Wacom Intuos Pro
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
Wacom One HD
Animation has gone digital along with the rest of the world. Old-school hand-drawn techniques have given way to 3D models that animate characters on screens.
Graphic tablets are now the animator’s go-to tool, and these devices have become more accessible and efficient. These tablets allow animators to create highly-detailed art and animations faster than ever.
Finding the right tablet to bring your dreams to life is essential for success, but with so many options on the market, it can be challenging to know where to start.
In this article, we will look at the key features and factors to consider while choosing an animation tablet for your needs. We’ll go over display quality, emphasizing the significance of resolution and color fidelity. We’ll also discuss how important pressure sensitivity and stylus performance are for fine sketching and line control. In addition, we’ll look at the tablet’s performance, storage capacity, and compatibility with animation tools to ensure a smooth workflow.
In addition, we’ll discuss battery life, connectivity options, ergonomics, and economic considerations to help you make an informed decision. By the end of this article, you’ll have a solid understanding of what to look for in a tablet, allowing you to select the ideal device from our list. So, let’s get started and choose the best tablet for bringing your artistic visions to life!
Selection Criteria for Animation Tablets 2024—Buying Guide
In a world where technology seems to be moving at an alarming pace, it can be difficult to keep up with the latest gadgets and gizmos that litter the ever-expanding market. This is especially true in industries such as animation, where the use of graphics tablets has become vital to the creative process.
The market for graphics tablets has grown exponentially in recent years, with seemingly endless options to choose from. So how do you know which tablet is right for you?
Display Quality
For animation work, a tablet with a high-resolution display and accurate color reproduction is essential. A tablet with a high pixel density (PPI) and a wide color gamut, such as an IPS or AMOLED panel, is preferable, depending on your budget.
Size and Aspect Ratio
Take into account the size of the tablet in relation to your own preferences and productivity. A larger monitor may offer more screen space for drawing, yet a smaller one may be more portable. In any way, always keep in mind that the aspect ratio should be appropriate for animation work – either in 16:9 or 4:3.
Stylus and Pressure Sensitivity
Animation frequently necessitates fine control over lines and strokes. Check if the tablet supports pressure sensitivity, which allows for line thickness adjustments dependent on the pressure applied. An excellent tracking and precision stylus is also required for smooth drawing, which may not always be part of the deal when you buy a tablet.
Performance
As animation software can be resource-intensive, consider a tablet with a powerful CPU and enough RAM to fulfill the needs of your selected animation applications. This will ensure that the animation process runs smoothly and responsively.
Storage Capacity
Animation files can take up a lot of space, so look for a tablet with a lot of storage space or the ability to extend storage via memory cards or external drives. To ensure you have adequate space for your projects, software, and other files, it’s generally recommended that you get a tablet with enough built-in storage, preferably 128 GB or greater.
Battery Life
As animation work may be time-consuming, a tablet with long battery life is another factor to consider, particularly if you need to work on the go or without a power source nearby.
Top Product Recommendations for the Best Tablet for Animation 2024
- Overall Best Drawing Tablets: Wacom Intuos Pro
- Best Drawing Tablets for Professionals: Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
- Best Graphics Tablet for Beginners: Wacom One HD Creative Pen Display
- Best Large Drawing Tablets for Animation: HUION Kamvas Pro 24
- Best Graphics Tablet for Use in the Apple Ecosystem: Apple iPad Pro
- Best Budget Animation Tablet: XPPen Drawing Tablet with Screen Artist 10
1. Overall Best Drawing Tablets—Wacom Intuos Pro
Selection Criteria
- Display Quality – 10/10
- Size and Aspect Ratio – 16:9
- Stylus and Pressure Sensitivity – 8192 levels
- Performance – N/A
- Storage Capacity – N/A
- Battery Life – 10 hours
About Wacom Intuos Pro
When it comes to animation tablets, the Wacom Intuos Pro with Glove Combo is a powerful and versatile device, making it an animator’s dream, as it offers an unsurpassed drawing experience as well as a slew of functions that aid in the creative process.
The drawing surface of this animation tablet provides exceptional precision and sensitivity. It catches the smallest subtleties of your strokes with 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity, resulting in smooth and lifelike lines. The supplied stylus, when combined with the glove, provides a secure hold and decreases friction, allowing your hand to glide smoothly across the tablet’s surface.
