All products were chosen independently by our editorial team. This review contains affiliate links and we may receive a commission for purchases made. Please read our affiliates FAQ page to find out more.

5 best drawing tablets to take your digital art to the next level

Discover the best of the best drawing tablets and find the perfect bit of kit to suit your needs.

Try our magazines – get 6 issues from just £9.99!

Published: December 31, 2022 at 10:00 am

Do you love digital drawing? Then you’re going to want to make sure your kit is up to the job! Getting the right drawing tablet for you can make a world of difference to your drawing, enjoyment and comfort.

We’re going to walk you through our best drawing tablets for 2023 to help you make the right decision for you. There’s a wide range of drawing tablets available which can be a little overwhelming sometimes. To help you sort the bad from the good, we’ve narrowed down to our top five.

If you’re brand new to drawing tablets we’d recommend starting your digital drawing adventure with one of these cheap drawing tablets. This way you’ll be able to have a taste of digital drawing without breaking the bank.

For this article, we’ll be looking at professional digital drawing tablets. They’re perfect for those looking for high-spec and top-tier drawing tablets.

5 of the best drawing tablets

1. XP-PEN Artist 22R Pro Drawing Tablet

Sleek, vibrant and practical! This glorious tablet has everything you could want. A mega 21.5inch HD display and resolution of 1920x1080 pixels means you’ll have a beautifully sharp display with brilliant colours.

The tablet has twenty express keys, meaning you can choose up to twenty shortcuts programmed into the tablet – now that’s efficient! You’ll also find two battery-free stylus in the kit, so no need to charge them.

  • Pressure levels: 8192
  • Work area: 21.5inch
  • Shortcut keys: 20

2. Wacom Intuos Pro Pen Tablet

Wacom Intuos Pro gives you more natural creative control than ever before. Combined with the super-sensitive Wacom Pro Pen 2, this sleek tablet looks and feels amazing.

This pro tablet is available in small, medium and large depending on your needs. There’s also a Paper Edition, which is an exciting alternative to the classic drawing tablet. You can actually attach your favourite paper to the tablet which will capture your drawing in digital form.

This tablet is Bluetooth enabled so you can work wirelessly!

  • Pressure levels: 8192
  • Work area: 8.7 x 5.8 in
  • Shortcut keys: 8

3. Lenovo P12 Pro Android tablet

The Lenovo P12 Pro is an all-in-one piece of kit. It’s perfect for those who want everything at their fingertips.

This tablet is ideal for digital drawing, and it even comes with a Lenovo Precision Pen 3, perfect for use with your favourite drawing software. The display is crystal clear, offering an abundance of colours thanks to the 2K AMOLED Dolby Vision™ display.

Not only will you be able to satisfy your digital drawing needs, but you can also do everything you can do on a computer! You can watch movies, listen to music, browse the web and much more. This powerful tablet won’t have an issue running multiple apps at once thanks to its long-lasting battery and 3.2 GHz Qualcomm processor. ‎

  • Work area: 12.6" 2K AMOLED Dolby Vision™ display
  • Shortcut keys: 0

4. Wacom Cintiq 16

If you want a piece of kit that feels so natural it's like you’re drawing straight onto paper, this is the one for you. Thanks to the exceptional colour and resolution, it feels incredibly smooth and will detect even the lightest of touches.

Paired with the Wacom Pro Pen 2 (included in the kit) you’ll have perfect accuracy and control over your strokes and touches. The efficiency doesn't stop there though. This drawing tablet has sixteen shortcut buttons that are conveniently placed on the side, meaning you don’t lose precious screen space.

  • Pressure levels: 8192
  • Work area: 15.6 Inches
  • Shortcut keys: 16

5. 2023 Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro

We’re diving into the biggest and the best drawing tablets so, of course, we had to include Apple. The glorious 12.9-inch iPad Pro is the top of the drawing tablet game. Paired with an Apple Pencil it’s ideal for digital drawing.

You can use this iPad with the powerful and intuitive digital illustration app Procreate. Used by professionals and hobbyists alike, it’s one of the easiest ways to create digital art.

With an iPad you get all of the other features that come with it as a bonus. You can use it for streaming, photo editing, and gaming – it’s pretty much ready for anything!

  • Work area: 12.9-inch
  • Shortcut keys: on-screen

Treat yourself to a top-of-the-range drawing tablet

Finding the right tablet for you means you’ll get more out of it. You’ll enjoy the drawing process more and be more comfortable. These high-spec tablets will not only allow you to draw beautifully, but they offer so much more.

Which iPad to choose?

So, you’re set on an iPad(who doesn't love a sleek Apple product?) but choosing the right one for you is another question. Take a look at our in-depth guide to drawing tablets.