XPPen Star03 V2 Drawing Tablet Graphics Drawing Pen Tablet with 8192 Levels Pen Pressure Battery-Free Stylus Passive Pen Signature Board with 8 Hot Keys (Black)

My whole family was impressed with this pen tablet! We bought it as a bday gift for my 9yr old daughter(she has high functioning autism). She draws all the time, and it has been a dream for years to own her own pen tablet. And the one at school no one is allowed to touch. When she opened her present and she saw the beautiful xp-pen box she screamed and cried and laughed, She asked me mom how did you get the money to get this! She thought I spent a fortune! And her reaction was priceless! It works great in every program we have tried Adobe illustrator, photoshop,MediBang Pro. Medibang is a free drawing app and works beautifully with this pen tablet. We let the Artists of the family try this out at our house , They never used a pen tablet and they loved it! And everyone who has tried it had so much fun. It arrived on time right before her birthday, i got free 2day shipping Thank you amazon prime! My aunt bought amazon prime for herself, and she listed my email on her prime account, because amazon is awesome like that. The pressure sensitivity really works, and if you guide the pen above the surface of the tablet you can use the pen like a mouse. That does take a little getting used to, but it gets easier. I would totally recommend you try out this free drawing game its on windows app store , its called interference, its hilarious and great if you do not know what to draw! the people who play are not vulgar and they are very respectful, you can also play online too if you go to the website playinterference.com We love this pen tablet so much! it was a steal for the quality of the product, we have been using it for about a month, and we already want to buy another one and buy this for every artist in our family. I hear wacom is good, and honestly i've never tried it, but i can tell you i am not disappointed i feel pretty good I found this product and everyone is so impressed by it! the pen feels great in your hand, there is no charging, it comes with pen tip replacements, which we had to replace once , because we accidently dropped the pen and lost the tip, but got a new tip installed in under a minute and we were drawing again! GET this pen tablet, you really dont need to keep looking, this is the one, it has everything. The size is large and its cheaper than a smaller wacom model. im so thankful for this xp-pen! This product does not look or feel cheap, it does not lack in performance. This is the one you need to get, if your looking for the best product and the best price. This is the pen tablet. I have no complaints, and its still working great! Thank you to xp-pen for making such an amazing product and making it so affordable! I am so glad I got this ! if you need help getting it to work , their customer service is great, i would be willing to help if anyone if you have questions or issues, I love it that much!! contact me on my website, abqcreations.com

I was actually forced to get a new tablet, because in their corporate greed Wacom decided not to support their wacom intros 2 on Yosemite and up. Now some will say that after 8 or 9 years we shouldn't expect them to support their products but I disagree. This tablet works perfectly and meets all my needs, if wacom wants me to buy something new from them, then let them add features that I can use. There is no good reason for me to switch tablets. OK that said I found my way to this XP-Pen Star 03. At first I ran into some software issues and could not get it to work with my photoshop. I have to say their customer / tech support was excellent. I couldn't talk to them by phone, but was able to communicate via Skype. I think there is a big time difference and so this was the way we had to do it. I was convinced I was just getting what I paid for and it was just not going to cut it. BUT they had me trouble shoot one issue at a time and we narrowed it down to a problem in CS6 and there was a workaround that they sent me the link to, and when installed, the tablet worked perfectly. It is not as well built or quite as elegant a "feel" as the wacom, but that was a $350 dollar tablet, for the price this is an excellent value. It has an adequate feel to it, and as I am getting use to the 8 express keys, it is turning into a good work flow routine for me. Based on the price AND the excellent support I got I would recommend this to anyone else looking. Whether this is your first tablet, or like me you became obsolete with a wacom, and don't feel like spending another 3 or 4 hundred bucks, then this is one to consider.