The Intuos Pro’s customizable ExpressKeys and touch ring enable easy access to frequently used functions and shortcuts, streamlining your workflow and enhancing productivity. The multi-touch motions make it much easier to navigate and zoom in and out of your animation canvas in only a blink.
The tablet’s large active surface provides plenty of room for creative ideas, and its high-resolution display brings every detail to life with astonishing clarity. Color fidelity and a wide color spectrum ensure that your animations are colorful and lifelike.
Furthermore, the tablet is compatible with common animation applications, allowing it to integrate seamlessly into your current workflow. It works with both Mac and Windows operating systems, making it suitable for a wide spectrum of animators.
While the Wacom Intuos Pro with Glove Combo is not cheap, the investment is undoubtedly worthwhile for professionals. Its superior build quality, innovative features, and unrivaled performance make it the perfect animation tablet for long hours of detailed work.
Pros:
- Large drawing surface
- High pen pressure sensitivity
- Great as a dedicated drawing tablet for professionals who deal with digital art
- Programmable Express Keys
Cons:
- High price point, compared to the competition
2. Best Drawing Tablets for Professionals—Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
Selection Criteria
- Display Quality – 10/10
- Size and Aspect Ratio – 14.6 inches
- Stylus and Pressure Sensitivity – S stylus pen,
- Performance – Octa Core
- Storage Capacity – 256GB, MicroSD (Up to 1TB)
- Battery Life – 14 hours
About Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ emerges as the best tablet for animation pros in need of a portable powerhouse that can do it all. This tablet is a game changer for animators on the go, thanks to its cutting-edge features, excellent performance, and beautiful appearance.
The 14.6-inch Super AMOLED display of the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra has high quality and rich colors. This large drawing surface provides an immersive drawing experience, allowing you to bring your animations to life with amazing clarity and detail. The tablet’s thin bezels and lightweight design make it easy to transport while maintaining maximum screen real estate.
It also boasts lightning-fast performance, seamlessly handling demanding animation software and multitasking, thanks to its powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8-core processor and sufficient RAM. This tablet rises to the occasion, enabling seamless response and smooth playback whether you’re drawing, tweaking frames, or rendering complicated scenarios.
With its outstanding pressure sensitivity and precision tracking, the S Pen stylus elevates the drawing experience to new heights. Its natural feel and accuracy make it a pleasure to work with, allowing for fine detail and exact control over your animations. Additionally, for those who prefer a more traditional drawing experience, the tablet supports the use of external drawing tablets.
The adaptability of the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is one of its most notable characteristics. It not only shines at animation creation but also functions as a full-fledged work tool thanks to its robust hardware and Android operating system. This tablet does it all, from managing project files to accessing cloud-based storage and working with coworkers. Its interoperability with a wide choice of professional software and apps increases its capabilities even further, ensuring you have all the tools you need at your disposal.
The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra’s long-lasting battery life maintains up with your demanding workflow, allowing you to work on animation projects for lengthy periods of time without worrying about running out of power. The tablet also supports rapid charging, allowing you to refuel quickly and return to your creative efforts.
The Tab S8 Ultra has USB-C and Bluetooth connectivity, allowing you to attach additional devices such as storage drives, keyboards, or drawing tablets as needed. Its strong wifi connectivity options keep you connected while you’re on the go, allowing you to access information and work with ease.
While the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is more expensive, it offers unrivaled versatility and performance, making it a good investment for professionals who require a tablet that can do it all. This tablet enables animators to create, communicate, and stay creative while on the go, thanks to its outstanding display and powerful technology, as well as its smooth interaction with professional software.
Pros:
- Great graphics tablets, with impressive display and size
- A digital pen is included
- Android drawing tablet, for maximum productivity on the go
Cons:
- By adding a keyboard, its total weight makes it more cumbersome to carry around
3. Best Graphics Tablet for Beginners—Wacom One HD Creative Pen Display
Selection Criteria
- Display Quality – 10/10
- Size and Aspect Ratio – 13.3 inches, 16:9
- Stylus and Pressure Sensitivity – 4096 levels
- Performance – N/A
- Storage Capacity – N/A
- Battery Life – N/A, AC input power
About Wacom One HD Creative Pen Display
The Wacom One HD Creative Pen Display is a wonderful alternative for those who are just getting started in the world of animation. With its affordable price, user-friendly features, and dependable performance, this tablet is an excellent place to begin your animation journey.
