A drawing tablet with screen is a device that allows artists to draw directly on a screen using a digital pen or stylus.

They offer a more natural and intuitive way to interact with digital content than a standard graphics tablet. You won't need to switch between your drawing surface and computer screen anymore.

They're often pricier but tend to be more comfortable and efficient for artists who do a lot of digital work.

If you're an artist or graphic designer who is looking to take your creative skills to the next level, then a drawing tablet with screen could be the perfect tool for you.

How can you find the right drawing tablet with screen for your needs and budget? With a plethora of options available, this choice can be a bit overpowering.

To save you the headache of doing your own research, we've gone through the dozens of options and picked out the best for all levels and budget.

How to choose the best drawing tablet with a screen?

Choosing the best drawing tablet with screen for your creative needs requires careful consideration of pressure sensitivity, display quality, stylus responsiveness, compatibility, portability, and more.

This how to choose drawing tablet guide is an excellent place to start if you've never bought a tablet before, and if you're looking to make a list of the most important features before you buy.

1. Types of Tablet

Regular drawing tablets with screen, like wacom cintiq need to connect with a computer to function. Because It's basically a monitor you can draw on.

This type of screen tablet is less portable, but if you are planning to go for a larger screen size with more express keys, then they may be suitable for you.

On the other hand, Standalone screen tablets, like ipad pro, are self-sufficient and can function independently without the need of connecting to a computer.

They have everything packed into one – Hardware (processor, RAM, storage, screen, etc.), stylus and OS (the apps), making it an independent and portable device.

If you commute with your drawing tablet frequently or work on the go a lot, you will appreciate the standalone tablet type.

2. Screen Size and Resolution

A bigger screen will enable you to work on larger drawings more comfortable without the need for zooming and panning, but it is also more expensive.

A smaller tablet may be more portable and affordable, but it can also be more cramped to draw on for extended periods.

So the screen should be big enough to accommodate all the tools and also provide a sufficient area for sketching and designing.

Also pay attention to the display's resolution, A higher resolution will provide more clarity and sharpness, making it easier to read text and view images.

In addition, Size correlates to pixel density. Basically, smaller screen at a higher resolution means higher pixel density, and higher pixel density means sharper image.

3. Color Gamut

The color gamut represents the range of colors visible to the human eye on display monitor. The wider the color gamut range is, the richer the screen colors are.

There are a few formats accepted in industry as standards, including but not limited to sRGB, Adobe RGB, NTSC, DCI-P3, etc.

It is often represented by a percentage; the higher the percentage, the bigger the color range that can be displayed.

4. Screen Panel: IPS VS OLED Display

The screen panel for digital art can be roughly divided into two categories: Liquid crystal screen (LCD) category (which IPS is a type of) and self-luminous category (OLED display).

OLED is emerging as a superior choice for creatives. It's not only more color accurate and has deeper blacks than its LCD counterparts, and have better response times.

IPS is still favored because it offers a large viewing range of 178 degrees, a good color accuracy and the best thing, affordable price. OLED is still more costly than IPS panel.

5. Laminated vs Non-Laminated Screen

Using a drawing tablet with a screen built-in means you'll be able to see exactly where the strokes appear on the screen underneath the stylus pen, also known as parallax.

Parallax can be average on older non-laminated screen models. The only thing to reduce parallax on most these models is to calibrate the pen a few times until it is reduced.

Luckily, Full lamination technology eliminates the air gap that exists between the screen and the touch sensor.

It reduces parallax to a minimum, so your pen cursor appears exactly where you expect it to be, even at the edges.

6. Matte vs Glossy Screen

Glossy screen has better color accuracy reproduction and can produce higher brightness than matte display given identical backlight panel. But it is shiny, reflective and difficult to see in direct strong light.

Matte screen has a coating that reduces reflections and isn't shiny. It also can give little more resistance, feels more like paper, that makes the drawing experience far better. But it gives off a duller, more subtle finish.

Glossy is technically better image, but with the drawbacks most people end up preferring matte, especially on a draw-oriented device.

7. Pressure and Tilt Sensitivity

Pressure sensitivity refers to the pen's ability to recognize how much pressure is being applied. A pen with high levels of pressure like 8192 pressure levels, will be able to recognize the pressure applied much more accurately and responsively compared to lower pressure levels.

The maximum you can go for currently is 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity, however depending on your budget 4096 levels are also good. You won't notice much difference until later on when you're doing more high-level artwork.

Tilt Sensitivity refers to the ability of the pen to create special effects when tilted, simulating the real-life effect (shade) of using the side of a traditional drawing tool. It's also crucial for digital drawing as it enhances the overall drawing experience.

8. Stylus

Stylus (pens) come in two varieties: battery-powered (AES) and electromagnetic resonance (EMR), but both are intended to simulate the feel of a pen on paper.

EMR styluses, like waccom, Huion and XP-Pen uses, has no battery and does not need to be charged. They can be used whenever you want and for whatever period of time.

AES styluses, like apple pencil, surface pen, and samsung S Pen, are rechargeable. So you'll have to remember to charge it. You will also be limited to the battery life of the pen.

9. Connectivity

Wireless graphics tablets with screen are not available currently, unlike with the screenless tablets.

Most tablets require several cables to be connected (often 1 USB for pen data, 1 HDMI for video and 1 power to a wall socket), which can be a pain to connect.

Luckily, some newest models support connectivity via a full-featured USB Type-C cable, this eliminates cable clutter.

10. Compatibility

All screen tablets on the market offers great compatibility with most operating systems, including macOS and Windows.

You can even link it up to your Android or Chrome OS devices if necessary.

Standalone tablets come with different operating systems, most of them will ship with either iPad OS or Android (like samsung galaxy tab) and only very few will ship with Windows (Surface Pro though).

This also means that your drawing software choices will be limited by your OS, for instance you are not going to get fully featured desktop software going on iPad OS or Android.

So It is important to check the tablet's compatibility with your specific device and the software applications you plan to use it with before making a purchase.

11. Express keys

Programmable express keys on the screen drawing tablet can improve your drawing workflow, but this mostly depends on personal preferences.

For professional artists, it's great to have several express keys to quickly switch between multiple brushes and tools within their drawing programs.

If you're a beginner, you shouldn't stress too much on this as you could do well without many of these features.

12. Brands

The main player in this field is the Wacom brand. It offers a wide range of Cintiq screen tablets with great quality. If you are professional or money doesn't bother you, this could be your choice.

There are good alternatives and also cheaper solutions, like XP-Pen Artist or Huion kamvas.

If you like standalone tablet, then take a look at Apple iPad, Microsoft Surface and Samsung Galaxy Tab. All are big names.

13. Price

Generally speaking, the price of pen displays is determined by the resolution, size, stylus and other features. Nowadays, it's quite possible to find a good pen display around US $200.

Standalone tablets are the most expensive type of screen tablet, but they offer the most versatility and convenience.

12 Best Drawing tablets with screen in 2023