The Ultimate Wacom Tablets Overview

Wacom tablets are most commonly used by graphic designers for digital illustration, photo editing, and animation. These tablets are used with a pressure-sensitive stylus that provides a much more natural and intuitive drawing experience compared to a mouse, allowing for higher precision and control in creative tasks. Wacom tablets also offer useful features like customizable shortcut buttons and multi-touch gestures, making them an indispensable tool for many digital artists and designers.

The range of Wacom products that can be used with the Amadine app.

Wacom offers a selection of products that make it easy for designers to create digital works of art. Wacom’s Pen Computers are powerful devices that come with a pen that allows designers to draw and design directly on the screen. Wacom’s Pen Displays are large pen screens that offer high-resolution and the ability to draw directly on the screen. Wacom’s Pen Tablets provide the same benefits, but with a smaller size, making it ideal for designers who need portability. Their products serve the full range of graphic designers who need to create professional-looking designs quickly and efficiently.

Pen Computers—MobileStudio Pro

The Wacom MobileStudio Pro is a versatile mobile workstation that lets you take your design work with you while on the go. With 16 inch model available the MobileStudio Pro offers a balance of performance, portability and affordability. It is used with the Wacom Pro Pen 2, which allows precise control for drawing and sketching. The MobileStudio Pro offers multi-touch support, so you can draw and interact with the tablet just as you would with a traditional pen and paper.

One of the key features of the MobileStudio Pro is its powerful hardware. Both models feature an Intel Core i7 processor, and have fast graphics cards, plenty of RAM, and fast solid-state drives (SSD), making them fully up to the task of running demanding creative software.

The MobileStudio Pro runs Windows 10, and can be used as a standalone computer, or as a tablet that can be connected to an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse. This makes it a great choice for artists and designers who need a powerful and portable device for their work.

The MobileStudio Pro16 is powered by an Intel Core i7 processor with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. It has a 15.6-inch full HD (1920 × 1080) display, also with an anti-glare coating. This model also features an NVIDIA® Quadro® Graphics card.

This model offers great performance and portability, making it ideal for a wide range of designers.

Pros:

  • Fully featured standalone computer for all your needs.
  • High connectivity to all standard computer accessories: external monitor, keyboard and mouse.

Cons:

  • Priced according to any other separate computer, with MobileStudio Pro16 starting at $2,499.95.
MobileStudio Pro 16 with Wacom Pro Pen 2.

Pen Displays

Wacom Pen Displays are interactive display monitors that give users the ability to draw, paint, and design directly on the screen. They are used by designers to quickly and accurately create digital artwork, illustrations, and animations or edit photos using the pressure-sensitive pen. The pressure sensitivity of the displays allow for fine control over the thickness of lines and strokes, so designers can create detailed graphic design with great precision. These feature a variety of options, including customizable shortcuts and pen sensitivity settings.

Wacom One

This Wacom tablet is lightweight and portable, has a 13.3-inch screen, so it is an ideal choice for on-the-go digital creatives. It’s compatible with Windows and macOS, and can connect to your computer via USB. With the Wacom One, designers can easily draw, sketch, and write digitally, but with a pen and paper feel. It is easy to hold and use, and the battery life allows for long hours without needing to recharge. It is the perfect tool for digital illustrators, animators and any designer who wants to create digital art.

Overall, the Wacom One is a great option for artists looking for an affordable and accessible entry into the world of digital drawing. The stylus and the multi-touch support gives designers a more natural and intuitive experience compared to using a mouse or trackpad, and is a great tool for exploring your creativity.

Pros:

  • Lightweight and affordable choice for the work on-the-go.
  • Compatible with macOS and Windows, and even certain Android devices.
  • Long battery life.

Cons:

  • Not the most powerful option among the pen displays, but covers all the basic needs.
Wacom One is great for artists looking for an affordable entry into digital drawing.