Its HD 13.3-inch display is at the center of the device, providing a responsive canvas for bringing creative animations to life. With a Full HD resolution, every aspect of your artwork is shown clearly and precisely. The accompanying battery-free pen has 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, allowing you to manage line weight and create expressive strokes with ease.
The Wacom One HD is simple to set up, thanks to its compatibility with both Windows and Mac operating systems. Connect the tablet to your computer, install the drivers, and you’re ready to explore the world of animation. Due to the tablet’s lightweight and compact design, you can carry your creativity with you everywhere you go.
The tablet’s easy-to-use interface and controls make it suitable for beginners. The ExpressKeys, which can be customized, allow rapid access to critical operations, while the responsive touch motions make navigation and zooming simple. Furthermore, the tablet enables multi-touch input, enabling natural and easy interaction with your animation program.
While it lacks some of the complex features seen in higher-end versions, this Wacom tablet nevertheless provides solid performance for basic animation tasks, such as Clip Studio Paint Pro. It works well with common animation applications, allowing you to sketch, ink, and animate with ease. This tablet promotes exploration and growth, allowing beginners to hone their talents without being overwhelmed by excessive complexities.
Pros:
- Great display tablets for beginners, as they offer straightforward setup and use
- Great price point
- Comes with a battery-free stylus
Cons:
- Many accessories can be purchased separately, such as drawing gloves, a key remote, and pencil
- Brightness of the screen may not be up to the standards of professional users
4. Best Large Drawing Tablets for Animation—HUION Kamvas Pro 24
Selection Criteria
- Display Quality – 10/10
- Size and Aspect Ratio – 16:9
- Stylus and Pressure Sensitivity – 8192 levels
- Performance – N/A
- Storage Capacity – N/A
- Battery Life – N/A, AC input power
About HUION Kamvas Pro 24
The HUION Kamvas Pro 24 is a great animation tablet, with a 24-inch display that acts as a large canvas for your creative visions. This tablet is a good choice for animators looking for an immersive drawing experience because it combines size, capability, and cost.
The Kamvas Pro 24’s large 23.8-inch display is its main feature. It displays your animations with incredible clarity and vividness thanks to a high-resolution QHD screen and an outstanding color range. This wider canvas allows for exquisite detailing and perfect stroke control, allowing you to express yourself without feeling constrained.
The battery-free pen on the tablet, with 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity, provides a natural and responsive drawing experience. It precisely preserves the nuances of your strokes, allowing you to construct sophisticated animations easily. The integrated pen display stand has several angles for comfortable drawing, allowing you to select the ideal posture for long animation sessions.
The Huion Drawing Tablet has a customized touch bar and express keys for rapid access to frequently used tasks and shortcuts, which in turn improves productivity and workflow by allowing you to switch tools and alter settings without disrupting your creative flow.
The Kamvas Pro 24 has a plethora of connectivity choices, including USB-C, HDMI, and DisplayPort, allowing you to connect to a wide range of devices and peripherals. It also supports multi-monitor configurations, making it ideal for professionals that need a larger workspace for their animation production.
Pros:
- Best animation tablet for people in need of a large display
- Comes with a high precision battery-free pen, with a ±60° tilt recognition
- Display sports anti-glare glass for comfortable working conditions
Cons:
- Size makes it less portable than other models
- During setup, drivers may take a while during the recognition phase
5. Best Graphics Tablet for Use in the Apple Ecosystem—Apple iPad Pro
Selection Criteria
- Display Quality – 9/10
- Size and Aspect Ratio – 16:9
- Stylus and Pressure Sensitivity – Liquid retina XDR display with ProMotion technology and True Tone, Apple pencil
- Performance – M2 Chip, 16GB RAM
- Storage Capacity – 1TB
- Battery Life – Up to 10 hours
About Apple iPad Pro
The iPad Pro, in its sixth generation, is an excellent alternative to an Android tablet if your preferred ecosystem is an Apple one. For most of us, this is one of the best animation tablets and a great option for any use.
