Many photographers, illustrators, artists, and graphic designers often use drawing tablets for digital illustration or photo retouching jobs because it is more convenient and enjoyable than just using a mouse.
By using a drawing tablet and computer program you can select from all sorts of different tools and settings. Choose from endless brushes including watercolour, calligraphy and even chalk. Then there are the limitless colour selections on offer.
The freedom to not only draw with any pen, whether it's a fine fountain pen or a thick marker, but also edit your designs however you please, whether that's increasing their size, duplicating sections, or changing colours, the power to create the most amazing designs is at your fingertips.
Drawing Tablets have two types of connections: standard corded and wireless Bluetooth. The main limitation of the cable is the distance in which its transmissions can travel.
You require a wireless portable graphic tablet if you're operating as an artist or visual developer. This convenient tool lets you mark wherever you are and make digital skills with comfort.
The most reasonable wireless drawing tablets for laptop are lightweight, responsive, and make editing effortless. It's a stage up from your traditional pen and paper, permitting you to perform on the go. Then, you can mail it to customers or transfer it on social media in moments.
Wireless Support
Having wireless connectivity is a very nice feature. It's both nice if you plan to place the tablet on your lap, or in case you plan to carry it around with your laptop.
It makes it easier to move it around, so you will appreciate it if you plan to use wireless drawing tablet with your laptop on the go.
The Wireless drawing tablet connects wirelessly via the USB dongle or bluetooth. But it still giving users the option to use the wired USB connection when desired.
In case the tablet's battery needs to recharge, you can still use it while you're charging it. You can turn wireless off via the switch on the side in case you don't want to use it as well.
Now to be honest, while wireless connectivity is lovely, especially when it doesn't cost much. It sometimes doesn't work as reliably as cable. It depends on the tablet.
Wireless USB vs Bluetooth USB connector
Bluetooth and WiFi (2.4GHz) are extra norms for wireless transmission.
Bluetooth advancement is helpful when communicating data between two or more appliances that are around each other when the pace is not a problem, such as printers, telephones, headsets, and modems. It is excellently done to low-bandwidth applications like driving sound data with telephones or byte data with hand-held computers (transmitting files) or keyboard and mice.
Wi-Fi (2.4GHz) is excellently done for working full-scale webs because it enables a more direct link, more helpful content from the ground station and more useful wireless protection (if configured correctly) than Bluetooth.
Different wireless tablets like the XP-Pen Deco Mini7w links utilize a wireless USB receiver. The receiver ought to be bonded to the USB port of your tablet.
This gets to the foremost point, the enclosed wireless connector has a USB type A plug, which is fast disappearing from most of the current laptops.
Most computers and portable appliances marketed nowadays come only with a Type-C USB port. This implies you have to utilize a dongle or a USB Hub, which is not an excellent answer.
Classic pen display monitors like Wacom Cintiq series and XPPen Artist series must be connected to a computer before you can draw.
Portable standalone drawing tablets like the iPad Pro, Surface pro, samsung Galaxy Tab that use a self-powered input device and active pen to transmit signals directly to your tablet.
In other words, standalone tablets cut out the middle man, enabling the best possible finishes on your digital artwork, even when you're on the go. All without a piece of bulky equipment in sight!
However, standalone tablets can be expensive, with prices rising up to $400 or more for pro-level models. So, before you buy a graphics tablet, you need to have a clear idea of exactly what you need.
About XPPen
When it comes to drawing tablets or pen displays, Wacom is the first name to come to mind. Wacom is still "king of the hill" but they are flipping expensive.
If you are looking to get started with Digital Painting on a budget, then check out XPPen Drawing Tablets.
XP-Pen is a one of the leading brands when it comes to drawing tablets. Their products are ideal for digital artists and photographers alike, making the process of creating art on a computer a more enjoyable and seamless experience.
The main selling points for the XPPen screenless tablets are the battery-free stylus with high pen pressure levels and tilt recognition, bluetooth connection and nice looking design.
Here are our top picks for the best XPPen wireless drawing tablets:
1. XPPen Star 05
The XPPen Star 05 is a beautiful device. It is a sleek off-black, and very smooth. The beveled edges are a nice touch. It's overall design is very minimalist, it is just so good looking.
