And now for a review by someone who actually used this product and didn't just post an obviously AI-generated or "my grandson loves it" review.
But first, if you can't be bothered to read an extensive, insightful, and excellently written review, here are the highlights:
· Touch functionality works well
· Pen feels responsive
· 240 ppi pixel density = very sharp display
· Pro color calibration out of the box
· Easy setup/straightforward software
· VESA compatible
CONTEXT & COST
A bit of context: I already have a 19" pen display I love (XPPen Artist Pro 19 gen 2), but it doesn't have touch. XPPen's touch models are either smaller than I want (16") or too big (27") for my setup. I almost considered Huion's Kamvas Pro 19, but I just can't let my beef with them go. (Horrendous warranty/customer service experience, but that's tea for another time.)
PHYSICAL DESIGN & SETUP
Most pen displays kind of look the same, but I do appreciate how this one is engineered. It‘s thin and elegantly designed, with no chunky bezels or buttons and doodads cluttering the sides. Just the essentials: two USB-C ports along the top edge, and low-profile buttons on the left for power/menu and toggling touch on and off. The bottom bezel has a slight slope, so you‘re not resting your wrist on a sharp edge. It does have built-in legs with a fixed 19’ incline, but I‘ve been using an adjustable stand instead. It’s VESA compatible, so it worked perfectly with the stand I was already using for my Artist Pro 19.
Setup was pretty easy. Unpack, plug everything in where it needs to go, pair the shortcut remote to your computer via Bluetooth, then head on over to the DIGIDRAW website to download the software/drivers. A note to Windows users: a few extra steps are required to ensure touch input corresponds to the right screen. Go to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Tablet PC Settings, click Setup, and follow the instructions. It takes all of 11.2 seconds.
DISPLAY QUALITY
Being a 4K, 18.4” display, the pixel density is really nice at almost 240 ppi. For comparison, iPad Pros have 264 ppi and Wacom‘s Cintiq Pro displays range from about 163 to 254 ppi. So lines in this display look oh-so-crispy, and UI elements are sharp and legible even at tiny default scaling. But being a man of beekeeping age, I had to set display scaling to 175% to avoid eye strain. I still have plenty of screen real estate to work with, even with notoriously cluttery programs like Clip Studio Paint.
Yes, this pen display comes with a factory color calibration certificate. Accurate to the marketing claims, my unit apparently scored an average Delta E of 1.11 for sRGB and 1.28 for Adobe RGB. If you don’t know what that means, just know that anything between a 1.0 and 2.0 is considered ”pro-level“ for color critical work, and a lower number is better. Again, for comparison, Mac Pro/XDR displays have a Delta E of less than 2.
Screen glare is well-controlled, I'm guessing due to the textured glass and whatever lamination or coatings are used. Any reflections that do show up are softly diffused across the surface, so the display stays clearly visible. I have mine perpendicular to a large window about 7 feet away and don‘t have any issues seeing the screen. Max brightness is good, too, and I’ve been doing just fine with it at 50%.
The screen surface feels nice to draw on. If you‘re coming from other displays with nano-etched glass, this one will feel similar. If you’re used to a glossy tablet like an iPad or Galaxy Tab, the adjustment should be easy. If this is your first-ever pen display/tablet, expect a bit of a learning curve. No screen truly feels like paper, no matter what the marketing says. Tip: if it feels too slippy, swap the default plastic nib for one of the included felt ones, they feel a little grippier.
PEN PERFORMANCE & TOUCH
I appreciate the included extra sleeves for the pen. The naked pen is a slim design. That's fine, but I like ‘em thicc so I slid on the "large grip" sleeve for more girth to grab on to. It satisfies. Bonus: the thicker sleeve makes the buttons on the pen sit a bit recessed, so I can more easily feel where they are and don't accidentally press them like some fat-fingered ape.
Initial activation force is really good. No way to measure it precisely, but I can just skim the pen across the screen and get fine, even, and unbroken lines in my drawing program. Tilt detection is good too, and works down to that 60' angle. I don't typically need to tilt my pen that far, but good to know I can if I ever do.
I never know how to rate pen lag since there are so many variables depending on your hardware and software, and all pen displays have some amount of lag. All I can say is the pen feels snappy. I tested in Microsoft Paint since it's lighter and doesn't use stabilization or other effects that can slow things down. The cursor stays close to the tip with minimal trailing. In Clip Studio Pain...
