The best Wacom tablets are designed for digital sketching, drawing and painting, and they're also brilliant for editing photos with precision. So whether you're an artist or photographer, or do a bit of both, these devices have a lot to offer.
We've put our experts to work, selecting the very best Wacom tablets in our list below, and highlighting the key differences between models. Our list includes both non-screen tablets, which you connect to a laptop or desktop monitor, and screen tablets, which have their own display which you draw on directly.
Best overall With a big 24in screen, 4K resolution and a massive 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity, this is our pick of the best Wacom tablet for most people. Read more below
Best pro The Wacom Intuos Pro is a high-quality drawing tablet known for its large active area, making it ideal for artists seeking a spacious and precise digital workspace. Read more below
Best budget While it’s not the most advanced on this list, this cheaper tablet offers a quality drawing experience, with easy setup, a nice sized screen and decent resolution. Read more below
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Best Wacom tablet overall
(Image credit: Wacom)
1. Wacom Cintiq Pro 24 Touch
The best Wacom tablet overall
Specifications
Screen diagonal: 23.6in (59.9 cm)
Active area: 522 x 294mm (20.6 x 11.6 in)
Built-in screen resolution: 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels)
Levels of pressure sensitivity: 8,192
Operating system: Windows, macOS (when attached)
Dimensions: 677 x 394 x 47mm (26.6 x 15.5 x 1.9 in)
Weight: 7.2kg (15.8 lbs)
Colors available: Black
Reasons to buy
+
8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity
+
4K resolution
+
Huge screen
Reasons to avoid
-
Not so portable
If you’re a professional creative, it’s worth investing in the best equipment, as it’s going to enable you to make better work, more quickly, and earn more money in the long run. And the best Wacom tablet for pros today is the Cintiq Pro 24 Touch. With a screen diagonal of 23.6in, you’re getting a lot of tablet for your money, including 4K resolution and a massive 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity. Be aware, though, that at over 7kg, this is not a tablet for use on a go, but for use in the studio.
Dimensions: 430 x 287 x 8mm (16.79 x 11.19 x 0.31 inch)
Weight: 1.3kg
Colors available: Black
Reasons to buy
+
Large active area
+
Value for money
Reasons to avoid
-
Not the most pressure-sensitive
The Wacom Intuos Pro is a high-quality drawing tablet known for its large active area, making it ideal for artists seeking a spacious and precise digital workspace. With 8,192 levels of pen pressure sensitivity, Bluetooth connectivity, and compatibility with both Windows and macOS, it works seamlessly across various creative software.
Key features include Wacom's highly responsive stylus, customizable Quick Keys, and a multitouch surface for gesture controls, enhancing the user’s creative workflow. However, the pen stand lacks stability, and accessing replacement nibs can be difficult. It's expensive, but this is a professional-grade investment intended to last.
Dimensions: 277 x 189 x 8.7mm (10.9 x 7.4 x 0.3in)
Weight: 432g
Colors available: Black (front), red (back)
Reasons to buy
+
Cheap
+
Easy setup
+
Works with Chromebooks
Reasons to avoid
-
Not the most pressure-sensitive
Short of cash? The Wacom One pe n tablet is designed for artists who are watching the pennies. And while it’s not the most advanced or powerful device on this list, it still offers a quality drawing experience, with easy setup, a nice sized screen and decent resolution. Plus, as well as Windows PCs and Macs, it works with Chromebooks too.
Happy with a smaller, seven-inch screen? Then you can save even more cash on the aptly named Wacom One Small, and get a tablet that’s very portable, lightweight and handy for travel. For more details, read our One by Wacom review.
Dimensions: 319.5 x 205.2 x 4mm (12.6 x 0.26 x 0.16in)
Weight: 420 g (14.8 oz)
Colors available: Black
Reasons to buy
+
Very slim and light
+
Vibrant screen
+
Easy to set up
Reasons to avoid
-
Screen size may be too small for some
-
No included case or stylus storage
The Wacom Movink, which is short for 'Move Ink', is Wacom's latest mobile pen display, released in autumn 2024. It's very slim and light, which makes it perfect for creatives who value portability.
With a slim 13.3-inch OLED screen, weighing only 420 grams and only 4mm thick, it fits in the hand like a sketchbook. The display offers vibrant colors with near-perfect color accuracy (95% Adobe RGB), and the Pro Pen 3 stylus supports 8,192 pressure levels and 60-degree tilt for a responsive and natural drawing experience. On the downisde, the lack of an included case or stylus holder means accessories need to be purchased separately.
