XP-PEN Artist Pro 16, one of the most attractive graphics tablets in its range

The XP-PEN artist Pro 16 2021 is a graphic design tablet with a screen that is positioned as one of the most attractive offerings in the entry-level range, making war on Wacom’s alternatives in more ways than one. It offers a 15.4-inch screen with 1080p resolution and is accompanied by an innovative pen.

If you want to know it in detail, you’ve come to the right place, but if you’re looking for something more professional and with a more generous screen size, you might be interested in taking a look at the XP-Pen 22E Pro from the same manufacturer.

Features of the XP-PEN Artist Pro 16

 

Confidence-inspiring construction and design

If you have tried one of the models of this brand, you will know that it has little or nothing to envy to the models of the dominant Wacom when it comes to design and manufacturing, which is a good omen.

In this order of ideas, the XP-PEN Artist Pro 16 2021 sports a metallic finish for both the front and the rear. In terms of size it measures 443.27 x 256.45 x 9mm, so it is practically the same as the Innovator 16 from the same brand.

That said, the customizable dual wheels and 8 shortcut buttons They are recurring elements in this and other series of tablets of the brand. The buttons are very well cushioned and feel great, as is the dual dial, which is tactile on the inside.

If we look carefully, we will find a USB Type-C port, a power button and keys to adjust the brightness on the left edge.

In another order of ideas, it is a pity that a support is not included with the purchase. It’s worth noting that XP-Pen sells its own stands, like the AC18, AC41 and AC42, but there’s nothing like it on this model, in fact they didn’t even bother to include rubber feet on the back of the tablet, which inevitably subtracts points in this evaluation.

Screen

The screen benefits from two big advantages: it’s fully laminated and boasts a surprisingly wide color gamut for an entry-level option. It bases its bet on a 15.4-inch IPS LCD panel with Full HD 1080p resolution.

When it comes to color gamut, the XP-PEN Artist Pro 16 benefits from a slight improvement over the Innovator 16. While the latter reaches 125% of the sRGB spectrum, the Artist Pro 16 reportedly covers 133% of sRGB. However, at the moment of truth the XP-PEN Artist Pro 16 covers 93.3% sRGB, 91.3% Adobe RGB and 81.1% DCI-P3 with a maximum Delta E of 2.93 and an average of just 0.13; which are still good values ​​when considering the range of this tablet.

It should be noted that the screen uses a ips-panel, so viewing angles are good. There is minimal color shift and a slight drop in brightness when viewed from the side, but nothing alarming. On the other hand, the anti-glare is quite aggressive, but as long as there is no light source pointing directly at the screen, this will not be very noticeable.

Additionally, it comes with a matte screen protector to provide a nice texture when drawing. However, these protectors eventually get scratched, so at some point it will have to be replaced.

Another disadvantage that we cannot ignore is the lack of control. We only have the option to adjust the brightness, so what you see is what you get when it comes to color temperature and RGB gain. Fortunately, this tablet supports external 4K displays, so there is the option of using an external monitor.

Multifunction digital pen

XP-PEN has submitted a Artist Pro 16 exclusive Smart Chip stylus, which ushers in the third era of XP-PEN styluses. East smart chip X3 supposedly improves performance when drawing. How exactly? Well, it is said that it has an initial activation force reduced to only 3 grams, in addition, the manufacturer also ensures that it is more resistant to electromagnetic interference.

Either way, the pen supports tilt and 8192 sensitivity levels snap-on, not to mention that it features two side buttons and an eraser on the back. All buttons are customizable.

Too we must praise the quality of the pen case, which is complete with nine spare bits and a handy little circular bit extractor. The case feels like the same metal used to wrap the tablet around and is pleasantly cool to the touch. Pushing one end of the case produces a satisfying clicking sound, after which the interior slides out to reveal the pen and nibs.

connectivity

When it comes to connectivity, the XP-PEN Artist Pro 16 really only has one option, and that is a lonely usb type c port to which you connect a 3-way cable that splits into HDMI, USB-A and power adapter. Depending on how your desktop and computer are organized, this could be an advantage or a disadvantage, but we lean more towards the latter.

Availability and price of the XP-PEN Artist Pro 16

Those interested in this graphic tablet will be able to acquire it via Amazon.com, where it has a reasonable price and good reviews from users. Another recommended option is Geekbuying online store, where it is sold for a similar price and in its 2021 version.