I’ll try and keep this post updated from time to time. I started working seriously with graphic tablets about 10 years ago. I’ve owned tree of them since then. Around 2010, I made one of my dreams come true and bought a Cintiq 22HD. People frequently ask me if it’s worth the price. I love my tablet and for me, it’s a no-brainer. But here are a couple of cheaper, more reasonable options:

The new 13HD

  • Cintiq 13HD This a the new model just came out, haven’t had a chance to try it out… The old one was already very good. They improved resolution, color fidelity and apparently the distance between the pen and the actual “drawing” as been reduced. This is a small annoyance for me on my tablet, the tip of the pen does not touch exactly where you draw because of that distance.
  • I strongly recommend getting a glove to avoid smudging your whole screen.

Screenless tablet

Wacom recently reorganized its products, it’s a little confusing honestly. Intuos used to be pro models, but now they have an Intuos Pro. Bamboo used to be the consumer product but now it has become a paper “smarpad”  and the drawings get sent to your device… Haven’t tried it so I won’t comment.
  • Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition, Medium, Black (PTH660P) A much more reasonable option, but still used by many professionals. Medium is a good size. It’s a very good product but does require some adaptation. It’s certainly not as intuitive as a screen tablet. For me it was good for painting but I could not make use of it for inking.

  • Wacom Intuos Draw CTL490DWFor beginner, I suggest something like this. My first tablet was not even as good as that. Perhaps consider buying used. These are very durable products.

New tendency

So apparently these days every must be integrated together. Wacom came out with its Wacom Mobile Studio and so they are now competing with Apple and Microsoft for the screen tablet market.
Apple came out with its iPad Pro, tried it for a bit and the pen seemed to respond extremely well. I was not satisfied with the standard iPad for serious drawing.
Some famous people praise the surface pro for its quality/price.
Microsoft Surface Studio: Microsoft decided to get in the game with a very serious contender. People who tried it gave it much praise. These new products are certainly attractive but if you consider the cost of upgrading (you can’t just buy the computer and it’s not upgradable)