The 2.4 GHz wireless feature well is worth every penny as it is highly responsive. For those who want finer detail control without having to zoom in constantly on your work: this is your graphics pad. It's very solid and has good battery life when charged and not tethered for use.
In regards to size, the Star 05 is 11.7 x 7 x 0.4 inches. With an Active Area of 8 x 5 inches, it is pretty large- which in this case is a good thing! While it isn't the biggest tablet, it's not too small; nearly perfect in size actually.
Instead of shortcut buttons, this tablet has 6 touch-sensitive shortcut keys! You can customize two keys to switch between options like zoom in/out, undo/redo, or even increase/decrease brush size! It's very handy.
The lightweight feel and simple shape of this stylus pen may feel a bit strange at first, however the P03 stylus has no battery and never needs to be recharged.
With 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity, the stylus is very responsive. the pen movements are very accurate. You can make the tiniest lines, like quotation marks, and they will show up just where you wanted them.
2. XP-Pen Star 06
Its massive drawing area of 10 x 6 inches, sleek form factor, excellent stylus, and overall good drawing performance are the main selling points of XPPen Star 06 tablet.
The haptic and overall built quality seems very good. The 4 rubber feet on the back design to prevent it from moving around on the table. The drawing surface itself duels good too, its not slippy and has a little grip while you draw on it.
The 2.4GHz wireless function works well with excellent 1050mAh lithium battery life. harging does not take long and battery life up to 16 hours is satisfactory.
If you're someone who does a lot of zooming and brush size changing, the wheel function is a life-saver. Thanks to the fact that the 6 hotkeys lay on the side, access is convenient. Making workflow easier.
The included P01 battery-free stylus enables uninterrupted drawing. 8192 pressure sensitivity does feel different. It's convenient to get broad strokes.
Unless you need tilt or touch support along with all these functions, there's no need to get the pricey Wacom Intuos Pro. It works the same way.
3. XPPen Deco Mini7W
XP-Pen Deco mini7w Wireless tablet is one of the most pocket-friendly drawing tablets in the market.
The XPPen Deco Mini7w comes with an active drawing area of 7 x 4.37 Inches. This is considered a ideal size for both working on laptop screens and external monitors.
The tablet feels solid which does not even flex on pressing. It has round corners and beveled edges with four large rubber pads at the back help the tablet to firmly grip the surface.
The Deco Mini 7W drawing tablet provides up to 10 hours of wireless use and takes 2 hours to charge. The Deco Mini 7W drawing tablet has stable, 10-meter range wireless connection, thanks to using 2.4Ghz radio frequency connection.
The P05D digital pen feels solid and has 8192 levels of pen pressure sensitivity which allows you to easily make variable pen strokes when drawing. It also offers 60 degrees of tilt which means you can add shade just like a real pencil.
The battery-free stylus covered with a rubber material that's very soft, which makes the whole drawing experience much more comfortable. It feels very nice in your hands and also easier to grab..
You can now use Chrome OS & Android OS on your XPPen Deco mini7W, allowing you to write and create digitally effortlessly.
With its compact size and wireless connectivity available at a budget price, there's no need to worry about budget or workspace.
4. XPPen Deco 03
The design of XPPen Deco 03 looks sleek and minimalist. Design and build quality are Really solid!
The working area is 10 x 5.62 inches and it comes with large bezels that you can rest your hands on. Drawing surface is matte and has a nice texture to draw on.
The red dial is responsive and a really distinct aspect of the table, it really gives it personality. The other 6 buttons are clicky and give nice feedback when pressed.
Talking about wireless it comes with a small 2.4 Ghz dongle like if it was a wireless mouse, and there is no input lag at all!
The P05 Stylus is well built, sturdy and has a nice weight. The surface is smooth matte and the grip section has a matte rubberised texture to it.
The battery-free stylus comes with 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity, which is very sensitive, the lines are smooth and tapers nicely when drawing.
The Deco 03 is one of the higher-spec graphics tablets in the XP-Pen range and offers a feature-set comparable to market-leaders, with the exception of tilt-detection on the pen — something that's only really relevant to professional digital artists and illustrators, and is available in the newer XP-Pen Deco series.