First of all, the active area on this device is 6" x 10". I don't know why they insist on using equivalent monitor screen size. Even so, it's 11-5/8", not 12". I have had three Wacom tablets over the years, and my last ($400) one bit the dust when I spilled half a glass of water on it. I wasn't about to spend another $400 for something that sensitive, so I decided to try the XP-Pen Star 03. I must say, for the money, this is quite a good tablet. Engineered in California and manufactured in China, it's not quite up to Wacom standards, but good none-the-less. Generally, this tablet comes close to Wacom standards--though I haven't had it long enough to determine durability--so I'll just list the negatives: 1. The active distance of the pen from the tablet is smaller than the equivalent Wacom, so there's a bit of a learning curve. 2. The inactive area outside the active area is narrower than the Wacom, so you need a bit of empty desk space around the tablet if you want use the entire active area. 3. The express keys don't illuminate their names, so if you can't remember what they do, a good label maker is required (I use a Brother with the 6 point tape). 4. There's no eraser on the reverse end of the pen, so you either have to use an express key or a side button to switch between pen and eraser, or you need to use the eraser in the program you are using, which I normally do anyway. I don't think I've ever used the Wacom eraser. 5. The pen is hard plastic with no rubberized covering like the Wacom, so it's a bit harder to rotate, making the side buttons harder to find. One positive I should mention is the icon in the system tray, which allows you to change settings without opening up the Control Panel. The express keys also have a bit more of a positive feel than the Wacom. And one tip: If you can't get rid of all of the Wacom DLL files, start your computer in safe mode and delete them there. The popup notice that the Wacom driver wasn't working was getting annoying. They should have a utility at their website to remove everything.

I purchased this tablet to evaluate for my students. Also to have a tablet for travel to keep in my laptop bag. Here is my review. received the Star 03 Pen Tablet this evening and immediately put it through the paces in Photoshop. First, you have to download and install the drivers and reboot your computer. No problem. I found the stylus a bit shorter than the Wacom but seemed ok also. It was comfortable as a nice pen. There was no noticeable lag in drawing with the stylus and it was just as good as the Wacom. I did find out that the stylus and tablet do not support pen tilt or pen rotation but I have never had that feature in the older version of the Wacom Tablet that I have. The digitizing area is the same as my Wacom Tablet and it replicates the screen area perfectly. I did find a good advantage over my Wacom in the 8 programmable buttons down the left side. I re-programmed them more to things I use a lot. So now I have two buttons to zoom in and out on the canvas, and I programmed two of the buttons to resize the brush. "[ and ]". The others I left as the default functions. The top button, for now, opens the tablet settings and once I get happy with everything I will reprogram that button. Programming the buttons is extremely easy in the tablet control screen. The tablet seems well made and I could only see one small improvement that could be made. The USB connection leaves the plug sticking out on the side that could be damaged carrying it in my laptop case. Once you connect the USB cable to the tablet it seems to lock and does not come out easily. The weight of the tablet is less than the Wacom but seems rugged. The stylus comes with a stand that holds extra nibs in the base. They give you about eight extra nibs. I am still on the original nib on my Wacom and have used it for about ten years. So I do not know if their nibs wear out or they just give you a lifetime supply. I did find the pressure sensitive stylus something that is very handy but will take getting used to as my Wacom did not have that feature. The newer Wacom's all have the pressure sensitive stylus. XP-PEN makes a number of versions of tablets and is all a fraction of what you would pay for a Wacom. They even have a 21" display tablet and is $500.00 compared to Wacom's sime size for $1,700 dollars. So they are really giving Wacom a run for there money. In conclusion, for most photographers who wish to start using a tablet or even those who have been using a Wacom and want a second tablet to carry with them, I think this is a great value. I have only tested it for a few minutes but if it holds up I would have no problem recommending this to any of my students that want to get into using Photoshop. For $50.00 you really cannot go wrong. The $100.00 version is wireless but you have to connect up the USB cable to charge the tablet so I am not sure how much of a need I have for that feature. One of the tablets has a scroll wheel that I think I would have liked for brush sizing. In conclusion, I am happy with the product and it will be nice to have a tablet in my laptop case for traveling and not having to take my tablet off my home docking station. It came in one day from Amazon using Prime. Again for $50.00 how could you really go wrong.

