Best pen displays for artists in 2023: My recommendations

Here's my buying guide for graphic pen displays released so far up to June 2023 and I will continue to update this guide this year. My recommendations are based on reviews that I've published and I have reviewed products from Huion, Gaomon, Parblo, Ugee, XPPen, Artisul, Veikk and Wacom

To see the full list of pen tablets and pen displays I have reviewed, visit this page.

What's a pen display
It's basically a monitor you can draw on. And since it's a monitor, you will have to connect it to a computer to use it. If you use MacOS, you may required an additional app called BetterDisplay to give you better UI scaling options -- MacOS does not work well with 16 to 24-inch 1440P displays, and 4K displays.

Generally speaking, the price of pen displays is determined by the resolution, size and other features such as colour support, connectivity, accessories included. Nowadays, it's quite possible to find a good 15-inch pen display around US $200.

My recommendations below do not include mobile tablets such as Apple iPads, Microsoft Surface Pros or Samsung Galaxy tablets.

The prices listed are official retail prices. It's very likely you will find lower prices due to ongoing promotions.

US $1500 - $2000

XENCELABS PEN DISPLAY 24

The Xencelabs Pen Display 24 was released in March 2023. This is priced at US $1899 and is marketed as a high end pen display for professional artists. It is pricey but the Wacom Cintiq Pro 24 is US $2199.

Here's a comparison with other 24-inch pen displays:

Xencelabs makes good looking products that perform. Some of their staff are actually from Wacom so this is a company that knows the needs of professional artists.

The Xencelabs Pen Display 24 comes with two pens, a shortcut remote and many other accessories. Video connections supported are HDMI and USB-C. 24 months warranty is included.

With this pen display from Xencelabs, it is now difficult to recommend the significantly more expensive Wacom products.

US $1000 - $1500

HUION KAMVAS PRO 24 (4K)

The $1299 Huion Kamvas Pro 24 (4K) (review) is the biggest and best pen display from Huion. It was released in late 2021. 2 years warranty is included. The Huion KD100 shortcut remote is included.

The selling point here is size, resolution, 95% AdobeRGB colour support, HDMI and USB-C video connection and of course the fantastic drawing performance.

In terms of value for money, I would say this provides more value for money than the Xencelabs Pen Display 24 simply because this is US $600 cheaper.

By the way, there aren't many 24-inch pen displays in the $1000-$1500 range because the prices for such big pen displays has come down significantly in recent years. In fact, you will actually get the best bang for your buck from the $500 to $1000 range.

US $500 - $1000

HUION KAMVAS 16 (2.5K) and KAMVAS 24 PLUS

The two standout models from Huion in this price range are the $599 Huion Kamvas Pro 16 (2.5K) (review) and $899 Huion Kamvas 24 Plus. 1 year warranty is included but Huion occasionally throws in additional warranty for free.

The main selling point for these two models is the 1440P resolution which provides much sharper visuals compared to the 1080P resolution commonly used by other pen displays. These two pen displays also have good colour support, HDMI and USB-C video connectivity.

I personally don't think 4K resolution is necessary for a 24-inch pen display especially if you have to pay a much higher premium. If I need a large pen display, I will go with the Kamvas 24 Plus over the Kamavs Pro 24 (4K) for that $400 savings. The Kamavs Pro 16 (2.5K) is good if you don't have much table space.

Another option to consider is the $569 XPPen Artist 24 (FHD) but that only has 1080P resolution but at least it's a big display.

GAOMON PD1610

The $539 Gaomon PD1610 is 16-inch pen display with 2560 x 1600 resolution. The selling point here is the 16:10 aspect ratio which is rare but more useful compared to the common 16:9. This pen display on Amazon can usually be seen selling a lower price, making it one of the best value 16-inch pen displays.

US $400 - $500

At this price range, most pen displays have 1080P resolution and it is difficult to find one with 1440P resolution.

XPPEN ARTIST 16 (gen 2)

The $399 XPPen Artist 16 (2nd gen) review) is a good pen display to consider if you only have $400. I like this because the design looks nicer compared to other pen displays, and of course the drawing performance is good. This comes with 18 months warranty.

HUION KAMVAS 13 (2.5K)

The $399 Huion Kamvas 13 (2.5K) may not be as big compared to a 16-inch pen display but 13.3-inch is still a comfortable size to work with for drawing. The highlight here is this pen display has 2560 x 1600 resolution which is 16:10 aspect ratio.

XPPEN ARTIST PRO 14 (GEN 2)

The $419 XPPen Artist Pro 14 (gen 2) was released in May 2023. This is the first pen display that features 16K levels of pressure sensitivity. The selling point here over the XPPen Artist 16 (gen 2) is the display aspect ratio is 16:10 even though resolution is just 1080P. The aspect ratio provides more vertical canvas space and is enough reason to choose this over the XPPen Artist 16 (gen 2).

US $300 - $400

At this price range we are looking at mostly 12 to 13-inch pen displays with 1080P resolution.

The options as follows:

• Gaomon PD1320 (review)- $319
• Ugee U1600 (review) - $299
• XPPen Artist 13 (gen 2) (review) - $299

Out of the three my money will go to ...

UGEE U1600 (best value pen display)

Ugee by the way is the parent company of XPPen so yeah they make good pen displays too. The $269 Ugee U1600 is a pen display that doesn't have many features which is why it has lower pricing compared to other 15-16 inch pen displays. You can find this pen display on Amazon selling at much less during promotion -- I've seen it go as low as $169 before.

The Ugee U1600 is the best value pen display for those with a tight budget.

US $200 - $300

At this price range we are looking at mostly 10 to 12-inch pen displays with 1080P resolution. I generally recommend people get a pen display that's at least 13 inches or larger but if you really have limited budget, there are still options for you.

Two options I recommend are the $239 Huion Kamavs 13 and $249 XPPen Artist 12 (gen 2).

If you can stretch your budget to the low $300 to $400 range, there are better options, such as the Ugee U1600.

Below US $200

VEIKK STUDIO VK1200

At the time I'm writing this, the Veikk Studio VK1200 is just $139 on Amazon US after a $30 discount. The pricing is incredibly competitive and attractive. I've reviewed this pen display before and the drawing performance is good.

Another option to consider is the Huion Kamvas 12 (review) which is just $179 currently from Huion online store.

XPPen Artist 10 (gen 2) is $169.

Honorable mention

ARTISTUL

The pen displays from Artisul are worth check out too because the company has pretty good ongoing promotions. Here are the discounted prices for the various pen displays they have at the time of writing:

• Artisul D13S - $159
• Artisul D16 - $185
• Artisul D16 Pro - $219
• Artisul SP1603 - $239
• Artisul D22S - $279

I've not tested Artisul pen displays for a long time so it's best to check their reviews on Amazon first.