5. XPPen Deco MW
A beautiful tablet, in both size and color. The XPPen Deco MW comes in four color variants: Black, blue, green and pink. It's active area is 8 x 5 inches.
The XPPen Deco MW tablet is compact, thin, light weight and bluetooth enabled. And the fact that you can still use it while it is charging makes it worth it right there.
8 Programmable function keys work a treat and can be customised in the driver for different software packages. makes it easy to open apps, change brushes, swap through open apps, etc., it's perfect.
X3-Smart-Chip is a bonus, enhancing the pen performance across the board. which comes with a more subtle initial pressure sensitivity and a much shorter tip retraction.
The Deco MW tablet is compatible with mac, Windows, Linux, chromebook, and android OS. and works great for drawing, photo editing, comic and manga artwork.
This is a great tablet for retouching photos pen point accuracy, long lasting battery and conivent in tight spaces and on the go.
6. XPPen Deco LW
The XPPen Deco LW tablet's build quality is fantastic, and comes in four color options: Black, blue, green and pink.
Thin, lightweight yet well-built tablet with large drawing area of 10 x 6 inches. the drawing surface is slightly rough, providing a pencil-on-paper feel.
Enjoy the convenience of wireless creating with built in Bluetooth connection, so it's simple to use almost anywhere.
The Deco LW tablet comes with 8 express keys, you can apply different settings on a per application basis giving you access to the hotkeys you use most in whatever software you are using.
The pen is powered by the same X3-smart-Chip inside which supports tilt and 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity. Its initial activation force is just 3g which captures every nuance of pen pressure.
This is a beautiful pen tablet with Bluetooth and fantastic drawing performance. Ergonomic pen and tablet, for both right- and left-handed artists.
7. XPPen Deco Pro SW & Deco Pro MW
XPPen improves on its excellent Deco Pro tablet by adding relatively seamless Bluetooth connectivity.
The XPPen Deco Pro SW & Deco Pro MW is a nice looking tablet with solid build quality that also performs really well at drawing.
The metal body and wonderful finishing make this feel like a premium product. The build quality for the whole tablet feels sturdy and classy, high end.
The Deco Pro, available in two size variants: small version ( 9 × 5 inches of active area) and medium version (11 × 6 inches of active area) , gives pro and amateur artists and photographers enough working space.
One additional cool way XPPen Deco Pro has made it different is their creation of the double Dial wheels ! the Dial is an accessory built for your non-drawing hand. It functions as a navigational device for your application tools.Helping you pick colors, changes brushes or brush size and much more.
The PA1 battery-free stylus provides 8192 pressure sensitivity and 60 degrees of tilt function, It's pleasant to use and makes editing fine details easier thank to the 8,192 levels of pressure. With tilt sensitivity you can change the angle of the pen to control things like opacity.
The XP-Pen Deco Pro is a great tablet that is an absolute bargain at its price point (especially when compared to offerings from Wacom Intuos Pro).
Final Words
It is without a doubt that pen tablets are among the most useful photo editing and retouching tools for photographers, graphic artists, and illustrators.
The ability to use it as a precision tool to make specific changes in the same way that we illustrate with pen and paper has an irreplaceable value.
Online teaching or distance learning is aided by the wireless drawing tablet. Teachers can annotate, write comments, solve Math problems, and draw with the tablet while students can easily take down notes with it.
Pen tablets come in a wide range of sizes that aim to fit the preference of individual users. Generally speaking, you'll want the graphic tablet size to be close to the size of your monitor.
The advanced technology doesn't necessarily mean that it is a better option because in creative tools, user preference and experience is still the most important factor.
For those looking for a simple and affordable alternative to the Wacom Intuos and Intuos Pro line, the XPPen Star & Deco series is highly rated amongst artists.
Easy to set up, Very portable, Can be used wirelessly via Bluetooth or dongle. Using a XPPen wireless drawing tablet to help expand the types of images you create.
Overall, XPPen tablets are a good way to get into digital art. Particularly if you want something affordable, or if you just don't want a Wacom tablet.