Yi Qing Gan
The availability of digital drawing tablets or graphic drawing tablets made things easier for users no matter beginners, hobbyists, or professionals. These tablets function like drawing pads for you to draw, sketch or write on them using a stylus or a digital pen. They work like traditional pen-and-paper style but in a more convenient way than ever before.
So, whether you are making a switch from the traditional to a digital tablet-drawing experience or simply looking for the best drawing tablet, we have gathered a list of 9 of them below.
9 Best Drawing Tablets in Malaysia
Table of Contents
Why It’s Our Top Pick?
“Unleash your inner creativity with the Huion Kamvas Pro 16 Plus 4K, offering everything you need for an all-around drawing tablet: a stunning 4K UHD display, a true-to-life colour accuracy, a fully-laminated screen and a well-built digital pen with 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity.”
Overview
The Huion Kamvas Pro 16 Plus 4K sports a large 15.6-inch display with a 4K UHD resolution that delivers stunning colours and details. The display itself is fully laminated, meaning the gap between the anti-glare glass and LCD screen has the parallax significantly reduced. This allows for a better drawing experience upon using the pen on the tablet.
The tablet is only 13mm thick and weighs just 1.27kg, making it easy to carry around. The PW517 digital pen features the PenTech3.0 technology, which offers a pinpoint accuracy of ±0.3mm that has the natural feel of drawing on paper. The pen can also be used to configure the on-screen display (OSD) such as the brightness level. You don’t have to worry about lagging too, given the pen’s 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity even when drawing delicate strokes.
Other highlights include the dual USB-C ports for easy connectivity between the tablet and portable devices such as laptops and compatible Android phones.
Details
- Offers a stunning 4K resolution with an immersive contrast ratio of 1200:1
- Features a quantum-dot technology with an IPS screen that delivers an amazing colour gamut of 145% sRGB
- Equipped with a low blue light technology to help reduce digital eye strain
- Compact and elegant metal unibody design with a 13mm thickness
- The PW517 digital pen boasts a superior accuracy of ±0.3mm with the innovative PenTech3.0 for a natural paper-like drawing experience and has 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity for a lag-free stroke drawing mode.
- Supports the laptop, game console & compatible Android device via dual USB-C ports
Who is this for?
Suitable for professionals and hobbyists, the feature-packed Huion Kamvas Pro 16 Plus 4K excels in its incredible 4K UHD display, lifelike colour accuracy and an advanced digital pen performance that is both natural and responsive.
Overview
The affordably-priced XP-Pen Deco M offers you the natural pen-on-paper experience with an X3 Elite stylus and a slim-body tablet at just 8.8mm thick. The pen itself is equipped with the X3 smart chip that offers a shorter retraction distance at 0.6mm and is virtually lag-free so you won’t miss a stroke no matter how delicate your drawing style. The tablet is powered by a large 1,000mAh lithium battery that can last over 10 hours.
The XP-Pen Deco M also features 8 customisable shortcut keys, where you can conveniently do things like adjusting the brush size and erasing and enlarging the image. The tablet is also made compatible with different OS including Windows, Mac, Android, Chrome and even Linux.
Details
- Offers an X3 Elite stylus that is sharp with 0.6mm retraction distance and precise positioning that offers zero accuracy error and lag-free performance
- Supports wireless connection via Bluetooth v5.0 chip for a cable-free digital drawing
- Equipped with a large 1000mAh lithium battery that can sustain more than 10 hours
- Comes in 4 vibrant colours including Black, Blue, Green & Pink
- Slim & portable tablet design with just 8.8mm thickness
- Features 8 shortcut keys that can be customised to ease up your workflow
Who is this for?
This beginner-friendly XP-Pen Deco M is easy to use, offering a sufficient area of working space using the slim and well-built drawing tablet. The X3 Elite stylus is responsive with a pinpoint accuracy and best of all, the Deco M is compatible with various OS platforms.
