usually the best bang for your buck across the board when it comes to everything that you get and can do with it straight out of the box. This is especially true if you consider many of the great free drawing applications that are available out there. 

The second type of mobile tablet is not even a tablet, but they are actually full-on computers. I don’t have a physical example of this type of device here with me today, but they are devices that mainly function as laptops that also allow you to draw on them. They’re often referred to as 2-in-1s or tablet computers. These all usually come with an Intel or AMD chip and sometimes pack a lot more power and can run on Windows operating software.

Some products, however, focus on the creative aspects first rather than the laptop experience, such as the Wacom Mobile Studio Pro, for example. Although this category of products are super-useful, they can often be the most expensive to choose from and tend to have the least bang for your buck in my opinion. 

This is because the slimmer you make these computers, the less power you have available for programs like Photoshop and Clip Studio Paint. Digital art can be very processor and RAM-heavy, and especially if you want to get into 3D work, this is a serious concern, so keep this in mind when you’re choosing your next model. Now, for the second big category, we have the dedicated stationary tablets like I mentioned before.

Here you have a couple more options to choose from. The first one, you might already have in your possession, and it’s pretty much just the conventional plastic drawing tablet. These tablets do not have a dedicated computer chip inside, so you must plug them into a laptop or desktop computer in order to use them with a drawing software. I would’ve brought my own Intuos Pro that I had with me in college, but I think I lost it when I moved, so unfortunately I don’t have it.

These tablets are often your average person’s first step into digital art, and can be very cheap depending on which of the many brands and sizes that you choose from. Some of these tablets actually allow you to connect them to devices like your own phone or even transfer traditional mark-making into digital information.

These facts, including their usually small size and light weight, can make traditional tablets a more mobile solution for many people. Your classic, traditional tablet can also tend to be easier to transition to from traditional art because of the rough surface is much more like drawing on paper than most glass surfaces. The downside to these tablets is that you have to get used to not looking at your hands when you draw. 

This is something that many professionals have gotten used to and still made incredible work with, Now, the second option under the more stationary, dedicated tablets are your display tablets. These tablets do not have a computer chip inside, so they also require a desktop computer or laptop to use. The big difference between these and your regular, more traditional tablets is that they actually have a digitized screen.

That means that you can actually draw directly on the same screen that you see your artwork on, just like your mobile tablets and tablet computers. Now, these are, across the board, more expensive than your regular tablets that don’t have a screen, but they usually provide a much better experience for the majority of people out there. Now, there are several brands for these screen tablets to choose from.

However, the quality and features vary greatly as well. So, for example, the Cintiq Pro is the only dedicated display tablet right now that boasts a 4K display, and if you ask me, that’s extremely important. Okay, so let’s go ahead and get into the recommendations. Some of you might even be more confused than you were before right now, especially if I mentioned a tablet that you haven’t heard of before. 

But don’t worry, I’m going to help you decide which type you should get. Just keep in mind that your decision will largely depend on such as your skill level, budget, goals and lifestyle. I also want to clarify that there are many tablets out there that I probably haven’t mentioned or shown in this video.

I’m only going to recommend products that I’ve used in my own personal experience or that I would buy myself.

Otherwise, the purpose is to help you make a decision on what type of tablet to get, not to get into an argument about which specific model or brand has better pressure sensitivity levels for the price, or yadda, you know. Stuff like that. So, obviously, if you are completely starting out, you don’t want to spend too much money, because you don’t want it to become an expensive paperweight in a few weeks if you decide it’s just not for you. 

I recommend a 7th-gen iPad, all the way up to an iPad Air in this case. That way, you can still enjoy the features of an iPad if you don’t end up drawing too much. I personally have influenced many people to purchase iPad over the past two years, and some of them have ended up not taking drawing too seriously, but this was fine because they didn’t purchase something too expensive like the iPad Pro or something like a dedicated Cintiq that they would end up just throwing away.

Otherwise, you can get one of the cheaper tablets that don’t have screens as well. I recommend a Wacom Intuos or a cheaper alternative like the XP-PEN Deco series. Now, if you’re more serious about digital art, but you’re still a beginner, is whether or not you have a computer. If you don’t already have a computer, then you’ll want to stick to a more mobile solution like a tablet or a tablet computer. 