With its high resolution, realistic colors, and ProMotion technology that makes touching the screen a pleasure, the iPad Pro’s Liquid Retina display is a great tablet to aim for. By automatically altering the display’s color temperature to match the surrounding light, it guarantees correct color representation regardless of the viewing environment. Images that are then created, have greater depth and richness because of the wide color range.
One of the best features of the iPad Pro is the Apple Pencil 2, which makes using the tablet a pleasure for artists. With the Apple Pencil 2, artists can quickly and accurately complete even the most time-consuming graphics and image projects with its low latency and industry-leading pressure sensitivity. The magnetic attachment and wireless charging make it convenient to use and always ready for creative endeavors.
The powerful A15 Bionic chip in the iPad Pro enables designers to work quickly and responsively on intricate animation projects. Due to the device’s extensive memory capacities, creatives can carry their work with them wherever, at any time.
Pros:
- Transfer your work effortlessly from your Mac to your iPad and back again within the Apple ecosystem
- All in one tablet, for all your professional needs
- Support for animation programs and XDR liquid retina display with a wide range of relevant Apple Store applications
- Superb endurance for its battery
Cons:
- High price point
6. Best Budget Animation Tablet—XPPen Drawing Tablet with Screen Artist 10
Selection Criteria
- Display Quality – 9/10
- Size and Aspect Ratio – 16:9
- Stylus and Pressure Sensitivity – 8192 Levels
- Performance – N/A
- Storage Capacity – N/A
- Battery Life – N/A
About XPPen Drawing Tablet with Screen Artist 10
The XPPen Drawing Tablet is an outstanding value that provides a great animation experience without sacrificing critical functionality. With its low price and good performance, this tablet is an excellent alternative for budding animators on a tight budget.
Despite its low price, this display tablet has a 10.1-inch display that provides a bright and responsive canvas for creating animations. The HD IPS panel has good color accuracy and viewing angles, allowing you to see your creations clearly. With its 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity, the integrated battery-free pen ensures accurate and natural drawing, allowing you to bring your animations to life with precision.
It is simple to set up because it connects to your computer via USB, eliminating the need for additional power cables and extra expenses.
The tablet’s user-friendly UI and adjustable hotkeys improve your efficiency by allowing you to quickly access frequently used functions and shortcuts, which in turn simplifies the animation creation process, allowing you to concentrate on your artwork rather than navigating menus.
The Screen Artist 10 performs admirably, easily handling popular animation applications. While it does not have the same processing capability as higher-end models, it is capable of smooth sketching, inking, and basic animation chores. It’s a great place to start for novices or those on a low budget who want to learn the ins and outs of animation.
XPPen, despite its low price, does not skimp on customer service. The company provides regular driver updates and prompt customer service to ensure that your tablet is reliable and pleasurable to use.
Pros:
- Great price point, while having all the features of higher priced models
- Customizable Express Keys
- Wonderful art tablet for beginners specializing in digital animation
Cons:
- Professionals may be used to a larger tablet size
Conclusion
In conclusion, choosing the best tablet for animation can seem like a daunting task, given the numerous options available in the market today. However, as an animation professional, you cannot afford to overlook the importance of investing in the right device that guarantees exceptional performance, precise visual details, and user-friendly features to enhance your creative workflow.
With the top-rated tablets we’ve listed above, your search for the perfect animation companion is bound to come to a satisfying end.
If you’re searching for the best all-around graphic tablet for animation production, the Wacom Intuos Pro with Glove Combo is the clear winner. Its great performance, customizable features, and outstanding design take your animation workflow to new heights, making it an indispensable tool for both professional animators and aspiring artists.
Finally, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra responds to the needs of professionals who require a single device that excels in both animation production and productivity, thanks to its amazing display, robust performance, versatility, and clean design.
Ultimately, the best tablet for animation is one that enables you to bring your wildest ideas to life with ease, precision, and speed. So, take your time to assess your choices, weigh your options, and remember that the right tablet is not only an investment in your craft but also in your success as an animator.