Overview
Express your creativity with the XP-Pen Artist 15.6 Pro, offering a large 15.6-inch tablet that is both scratch-resistant and anti-glare using full-laminated technology. The screen also uses an IPS display that combines 178 degrees of viewing angle and superior colour accuracy of 120% sRGB. It is only 11mm thick and has an easy-to-reach screen brightness button, allowing you to adjust it according to your preference.
The XP-Pen Artist 15.6 Pro is equipped with a portable stand for a more comfortable drawing experience and even has a pen holder to keep your digital pen safe and secure. The bundled PA2 digital pen offers up to 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity for creating delicate lines and even strokes. The tablet comes with 8 shortcut keys that can be fully customised for your convenience and it is made compatible with various OS including Windows, Mac, Chrome and Linux.
Details
- Equipped with an innovative Red Dial interface for easy zoom-in/zoom-out or scroll up/down
- Features 8 fully programmable shortcut keys for a better optimised workflow
- 15.6-inch full-laminated IPS display that offers a distraction-free working environment while delivering a superb colour accuracy of 88% NTSC (120% sRGB) with 178 degrees of viewing angle
- The battery-free PA2 digital pen that provides 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity
- Comes with a portable stand and a pen holder
Who is this for?
The XP-Pen Artist 15.6 Pro boasts a large 15.6 screen that maximises your workspace, complete with customisable shortcut keys. The tablet is designed for professional animators with a digital pen that is not only battery-free but also super-sensitive to the touch for an intuitive drawing experience.
Overview
The Wacom Intuos Pro Medium is designed with freedom in mind, allowing you to draw your next masterpiece without worrying about the cable. The tablet is equipped with a built-in Bluetooth connection that makes wireless drawing more convenient. It even comes with 8 ExpressKeys and has a touch ring in between for different adjustments such as brush size and auto scroll/zoom function.
The tablet includes a Wacom Pro Pen 2 that requires no batteries to operate and has 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity for creating different brush strokes with virtually no lag at all. You will get a pen stand to place the Pro Pen 2.
Details
- Built from premium materials and has been rigorously tested to meet professionals’ needs
- Equipped with 8 customisable ExpressKeys & a touch ring for your convenience
- Includes a battery-free Wacom Pro Pen 2 that offers 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity
- Comes with a built-in Bluetooth function for easy wireless connectivity
Who is this for?
If you always working on the go, the Wacom Intuos Pro Medium comes in handy since you can operate wirelessly via Bluetooth connection. Together with its responsive and sensitive Wacom Pro Pen 2, you have the freedom to draw or sketch however broad or delicate your brush stroke is.
Overview
Weighing just 980g, the Huion Kamvas 13 measures only 11.8mm thick, so it’s easy to carry wherever you go. The tablet comes in different colours too, offering a choice of Cosmo Black, Midnight Green or Violet Purple, allowing it to fit your respective style and personality. It supports not only Type-C to HDMI but also Type-C to Type-C connection, so it’s easy to connect to a laptop. Alternatively, you can even connect the tablet with a compatible Android device.
The Huion Kamvas 13 boasts a Full HD resolution with an IPS display that supports a 178-degree viewing angle while offering a wider colour gamut of 120% sRGB. It comes bundled with a battery-free PW517 digital pen, which uses the PenTech 3.0 technology for a stable and accurate pen-on-paper-like drawing experience. The pen also offers up to 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity and a tilt support of ±60° for controlling the brush strokes.
Not to forget the eight programmable shortcut keys on the side of the tablet, which can be used to adjust the brush stroke and size to help optimise your workflow effectively.
Details
- Available in 3 eye-catching colour designs: Cosmo Black, Midnight Green & Violet Purple
- Offers a slim and lightweight design at just 980g and 11.8mm thickness
- Easy & quick connection via Type-C to HDMI or Type-C to Type-C
- Offers stunning colours and details with its Full HD resolution and 120% sRGB gamut
- Comes with a battery-free PW517 digital pen that offers high-pressure sensitivity and stability with its updated PenTech 3.0 technology
- Equipped with 8 customisable press keys for your convenience
Who is this for?