The Movink connects easily to Mac, PC, and Android devices using a single USB-C cable, which also powers the tablet, simplifying its portability. While it provides just two physical quick keys and lacks some customizable options seen in larger tablets, it still supports a range of gestures and on-screen controls for convenient navigation.
The best Wacom tablet for drawing directly on paper
Specifications
Screen diagonal: 10.4in
Active area: 224 x 148mm (8.7 x 5.8in)
Built-in screen resolution: 5,080 lpi
Levels of pressure sensitivity: 8,192
Operating system: Windows or macOS
Dimensions: 338 x 219 x 8mm (13.2 x 8.5 x 0.3in)
Weight: 450g (0.99lb)
Colors available: Black
Reasons to buy
+
Draw directly on paper
+
Useful accessories
+
High resolution
Reasons to avoid
-
Overkill for digital-only drawers
The Wacom Intuos Pro Paper tablets don’t just allow you to draw digitally. You can also place a piece of paper directly on the screen, draw on this with a real ink pen, and the device will translate your drawing into a digital one. Smart, huh? You get all the tools you need for this in the pack, including a finetip pen, paper clip, accessory case, 10 A5 paper sheets, and three finetip ink refills.
The above specs detail the medium-sized device, but this is also available to purchase in a large size. This Wacom Intuos Pro Paper large tablet comes with the exact same tech and accessories as its smaller sibling, except the 10 paper sheets are A4 size rather than A5.
Dimensions: 379 x 638 x 31 mm (14.9 x 25.1 x 1.2 in)
Weight: 7.2 kg (15.9 Ibs)
Colors available: Black
Reasons to buy
+
4K design
+
Slim bezels
+
Superior stylus
Reasons to avoid
-
On the heavy side
If you want a lot of screen space but still something that's nice and portable, this Wacom tablet will hit the sweet spot, with its 27-inch screen. It offers up to 400 nits of brightness, 4K resolution, 120Hz refresh rate and very slim bezels; which means it's actually more compact than its 24-inch sibling (number one on our list). One drawback is that it's on the heavy side, plus if you want a stand, you have to buy one separately. But while this isn't cheap, you are very much getting what you pay for.
Wacom is a Japanese company headquartered that specializes in manufacturing graphics tablets and related products. A Wacom tablet is a digital drawing pad from said company that allows users to create digital art, edit photos, and perform other visual tasks by using a stylus pen on a pressure-sensitive surface.
What are the two types of Wacom tablet?
There are two fundamental types of Wacom tablets. First, there are non-screen tablets. These devices don't have screens of their own but connect to a larger laptop or desktop monitor. This setup allows you to work with intricate detail, just like having a digital canvas at your fingertips
Second, there are screen tablets. These come with built-in displays, resembling something closer to an iPad. The experience is also akin to using a physical pen and paper, but with the advantage of being able to edit your work.
Are Wacom tablets just for drawing?
Wacom tablets aren't just for digital drawing and painting. They can be used for a variety of other tasks too, including photo editing, video editing, graphic design, motion graphics, 3D modeling and animation.
When choosing the best Wacom tablet for your specific needs, what should you looking for? Start with the number of levels of pressure sensitivity, which suggests how closely the drawing on screen will resemble your actual pen marks. The more, the better. If you're a beginner or casual drawer, you'll probably find the lower end of 2,048 perfectly fine, but if you're a pro or semi-pro you may prefer more more.
Also consider the size and weight of the tablet, especially if you expect to travel with it. And note the resolution, which Wacom generally measures in lines per inch (lpi). In practical terms, you need about 1,000lpi to see your drawing in high definition.
Finally, think about how big a drawing area you need. If you've never used a graphics tablet before, it may be worth trying one in a shop, or just practising on a piece of paper to get a sense of what works best.
Our testing process begins with assessing each Wacom tablet's performance across various drawing and photo editing applications. We assess how natural using the stylus on the tablet feels, and how precise and accurate the results are in practice. We also consider the display quality of each Wacom tablet, as well as the ergonomics of the tablet, gauging comfort and usability levels over long sessions of drawing and editing.
Tom May is a freelance writer and editor specializing in art, photography, design and travel. He has been editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine. He has also worked for a wide range of mainstream titles including The Sun, Radio Times, NME, T3, Heat, Company and Bella.