First of all I have only used this on Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom for photo editing and very little use for drawing. I originally purchased this to streamline my work and because of the many positive reviews and of course the budget price. The box is well packaged, lots of protective plastics and comes with drivers on CD, documentation, a pen holder and extra nibs. I highly recommend you purchase from a seller that will bundle a free drawing glove (will elaborate later) or purchase one separately. The pen is lightweight and battery free so there's no odd weight balance or charging issue. The buttons are sunk in which makes it feel just right in my grip to press them when I need to and not on accident. The surface of the tablet feels very good with its matte textured finish. Drawing surface is quite large at 10x6 which is almost a near ratio for my screen (more on that later). Buttons feel well made and have a click when pressed that is solid. Overall the construction quality of the pad and pen are quite impressive. I didn't bother installing drivers from the CD as they may already be outdated so I went to the XP Pen website and downloaded the drivers from there. I am using a Windows 7 machine and had no problems connecting the device to the computer. Setup for the tablet was quite easy although its trial and error with some settings to your liking if you are not accustomed to using a tablet for drawing. I set the pen buttons to just be the eraser as the opposite end of the pen has no sensor for it. The tablet buttons were more than enough for what I use in Photoshop and Lightroom. Also instead of using the entire tablet to match my 28" screen for the cursor/pen position, I set it to mouse mode as it feels more natural, just my preference. I did not mess around with the pressure sensitivity too much as I prefer to have strict control of my brush sizes through the keyboard but the tablet app has a way to test and adjust it. After using the tablet for a couple of hours, I have tweaked the buttons for what I need in Photoshop/Lightroom and hardly ever use the keyboard for any keyboard commands. The accuracy of the pen and the feel of running it across the tablet is precise and smooth. I almost don't notice if it makes any scratching noises while I'm working. The pen nib also doesn't appear worn at all and the surface of the tablet doesn't appear to have any scratches after 2 hours of continuous use. Resting my palm on the tablet caused some condensation to build up which did affect the smoothness of my hand motions but this is something that could be fixed with a drawing glove or adjusting the temperature in the room. Other than that, there were really no other issues with Photoshop/Lightroom, the tablet works just perfectly for me. However as a final word of advice: some people, like myself, may actually prefer a LCD screen style drawing tablet as I found after using this product. I will eventually purchase the XP Pen Artist 10s as that is more suited for my preference. Do some research before buying a drawing tablet, ask to borrow one from a friend and use it a bit before deciding which type is right for you.

My Wacom Intuos3's surface was all scratched up and of course they don't make them anymore. I'd tried to find something to takes its place and wasn't having any luck and was tired of spending money on things that weren't working. I could buy a new tablet or keep throwing away money. I really liked the look of the buttons on the side of this one, but I wanted something smaller than my Wacom and this is pretty much the same length but it's height is several inches shorter which does give me more room on my desk. I'm ambidextrous and normally use a left-handed mouse, but I draw with the tablet right-handed. So the tablets usb cord is coming out of the center left side. I changed to a right-handed wireless trackball mouse and this solved a potential problem ( I have the same model left-handed trackball mouse I use with another pc). I don't use the mouse as much on the pc with the tablet because I"m using it more than I did with the Wacom. If I still had a normal left-handed mouse I'd be running into the usb cable. I haven't been able to get the buttons set up yet. I'm very frustrated by this. I can't find any help on the net nor the XP-Pen web-site. The express keys are why I wanted this tablet. When I press a key the blue light shows up, but nothing else happens. I'm so disappointed by this. Don't know what to do. Had to change my star rating from 5 to 3 because of this. I don't want to return it because I think they work if I could just figure it out. Seems like they should work out of the box! I put an anti-glare protective sheet meant for a tablet (the other kind of tablet) surface that I'd purchased (one of the things I tried to use to replace the Wacom's worn out surface). I almost threw it away with the Wacom. I want to keep this tablets surface protected. It's almost the perfect size. Close enough. It covers the part of the surface you're drawing on, just a little bit on the end that's not protected and I won't be drawing there. The height is a little bit over the surface edge. So far so good. Glad I didn't throw it away. If you've had a Wacom and don't want to spend as much on a new Wacom tablet, this may be the brand for you. I didn't want a pen with a battery. Especially when I know you don't have to design it that way. Double the pen pressure sensitivity and a much better price. And I absolutely hated the mouse I had to use with the Wacom! Oh my God it was awful. It caused me so much pain in my pinkie finger. I don't know about other Wacom tablets, but with my Intous3, if you left the mouse or pen off it for more than 3 hours, when you came back it would have no driver, no blue light at the top. Have to use the utility to fix it. A pain in my a** as well as my pinkie. When my husband would use my pc he'd put the pen in the holder and place the mouse beside the tablet as he was use to doing with a regular mouse. I finally purchased an extra mouse (hated it too) to use, but I still had to keep the Wacom mouse on the tablet. With this tablet, all that hassle is gone. You don't keep the pen on the tablet and there's no mouse. You can use this tablet left or right handed. Nice! I've used it with Illustrator, Photoshop and Painter, browsers and everything you use a pc for. I just can't figure out how to use the express keys. There are other XP-Pen tablets to try. Wish I had gotten the smaller wireless tablet now.