The Huion Kamvas 13’s lightweight design makes it easier to carry around. It’s customisable with eight press keys strategically placed on the side of the tablet. It is compatible with the likes of Windows and macOS and can be paired with an Android device too.
Overview
The XP-Pen Artist 12 sports a 11.9-inch display with Full HD resolution alongside a 127% sRGB wider colour gamut and a 178-degree viewing angle, offering stunning colours and details. The screen itself is fully laminated with an anti-reflective coating, meaning you don’t have to worry about glaring display while working in a brightly lit setting. The tablet comes with a smart wired connection that allows you to pair it with your Windows or Mac laptop.
The X3 Elite digital pen is included for your drawing convenience, offering functionality and stability that you can confidently draw, sketch and even take notes equivalent to using a traditional pen and paper. Finally, the tablet’s eight ExpressKeys can be fully customised to optimise your workflow from its zoom-in/out function to adjusting different brush strokes.
Details
- A portable screen with 11.6-inch Full HD display
- Equipped with 8 customisable shortcut keys to create an efficient workflow
- Includes an X3 Elite digital pen that is more sensitive, realistic and durable
- Fully laminated display with an anti-reflective coating for minimising glare & parallax
- Compatible with Windows and macOS
Who is this for?
Taking notes has never been easier with the XP-Pen Artist 12. It’s compact and light to bring with you and has an ultra-sensitive digital pen that makes writing, drawing and sketching as natural as using a traditional pen or pencil.
Overview
The One by Wacom offers a medium-sized tablet that is both lightweight and portable, weighing just 432g. Made from durable plastic material, the tablet is sturdy with rubber pads on its base to prevent it from slipping across the surface while drawing. It even comes with a striking dual-colour design, offering a solid black on the floor and a flashy red on the rear.
The tablet comes with a digital pen that operates without batteries. It’s lightweight and comfortable to use regardless of drawing, sketching or taking notes. The One by Wacom is also compatible with Windows, Mac and even Chromebook.
Details
- Compatible with Windows, Mac & Chromebook
- Features a black (front) and red (rear) colour design
- Supports Chromebook plug & play function
- Offers a stylus weighing just 9g with 2,048 pressure-level sensitivity
Who is this for?
Perfect for those who want a basic drawing tablet made compatible with a laptop, the One by Wacom fulfils the criteria as long as you don’t expect the extra bells and whistles.
Overview
Here’s a budget-friendly drawing tablet from XP-Pen that boasts 9 x 6 inches of working area to express your creativity. It weighs only approximately 500g, which is light and portable to carry with you. The tablet also features four programmable shortcut keys for an optimised workflow, depending on your preferences.
The XP-Pen Star G960S includes a PH3 stylus that operates without batteries and has 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity. The pen supports 60 degrees of tilt function, allowing you to draw or sketch naturally in different brush strokes. The Star G960S is not only compatible with Windows but also macOS, Linux, Android and Chrome.
Details
- Offers a large 9 x 6 inches working area to express your creative ideas on a tablet
- Four customisable keys for an efficient workflow
- Equipped with a battery-free PH3 stylus that supports 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity and 60 degrees of tilt function
- Compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and Chrome
Who is this for?
Budget-conscious users who are not ready to spend a fortune on a drawing tablet can consider the XP-Pen Star G960S. It offers wide compatibility options, coupled with a large working area and a responsive stylus to unleash your creativity.
Overview
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 may not be a primary drawing tablet since it is more of an all-around portable device for multiple uses. It sports a 11-inch LCD display, providing enough space for drawing, sketching, and taking notes. The tablet runs on a large 8,000mAh battery which can last up to 8-10 hours, depending on the user experience.
Not to mention the slim and lightweight design makes it easier to carry around while the armour aluminium casing provides extra safety that protects your tablet against accidental bumps and drops. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 comes with an S Pen that is said to offer a 30% speedier response in re-creating the traditional pen-to-paper experience. You can look forward to using the stylus without worrying about the lagging issue.
