The best graphics tablets

Every year, new graphics tablets with similar characteristics are launched on the market, making it increasingly difficult to choose a graphics tablet for Graphic Design, Illustration or Art in general. Tech specs don’t tell the full story, and it is in the use where the biggest differences are apparent.

The best graphics tablets improve the drawing experience and the results that can be achieved with graphic design and illustration programs. Technically, they have better drawing surfaces and a more sensitive stylus that captures the user’s strokes more accurately. Sometimes they also have hotkeys that speed up the workflow.

Because of my work as an art director and designer, I have used dozens of graphics tablets over the years and in this guide I will show you the best graphics tablets on the market and how to identify the one that best suits your needs, with their pros, but also with their cons and some recommendations.

Wacom Intuos Pro M

Last price update on 2022-12-07. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

The best graphics tablet on the market

You may have been expecting a super expensive tablet to be the best of this list, but the truth is that after trying many tablets, the Wacom Intuos Pro M is the best graphics tablet I’ve ever tried. I always come back to it, and soon you’ll understand why.

First, the precision and control it offers when drawing is far above those of any other graphics tablet. On paper, some graphics tablets advertise the same technical specifications as the Wacom Intuos Pro, however, the user experience with this graphics tablet is superior to that of its competitors in terms of sensitivity, response to pressure and pen accuracy.

There are graphics tablets that advertise the same specifications as the Intuos Pro, but in practice none match it.

The medium size of its active area allows it to maintain a fairly proportional scale with many laptop screens and external monitors, making it the most recommended size for most designers and illustrators. In addition, it offers Windows and Mac compatibility, so you can use it with any graphic design, photography and illustration program.

You can also count on Wacom’s technical support and constant updates to keep your graphics tablet up-to-date with leading graphic design software and operating systems and to ensure that the tablet works properly at all times.

The best graphics tablet for graphic design

The Wacom Intuos Pro is the best graphics tablet for graphic design, as it provides the best user experience when designing, both for its quality of manufacture, sensitivity and precision, as well as its perfect compatibility with the main graphic design programs.

Huion HS611

Last price update on 2022-12-07. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

The best graphics tablet on a budget

The Huion HS611, successor to the popular HS610, offers professional features for the price of a mid-range graphics tablet, making it one of the best value graphics tablets on the market.

The drawing experience feels very natural, and the accuracy of gesture recognition is very close to the Wacom Intuos Pro, despite the price difference.

Unlike the HS610, the new HS611 includes multi-touch buttons on the top, which are used to control multimedia functions such as audio volume, media file playback, switching between screens or simply returning to the desktop.

You can also configure the multi-touch bar to adjust the zoom or brush size, for example. I love this feature, but it would have been more accessible to place it on the side of the drawing area, rather than at the top.

Another great feature is that the HS6011 can be used with an Android tablet or cell phone directly. Note that while connected to these devices, you will only be able to use a portion of the drawing area, equivalent to the proportions of the device’s screen.

Huion Kamvas Pro 16 Plus 4K

Last price update on 2023-05-18. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

The best graphics tablet with screen

With the Kamvas Pro 16 4K, Huion proves that it is capable of making the best graphics tablet with screen on the market and competing head-to-head with the more expensive Wacom Cintiq Pro 16 and even surpassing it in several aspects.

If you think Wacom has no rivals, think again. Unlike the Wacom Cintiq Pro 16, the screen of the Kamvas Pro 16 4K is fully laminated, which minimizes parallax between the pen and the screen. This offers a more natural feel and greater precision when drawing than the Cintiq Pro.

Its display also offers a wider color gamut (145% sRGB ≈ 105% NTSC) than the Cintiq Pro 16 (72% NTSC), providing a more accurate representation between what you see on the screen and the final result.

The frosted texture of the screen prevents the pen from slipping when drawing, producing a feeling similar to that of drawing on paper. This is helped by the pen being lightweight and having a comfortable grip. Also, the tablet picks up speed, gestures and pen pressure quickly and accurately, as you would expect from the best pen display on the market.

In terms of build, it is a lightweight tablet relative to its size, with aluminum finishes that denote build quality. Huion has eliminated the buttons that the previous version had (the Kamvas Pro 16), something that some users may miss, as reaching the keyboard is not so easy with a pen display.

The best graphics tablet for drawing

The Huion Kamvas Pro 16 (4K) is the best graphics tablet with screen for drawing, both for the color fidelity and image sharpness of its display. The drawing experience it provides is accurate, responsive and, thanks to its laminated screen, parallax is barely noticeable.

Huion HS610

Last price update on 2022-12-07. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.