Best Pen Displays from 2024: My Recommendations

Submitted by  Teoh Yi Chie on  November 24, 2024 - 5:00 pm

Here's the updated listed of recommended pen displays for 2024.

The recommendations below are based on experience of having reviewed so many pen displays over the years. I've personally tested many of the pen displays listed below so whenever possible I will link to my full review.

What's a pen display?

A pen display is essentially a monitor that you can draw on. And since it's a monitor, you'll have to connect it to a computer.

A pen display is not a portable tablet even though some are really thin. There's no built-in battery and there's no OS.

USD 100 - 200

UGEE UE16

The UGEE UE16 was released in 2024 and can be thought of as the successor to the UGEE U1600 (review), a no-frills pen display that's frequently selling at just USD 160 on Amazon, but it has been discontinued.

The UGEE UE16 is a 15.4-inch pen display with hotkeys. Pen performance is good and the pricing of USD 180 is extremely competitive because pen displays of such size are usually USD 200 or more.

This pen display gets an easy recommendation from me because with a budget of USD 180, you can only get 12 to 13-inch pen displays from other companies.

USD 200 - 300


In this price category, we are looking at mid-range 12 to 16-inch pen displays.

Options to consider are

The clear winner here is the Huion Kamvas 13 (gen 3) because it has great pen performance, display is brighter than the other and has good colour accuracy, and there are hotkeys and even two dials.

If you want something bigger, consider the XPPen Artist 16 (gen 2).

USD 300 - 400

Options are

The clear winner here is XPPen Artist Pro 14 (gen 2) because it's larger than the Huion and it also comes with a shortcut remote. I like the design better too.

If you want the biggest that your budget can get you, then consider the XPPen Artist 22 (gen 2).

USD 400 - 600

In this price category, I prefer the XPPen Artist Pro 16 (gen 2) simply because of its 16:10 aspect ratio, and my table isn't that big. If you want a big pen display, go with the Huion Kamvas 22 Plus because the visual quality of its display is one of the best among all pen displays I've tested. Resolution is 1080P though.

If you want a touchscreen, there's the Gaomon PD1621. I've not reviewed that before so I can't say how it performs.

USD 600 - 800

The Wacom Movink is a 13.3-inch touchscreen OLED pen display that looks amazing and performs well. Downside of course is the size but 13.3-inch isn't that small. If you want something big, then you can't go wrong with the Huion Kamvas 24 Plus.

USD 800 - 1000

The Huion Kamvas Pro 19 is a 4K touchscreen pen display so if you need touchscreen this is one to consider. However the visual quality of the matte glass surface is slightly softer compared to other options. If you don't need the touchscreen, go with the XPPen Artist Pro 19 (gen 2) 4K pen display because it's a good one.

The XPPen Artist Pro 24 (gen 2) 165Hz is worth considering if you want something big.

The Xencelabs Pen Display 16 is interesting because it has a beautiful OLED display. However to achieve maximum brightness, you have to buy an adapter which will bring the price over USD 1000.

USD 1000 - 1500

I'll probably recommend the XPPen Artist Pro (gen 2) 4K. It's new, beautiful, sharp, has great colours and good pen performance.

1500 - 2000


In this price category, you will find the Wacom Cintiq Pros in various sizes.

I've not reviewed many Wacom Cintiqs or Cintiq Pros so I can't say if they are worth the money. I'm certain the pen performance is fantastic coming from Wacom, but their products are significantly more expensive compared to other brands. So in terms of value for money, you'll probably get more value from other brands.

Overall recommendation

If I were to buy a pen display today, I will probably go with the XPPen Artist Pro 16 (gen 2) because my table isn't that big and I love the 16:10.

If I want a big pen display, it would be either the XPPen Artist Pro 19 (gen 2) or the XPPen Artist Pro 24 (gen 2).

Why all XPPen products? Well, their Gen 2 series pen displays this year are really good.

Having said that, Huion pen displays still have slightly better pen performance, e.g. better accuracy.

Tags
pen display

Comments

Brian Rice (not verified) Wed, 27 Nov 2024 - 14:49

How much brighter does the XP-Pen 19 Artist Pro Gen 2 feel over the XP-Pen 16 Gen 2? Your individual reviews of each stated you wished the 16 could get brighter but you seemed fine with the 19’s brightness…

Teoh Yi Chie Wed, 27 Nov 2024 - 17:29

@Brian Rice
It's 230 nits on the 19-inch vs 170-nits on the 16-inch.

I personally work around 150-200 nits so even the 16-inch's brightness is sufficient for me.

Brian Rice (not verified) Thu, 28 Nov 2024 - 05:42

So you could tell the difference between the two? I just bought the 16" but I just can't deal with the relative dimness compared to the 500 nit monitor and iPad Pro that I'm used to. I realize it's dimmer for a reason, but if the 19" is noticeably brighter I might exchange the 16" for it and pay the extra $$, or pay even more for the Xencelab 16".

Teoh Yi Chie Thu, 28 Nov 2024 - 16:29

@Brian Rice
If you feel like the 16 is not bright enough, then maybe get the 19 inch.

Xencelab Pen Display 16 (OLED) is around 216 nits with single cable, and 289 nits with extra power from the video adapter (bundle purchase). I'm currently testing that.

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