Wacom Cintiq

The Wacom Cintiq is a great choice for any graphic designer who wants to take their skills to the next level. It is a digital pen display that allows you to draw directly on the screen, giving a much more natural feel than traditional drawing tablets. It features a pressure-sensitive pen with a variety of customizable buttons, so you can easily adjust the settings to match your workflow. The Cintiq also has a display that is large enough to comfortably draw on, and the color accuracy is high enough for professional results. With the Cintiq, a graphic designer can take their creative ideas and bring them to life with accuracy and precision.

Pros:

  • Next step in features from Wacom One.
  • Customizable buttons easen your daily workflow.
  • Durable materials ensure your device serves you longer.

Cons:

  • Although the 15.6-inch model can be purchased for mere $499.95, the bigger 21.5-inch option will cost you a considerable $1,299.95.
Wacom Cintiq is great for anyone who wants to take their skills to the next level.

Wacom Cintiq Pro

The Wacom Cintiq Pro is Wacom’s high-end digital drawing tablet with an integrated display screen. It’s a level up from the Cintiq in terms of hardware and display specs, so it is a premium choice for designers who need the best performance and highest image quality. All versions of the Cintiq Pro use Wacom’s Pro Pen technology, and users can choose a Pro Pen 2 or Pro Pen 3 to suit their needs.

The Cintiq Pro comes in larger sizes than the Cintiq, and has higher resolution displays, faster graphics cards and more powerful processors than the standard Cintiq. The other features are also slightly more advanced, like color-accurate displays and built-in hardware buttons. Wacom Link Plus allows you to easily connect any Cintiq Pro to a Mac or PC, and work with the most popular creative software, so these tablets appeal to artists across the board.

The Wacom Cintiq Pro 17 has a 17.3-inch 4K display with up to 8192 levels of pressure sensitive pen input and 1.07 billion colors, making it ideal for digital drawing, painting, and photo editing. Used with Wacom’s Pro Pen 2 or Pro Pen 3, it provides an accurate digital drawing experience with virtually no lag. The display can also be easily adjusted for color accuracy. With the included stand and three different display angles to choose from, the Cintiq Pro 17 is a great choice for professional digital artists who need something more compact, or who might need a more portable size of Cintiq Pro.

The Wacom Cintiq Pro 22 and 27 are the two larger sized Pro options, coming at 21.5-inch or 27-inch size, respectively. Either of these would be a solid choice for artists working in photography, animation, 3d sculpting, or Video VFX. Both models provide the same high-end features and performance, making it difficult to choose between them. Ultimately, your decision will depend on your budget, size preference, and what type of artwork you plan to create.

Pros:

  • The high-end digital drawing tablet option is suitable for professional performance and picture quality.
  • Faster, more powerful, and bigger compared to Cintiq.
  • Suitable for heavyweight tasks in photography, animation, 3d sculpting, or video visual effects (VFX).

Cons:

  • Affordability may be questionable with Wacom Cintiq Pro 17 at $2,499.95 and Wacom Cintiq Pro 27 costing as much as $3,499.95.
Wacom Cintiq Pro with Pro Pen are a choice of a professional.

Pen Tablets

There are many options for one’s artistic passions in the line of Wacom creative pen tablets. For drawing, sketching, and photography projects in particular, the Intuos range is a terrific place to start. The options in Intuos Pro offer the pressure-sensitivity, immaculate pen performance, and productivity tools that serious creatives most frequently want.

One by Wacom

For artists looking for an affordable, accessible way to jump into the digital art world, the One by Wacom is an excellent choice. This is Wacom’s pen tablet that features a 13.3-inch display and the same pressure sensitive stylus that all Wacom tablets use. The key feature of the Wacom One is its compact size and lightweight design. It weighs only 2.2 pounds, and has a 13.3-inch display with an 11.6″ × 6.5​​″ active area and a full HD 1920 × 1080 resolution.

The Wacom One is also compatible with most creative software, and connects to a PC or Mac via USB. It’s affordable, user-friendly and simple to get started with. The One by Wacom is a perfect choice for curious artists, or those just starting to explore creating digital art.

