Thankfully, those days are behind us as budget-friendly pen displays and drawing tablets have entered the mainstream.
I’ve had the pleasure to test out this latest mid-size pen display.
What is the XP-Pen Artist Pro 16 (Gen 2) pen display?
The XP-Pen Artist 16 Pro 2nd Gen pen display with stylus and quick key remote.
The pen behaves much like a mouse, with the nib responding as a ‘click and drag.’
Opening the box reveals the display, which is protected by a film covering and carefully packaged in foam.
The top of the monitor features 2 USB-C ports.
The XP-Pen Artist 16 Pro 2nd Gen pen display with stylus and quick key remote.
A power supply with modular, region-specific adjustable plug options is included in the box.
Instead of a pen stand, we get a nice metallic pen case with a sliding mechanism.
The XP-Pen Artist 16 Pro stylus is battery-free, so you won’t need to worry about charging it.
The display includes 2 USB-C ports, so the user can customize their wire and screen orientation.
XP-Pen also includes an ACK05 wireless shortcut remote, or X-remote, with the Artist 16 Pro.
The new X-remotes are a more user-friendly approach to customizable hotkeys.
From a design standpoint, sadly, these X-remotes feel a bit on the flimsy side.
XP-Pen steps up its game with pen storage with a sleek and modern metal pen case, adding a premium feel while maintaining its budget-friendly price point.
It’s made of an inexpensive plastic shell and features ten chiclet-style keys along with a physical dial.
However, there is a lack of tactile feedback from the remote compared to something like the Tourbox Elite.
The remote does function well, but it just feels cheap and flimsy.
The battery free stylus offers 16,384 levels of pen pressure along with 60 degrees of tilt support, a 0.6mm retraction distance, and improved accuracy compared to previous iterations.
The Artist Pro 16 sits at the point that is considered a “sweet spot” for pen displays.
The 16-inch display offers a 13.5 8.5-inch workable drawing area.
The current market standard is 8,192 points of pressure, and doubling that is no small feat.
The Wacom One 13 inch pen display.
You want high-pressure sensitivity in a digital stylus.
If you’re just note-taking, high-pressure sensitivity may not matter much.
You should not buy this if…
You want to mount your display to a monitor arm.
You want features like touch support or built-in express keys and a 4K display.
However, it also stands against some of XP Pen’s older but more feature-rich lineup.
XP-Pen’s Artist Pro 16 (2nd gen) is an exceptional advance in technology from its predecessor.
The all new 16K pressure X3 Stylus.
It works extremely well with all thebest drawing apps, including 3D rendering and digital illustration software.
