Pen display refresh rate

Overview

The VAST majority of pen displays up to 60Hz. Only a handful of pen displays support higher refresh rates such as 90Hz or 120Hz.

Notes on high refresh rates

Just because a pen display supports a high refresh rate, does not necessarily mean you'll be able to get that refresh rate in practice.

• The port on the tablet must support the high refresh rate.

• The cable transmitting the video signal must support that high refresh rate

• The port on the computer must support the high refresh rate.

Here's a real-world example of someone who had a 120Hz refresh rate pen display:

• He COULD NOT get the 120Hz rate over a thunderbolt USB-C cable attached to his M3 MacBook Pro

• He COULD get the 120HZ rate using an HDMI cable attached to his M3 MacBook pro.

Drawing tablets that support high refresh rates

As of Feb 2026, only a few tablets support high refresh rates.

Brand	Name and Model ID	Year	Refresh Rate (Hz)
WACOM	Cintiq Pro 17 (DTH-172)	2023	120
WACOM	Cintiq Pro 22 (DTH-227)	2023	120
WACOM	Cintiq Pro 27 (DTH-271)	2022	120
HUION	Kamvas Pro 27 144Hz (GT2702)	2025	144
HUION	Kamvas 22 GEN3 (GS2203)	2026	90
WACOM	MovinkPad 11 (DTH-A116)	2025	90
WACOM	MovinkPad Pro 14 (DTH-A140)	2025	120

Effects of higher refresh rates

Pointer lag improvements

Higher refresh rates slightly improve pointer lag.

I've tested several of these high-refresh-rate pen displays. Compared to a 60Hz pen display, a 10Hz refresh fate visually seems to improve the pointer lag by maybe 10% to 20%to my eyes. This indicates to me that pointer lag is driven by other latencies and rates in the system.

Increased heat and power usage

With pen displays , I've noticed a clear pattern of warmer screens when higher refresh rates are used. They are never "hot", but it can feel much warmer than usual. Some people might not enjoy the feeling.