In this case, you want to ask yourself again, what type of work do you want to do, and what your current lifestyle is. If you’re in school or have a full-time job, you probably want to get something mobile like an iPad Air, or even an iPad Pro. I purchased an iPad Pro while working a full-time job, and it allowed me this flexibility to create enough artwork to grow my Instagram and YouTube audience.

Depending on your job and what you’re doing in school, it might be best to pick up something that can serve as a dedicated laptop as well. In this case, a Surface Book or another 2-in-1 laptop with a robust drawing stylus would be an excellent choice. If you have a non-technical degree or your work doesn’t require work from home regularly, then you could probably get away with an iPad Pro and a keyboard setup like this one here. Now, if you do already have a good computer, then you might want to go ahead and just get something more stationary.

However, I just want to clarify, when I say good computer, I mean a computer that can run drawing applications well. You really want something that has at least, the very least, 8GB of RAM and a quad-core CPU. If your specs are below that, then you might just want to get an iPad or a tablet computer instead, because drawing on a low-spec PC can be a huge pain. 

Now, again, ask yourself what type of person you are. If you have a decent desktop computer, then you may not need to get a mobile device. Try a larger tablet, like the Wacom Intuos Pro or maybe just skip right ahead to an art display from XP-PEN. If you have around $400-plus to spend, then you can start looking at more quality display tablets.

For example, this is the Wacom One, and it also allows you to connect it to a phone, which makes it one of the most portable display tablets out there. Now, let’s say you’ve been doing digital art for a while. Maybe you already have an old tablet lying around. Maybe you’re still a beginner, but you’re very serious, and you’re even planning to go to art school. 

Maybe you just have the cash to spend, or you just want something to last you in case you start to get serious. Whatever the case, here are my personal recommendations for you. Fair warning, the products that I will mention from now on will be quite expensive, but if you fit the previous category I just mentioned, then it will be well worth the cash. So, if you prioritize mobility, then definitely get the iPad Pro.

It’s the absolute best combo of precision, power and portability out there. Sure, the apps aren’t quite as extensive as a PC or Mac environment, but there are plenty of professional artists out there who make amazing artwork on this device.

Just think about the type of work you want to make and what apps are currently out there, or in future development. Now, the one person who has no choice in the matter here is the 3D artist. If you want to work in 3D, then you really need to get a stationary tablet, ideally one with a display. You also really need to have a decent computer already, and I don’t recommend getting a 2-in-1 tablet computer for these things, so I would either get the Wacom Mobile Studio Pro or even better, build your own PC and get whatever size conventional drawing tablet you need to get started.

Now, if you don’t need mobility, then by all means get a display tablet. I highly recommend these, especially since the cheapest ones available now are under $300 bucks. Back when I started to take digital art seriously, there weren’t any display tablets for that price. I personally recommend you look at the offerings from Wacom or XP-PEN. 

The last recommendations I have are for those of you who have money to burn or are at a point where making money with your work is a reality but you want to deliver the highest quality to your clients or employers. For you guys, I recommend the Cintiq Pro line, like the 32-inch one I have here, or smaller. The color representation is great, and I can draw on it for several hours at a time.

Something like the iPad Pro works great too for pen sensitivity, and you can always make use of the USB-C cable for flexibility. You can also pair a non-display tablet with a high-end computer monitor if you really need to make sure your colors are right. But a Cintiq just gets the job done faster, and it’s more comfortable when it comes to drawing eight hours a day every day, as a main source of income.

Now, this was a pretty long video, but I hope that you are much closer to making your final decision when it comes to which tablet you should buy for digital art. If there’s anything that I missed, please leave them in the comments down below. But again, please do your own research if you’re wondering about any of the other brands or specific models that I have not mentioned in this video.

The only specific products that I mentioned are the ones that I’ve used myself or trust from other artists that I respect. I personally can’t say anything about Android tablets or any of the other tablet manufacturers like Gaomon, Huion or Parblo, but I think Huion did send me a broken tablet to review that I sent back, but I don’t know if that counts, does it?

For those of you more interested in the details of different tablets that are available, I strongly recommend checking out Brad Colbow or Aaron Rutten for their more in-depth tablet reviews.

So, that’s it from me, guys. I’ve been Ergo Josh, and I’ll see you in the next one. Peace.

SMARTPHONE BUYING GUIDE THIS 2021