When it comes to drawing tablets, there are only a few brands that come to mind. But of the newer names in this space is Xencelabs.
I’ve been testing their Pen Tablet Medium Bundle for a few weeks and so far it’s been great.
Design & Hardware
The actual tablet is very well made, it feels like a premium device. The actual useable space on the tablet you get is 10.33-inches by 5.8-inches for a 16:9 aspect ratio.
At the top of the tablet, you get quick access to different settings shortcuts. The tablet can be used wirelessly on your computer with the included dongle. The company does include a USB-C to USB-A adapter in the box.
You also have the option to use the tablet in wired mode via the USB-C port. For the majority of my time using the tablet, I used it in wireless mode and there was virtually no lag between putting the pen on the tablet and what shows up on my computer. Battery life is around 16 hours with 2.5 hours of charging time for the tablet.
Other accessories included in this bundle are the Quick Keys, tablet case, two pens, one 3 button pen with an eraser end and a thin pen with an eraser.
The pens come with a case to store them in and their nibs. Both pens included support up to 8192 pressure levels, 60-degree of tilt support, lag-free tracking and battery-free.
The Quick Keys lets you have up to 5 different settings for each of the 8 keys, so you could have 40 functions per application you’re using. There’s also a dial input on the Quick Keys and a LED ring.
Battery life on the Quick Keys is up to 50 hours of continuous use and 1.5 hours of charging time via USB-C. Just like the tablet, you can use the Quick Keys in wired or wireless mode (via the same USB dongle).
The Xencelabs Pen Tablet Medium Bundle is available now from the company’s website for $359 USD. You can also get just the tablet and pens for $279 USD.
Software
One of the best parts of the Xencelabs Tablet is its wide compatibility. Basically, if you have an app that supports pen input, you can use the tablet with it. So that’s anything from Photoshop or Illustrator, Autodesk and many more.
Setting up the tablet is fairly easy, just download the drivers from the company’s site for Windows or macOS and follow the instructions and you’ll be good to go.
With the Xencelabs app, you do get quite a lot of customization apps, for each pen, the tablet and the Quick Keys.
For the majority of my review period, I was using the tablet for just doing some sketching, drawing and doing digital signatures for documents.
And it worked great for all of that. When I was drawing the pen was super smooth to use on the tablet and having the eraser end was super helpful for fixing quick mistakes.
Below, you can see some of the drawings I made using the tablet and pen.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Xencelabs has made a great drawing tablet and pen that works well in most cases and is perfect for those starting out or those a bit more advanced with their artistic skills.
Pros
- Great build quality
- Can be used wired or wirelessly
- Customizable options with the companion app
- Super smooth drawing experience
- Works with basically any app
- Portable with carrying case
Cons
- The active drawing area could be a bit larger
TheCanadianTechie 