Details
- Offers a spacious 11-inch LCD display that maximises your workspace
- Runs on a long-lasting 8,000mAh battery
- Offers the perfect balance of strength with a lightweight & slim design and armour aluminium casings for safeguarding the tablet against bumps and drops
- Comes with the fastest S Pen that allows you to write, draw and doodle with near-zero latency
Who is this for?
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is a worthy buy in the long run for students. Not only you can use it as a drawing or note-taking tablet but also for a mobile user experience, namely web browsing and streaming videos.
FAQ:
- Which tablet is best for drawing?
The short answer would be a graphic tablet or a drawing tablet. The name itself is self-explanatory: a tablet that is specifically designed for digital artists, illustrators and animators. It usually comes with a digital pen a.k.a. stylus for drawing, sketching and taking notes like a traditional pen.
Depending on the drawing tablet, some require an external device (e.g., laptop, computer, and smartphone) to input information (i.e., your drawing) onto a screen. Some drawing tablets have built-in displays, allowing you to use them as a standalone. Among the recommended brands for drawing tablets include Wacom, XP-Pen and Huion.
- Do drawing tablets need a computer?
Drawing tablets that only come with a pad and a stylus require you to plug into a computer, laptop or other compatible external devices. This may come as a disadvantage if you are always on the go and you need to bring along your laptop.
Thankfully, if convenience and portability matter to you the most, consider getting a drawing tablet with a screen display. Popular brands like XP-Pen have certain models such as XP-Pen Artist 12 boasts a Full HD display, where you can work on it directly and independently.
- What features should you look for in a drawing tablet?
In our product expert's opinion, Yi Qing; an illustrator and visual designer, good pen sensitivity is the most important feature when it comes to tablets for an artist. This is to get the desirable strokes and outcome on one’s final result as it relies heavily on pen sensitivity.
- In short, a good pen sensitivity allows creative individuals to express the strokes as if they’re painting on a canvas.
- Fret not; almost all graphical tablets have a variety of sensitivity levels (some as low as 300, others as high as 8,000). However, some low-end tablets do not.
- Yi Qing suggests that if you're thinking about purchasing a graphics tablet, make sure it has a variety of pressure sensitivity settings.
- Display or non-display drawing tablet?
Display tablets:
- Because you don't have to switch back and forth between the tablet and the computer screen, display tablets are typically easier for novices.
- You may draw on the display in the same intuitive way as you would with a pencil and paper.
- However, they are generally more expensive.
Non-display tablets:
- On the other hand, these are a cheaper option. Also known as a general graphics tablet, it needs a USB cable to connect to a computer screen for viewing.
- The lines you make on the tablet's surface will appear on the computer screen. And this is a challenging part even for some professionals; it is not ideal for travelling and needs a monitor to work with.
As a user of both types of tablets, Yi Qing prefers the display tablet more as it gives her a greater sense of control. However, she stresses that it depends on an individual’s preference.
View this post on Instagram
- How to improve your tablet drawing skills?
As a digital illustrator with strong traditional skills, Yi Qing recommends that beginners sharpen their traditional skills first before adapting to digital illustration. But to those who love to give the digital illustration a great start, she suggests everyone pay attention to these three key points to improve and challenge themselves;
1. Transform your doodles into a series of art collections
- This could be a fun challenge for intermediate illustrators, designers and artists.
- By doing this, you improve your understanding of your style as well as helps recognize your signature and strengths.
- Besides, it’s always nice to keep track of your progress and keepsake them as your portfolio.
2. Watch tutorials and seek opinions from friends to improve
- By watching a step-by-step video, it makes beginners understand the process and techniques of drawing better.
- Not only that, this helps to master technical skills by avoiding and limiting those trial and error phases.
- Given that and honest opinion from friends around you, you can improve your skill in no time.
3. Hone your fundamentals, and most importantly, have faith and patience
- According to Yi Qing, fundamentals are always the most important thing if you plan on starting a career as an artist.
- To start with, beginners might want to work on the forms of their drawings, perspective, anatomy, and composition to better their overall results in their work.