Beginner pen tablet recommendations
Basics
These are recommendations for pen tablets, or screenless tablets, that require a computer. If you want other kinds of tablets, see Beginner drawing tablet recommendations.
Size. You may see both small and medium sizes listed here. For most people, I recommend a MEDIUM size.
Enable Force Proportions. A pen tablet will likely feel weird until you enable it. See Matching aspect ratios with Force Proportions.
One by Wacom CTL-x72 series
Two tablets are in this family:
One by Wacom S (CTL-472)
One by Wacom M (CTL-672)
If I had to pick one pen tablet for a beginner, I would recommend the One by Wacom M (CTL-672). The price is reasonable. It is reliable. It has a good drawing experience. One by Wacom (CTL-x72) notes
Notes:
The port on the tablet is micro-USB, not USB-C. The tablet comes with the correct cable, but you should keep this in mind if you ever need to replace it.
It does not support tilt.
It does not support wireless.
It is highly recommended for playing osu!.
The challenge with the Wacom CTL-x72 series
Wacom has discontinued the CTL-672 and CTL-472. They are getting harder to find. You can still find them on eBay. Wacom will eventually drop driver support for them. You can keep using older drivers.
XP-Pen Deco series
These are very good beginner tablets. The price is good. I like the included X3 Elite pen. It has reasonably low IAF. That is a little higher than the Huion tablets mentioned in this list. Max pressure is decent. Pressure response is also very consistent across units.
XP-Pen Deco M (IT850)
XP-Pen Deco MW (IT850B)
XP-Pen Deco L (IT1060)
XP-Pen Deco LW (IT1060B) - XP-Pen Deco LW (IT1060B) notes
Note: XP-Pen sells other tablets with "Deco" in the name. This section covers only the four models listed above.
Huion Inspiroy Frego (Lx10) series
Consider these models:
Huion Inspiroy Frego S (L310)
Huion Inspiroy Frego M (L610) - Huion Inspiroy Frego M (L610) notes
Notes
The PW550 pen is generally better than the older PW517 pen.
They automatically adjust aspect ratio when working with Android devices.
Known issues
Some people do not like the scratchy sound when drawing on the surface.
Some people report air bubbles appearing under the tablet surface.
Huion Inspiroy 2 series
Two models are in this family:
Huion Inspiroy 2 M (H951P)
Huion Inspiroy 2 L (H1061P) Huion Inspiroy 2 L (H1061P) notes
Notes
The included PW110 pen behaves exactly like the older PW517 pen. The PW550 pen is generally better.
These tablets do not support wireless connectivity.
Wacom Intuos CTL-x100/CTL-x100WL series
There are four models in this family: Wacom Intuos (CTL-x100) notes
Intuos Small CTL-4100
Intuos Small BT CTL-4100WL
Intuos Medium CTL-6100
Intuos Medium BT CTL-6100WL
Limitations
No tilt.
Notes
The port on the tablet is micro-USB, not USB-C. The tablet comes with the correct cable, but you should keep this in mind if you ever need to replace it.
These tablets were released in 2018. We expect Wacom driver support to stop in 2028. That gives them a similar support lifetime to the CTL-x72 series.
They are very expensive for what they are. Even though they are consumer tablets, they have a professional-level price.
XP-Pen Deco 01 V2 and Deco 01 V3
Models:
XP-Pen Deco 01 V2
XP-Pen Deco 01 V3 - XP-Pen Deco 01 V3 notes
These are okay tablets.
Both use the same P05 pen, which has slightly higher IAF than I would like.
XP-Pen Deco 01 V3 is supposed to work well with Android, but I could not get it to work correctly with my Android devices. Strokes were distorted. Some people report that it works.
Tablets to avoid
Wacom One 2023 pen tablets CTC-x110WL series
I do not recommend these tablets. See Wacom One 2023 pen tablets (CTC-x110WL) notes.
Known issues:
Slight pressure banding problems. A firmware update addresses about 90% of it.
The CP-923 pen has high IAF and low pressure.
They are expensive. The medium size costs $149.95.
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