***!!!!UPDATE UPDATE!!!!*** My security was identifying the driver download with a false positive - I disabled security for the download itself, scanned the file then set the security to monitor the software and proceeded with the installation with the websites updated download and now the tablet works just fine. There was something wrong with the cd version software that came with the tablet, or possibly a compatibility issue (?) causing the problems I experienced with the original installation. It happens. So be sure to read the manufacturer response to the issues I had in the comments below, be sure to set your security to off during the download then restart your security and scan the downloaded file. If you get a red flag from the scan set your security to ignore or monitor the program and proceed with the installation. I have experienced no problems with this new software so far, but I'll keep you posted. I was all set to return the tablet but my husband forgot to mail it back and it's been sitting behind the seat in the car or I might have never resolved these issues - giving the tablet and manufacturer a black mark I now believe it doesn't deserve. I recommend downloading an uninstaller ( I use Iobit Uninstaller - freeware with a powerful scan to eliminate all instances and bits of a program in your system) to uninstall your Wacom or other tablet drivers BTW,. I have Webroot running along side Malwarebytes on an HP Pavilion laptop with Win 10 OS. (Original review) I got this about 2 weeks ago . I had never heard of the XP-pen tablet before but the reviews were in it's favor and I needed a replacement for my Wacom Intuos fast. (The usb had a short and it finally quit) I also had a Huion pro and shorted it out when I tripped on the cord. I was most pleased with the price of the XP. The tablet has a nice solid feel to it. The Huion always felt and sounded a bit hollow. The XP also has an authentic pen to paper feel. I was never able to get the pen to scroll, a huge drawback for me. Also, it lags when drawing with it. A little at first but now with each stroke. Today it quit working altogether. I hope I can return it and get a credit. I don't want to exchange it, I don't trust the product. I'll write a follow up to let you know how that goes. UPDATE: VIRUSES!!! I got an email from XP-Pen asking me to try a few fixes before sending the tablet back, so I did. One was to uninstall the reinstall the driver etc. . . I had already done that but reinstalled from the cd sent with the tablet. This time I downloaded the driver/ software from the XP-Pen website thinking perhaps it was a newer driver release. I always do several security scans from the file location of the download before I open it, and I have the paid versions of webroot and malwarebytes which are heavy hitters in virus/ security, and I found that the download included 5 trojans that were in my system just by downloading the software which I never even opened. I would exercise extreme caution in the use of anything from this company. I've included a screenshot of the viruses. Obviously I will not be doing business with a company I can't trust.

Quick Review: Excellent pressure sensitivity, shortcut-buttons are easy to program, comfortable pen. It has a light on the left side that illuminates when the pen is close enough to work, and it's pretty bright, which I don't like. Really great price for the size of the drawing area. Cable/plug is in a reasonable location and doesn't get in the way when using or when storing. Storytime: I've had one drawing tablet before this, a Wacom Bamboo Fun. After needing a new computer and finding out that there is zero support/downloadable drivers from Wacom for that product, I decided to find something comparable in a different brand. Along came XP-Pen. Oh boy, this tablet blows Wacom out of the water. It is crazy-affordable, has (no joke) triple the pressure sensitivity, and works beautifully with Easy Paint Tool SAI. I worry when certain types of items are a much lower price than bigger brands, and assume they will be some cheap knock-off that doesn't work. Not the case here, this tablet worked out of the box, and the drivers are easily located on the website. It has so much more pressure sensitivity that I had to adjust settings that I've never had with Wacom, and it makes for a really nice drawing experience. There is only one thing I don't like about it, and it's the bright indicator light that illuminates when the pen is close enough to the tablet to work. This results in a flashing bright light, boring into my brain, as I have a sensitivity to light and draw in a dim room with my computer screen brightness turned down. It was possible to hold the tablet in a comfortable-ish way where I could keep my thumb over the light, but eventually I found a sticker that fit over it. Thanks for the great product, XP-Pen!