Pros:

  • Affordability and user-friendliness for beginners.
  • Compact and lightweight—will help you start with no hassle.

Cons:

  • Not the ideal choice for professionals.
One by Wacom is an affordable way to jump into the digital art world for artists.

Wacom Intuos

The Wacom Intuos is the larger version of the pen tablet, as compared to the Wacom One. This tablet is great for hobbyists and artists alike. Instead of the Pro Pen 2, this tablet has a 4K pressure-sensitive pen, designed to suit both left- and right-handed users. The tablet features an ergonomic design and is available in S, small (7.9″ × 6.3″), or M, medium (10.4″ × 7.8″). There are two color choices: black or pistachio green to foster even more inspiration. It’s compatible with Windows, macOS, Android, and Chrome OS.

Pros:

  • Perfectly affordable choice for amateurs and hobbyist artists.
  • Ergonomic design and two color choices at your disposal.
  • Full range compatibility with Windows, macOS, Android, and Chrome OS.

Cons:

  • Not powerful enough for complicated design works.
Wacom Intuos is great for hobbyists and artists.

Wacom Intuos Pro

The Wacom Intuos Pro is the company’s standard tablet for professionals. This tablet uses the Pro Pen 2 which is highly accurate, pressure-sensitive, and offers tilt-response and virtually lag free tracking. The Pro has multi-touch capabilities, for easy navigation of tools and menus, as well as zooming in and out of images. The Intuos Pro is compatible with both Windows and macOS and features customizable shortcut keys, a wireless Bluetooth connection, and eight programmable ExpressKeys. Bluetooth and Wireless is included in the Wacom Intuos Pro.

The Medium and Large sizes of the Intuos Pro offer the option of the Paper Edition, as an accessory or a bundle. The Paper Edition means you can design directly on the tablet using the Wacom Pro Pen 2, and work digitally from start to finish, or you can start by drawing on paper with Wacom Finetip Pen, then edit your sketches digitally in your favorite software.

The Wacom Intuos Pro offers three sizes:

  • S: 10.6″ × 6.7″
  • M: 13.2″ × 8.5″
  • L: 16.8″ × 11.2″

Pros:

  • Company’s choice for professional designers.
  • Three sizes to optimize any type of task in graphic design.
  • Perfectly customizable to get you exactly the result you strive for.

Cons:

  • A lot of options to choose from, including the Paper Edition makes the choice among Wacom Intuos Pro series not a mean feat.
Wacom Intuos Pro for a graphic design professional.

Conclusion

With the excellent range of Wacom tablets to suit any need, you might have a hard time making a decision about which one to choose. One thing you can be sure of is that no matter which tablet you select, they all are fully compatible with the Amadine app for the Mac. While pen tablets, the classic among the Wacom designer tablets, were the first to work together with the Amadine app, today the Pen Displays and Pen Computers are also compatible with the app.

Both pen computers and pen displays will function as display options, where you can work with every Amadine drawing tool, including the Pen tool, Draw tool and Width tool. You can even adjust pressure for the Amadine Draw tool to choose the perfect range capacity for your needs. As a designer, you can be fully equipped to create anything you dream up using a Wacom tablet along with the Amadine app.

Wacom MobileStudio Pro icon.
16″
$2,499.95
Wacom One icon.
Touch 13.3″
11.6″
$599.95
$309.95
Wacom Cintiq icon.
16″
22″
$499.95
$1,299.95
Wacom Cintiq Pro icon.
27″
22″
17″
$3,499.95
$2,999.95
$2,499.95
One by Wacom icon.
Medium
Small
$99.95
$49.95
Wacom Intuos icon.
$59.95–$199.95
Wacom Intuos Pro icon.
Large
Medium
Small
$499.95
$299.95
$249.95
The design of the article was created by Max Lazor.
Revised in January 2024

Can’t wait to put your new Wacom to work? A free trial of the Amadine app will help to use your Wacom to its maximum!