XP-Pen Artist15.6 IPS Graphics Display with Glove and Digital Stylus (8192 Pressure Levels)

I've recently bought the XP-PEN Artist 15.6 at its full price as part of a graphics design University project. Having had the Wacom Bamboo tablet for quite some time, I thought it was time to take a step up to a full-featured graphics tablet. After seeing the price of the Wacom graphics tablet range, I was certain I was going to have to find an alternative. After weeks of consideration and research, I can say with certainty that the Artist 15.6 is a fantastic alternative to Wacom tablets. Below are some pro's and cons for the tablet: PROS • Thin at ≈12mm but very strong - great portability, I often take the graphics tablet to and from various locations, but you'll need a big case! • Easy to set up and use - powered through USB so doesn't require a wall connection (at least not when using my Macbook Pro with it) • Great pen pressure (8192 levels!) - my graphics look really slick and even better than my usual handwriting on pen and paper. • Comes with some nice ancillary attachments - well made anti-fouling glove and solid pen holder with extra nibs (although I don't think I'll ever get through all of them!) • Great & bright looking screen - the IPS display was clearly a good choice to implement in the Artist 15.6 - it looks as good as my Macbook Pro retina display so there's no problems between switching looking at both of the screens after a few hours of use. • Passive pen! Doesn't require batteries so no headaches having to remember to keep the pen charged, I just chuck it in with my tablet in the bag after use and away I go. • 6 adjustable buttons on the side - all customisable through the software available either on the CD given or the XP-Pen website, more buttons than I'm going to need for my work but a breath of fresh air coming from my Wacom Bamboo with only 2 buttons. • Super easy to set up the drivers and integration into my software packages (Fusion 360, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Autodesk Sketchbook) • Packaging was excellent - three layers of protection including the carry case, internal box and foam packaging - arrived in perfect condition. CONS • No included stand, but after having used it flat on the desk for a while it doesn't seem to be too much of a problem. I'll look at getting an articulating arm for this as would be more suitable for my workstation and keeping the tablet out of the way. • Pen doesn't feel as solid as some battery-powered alternatives but this a very small trade off considering the gain in functionality of not having to charge it! THE VERDICT An absolutely fantastic Wacom alternative, especially if this is your first graphics tablet. Would strongly recommend to any one looking to buy a graphics tablet.

After having tried a similar product from a Chinese competitor, I was a bit weary of this new generation of Oriental display tablets. It left me feeling the technology hadn't been fully understood or evolved to take on the undisputed market leader (Wacom). When I stumbled across an incredibly good Black Friday offer from XP-pen (Japanese), I decided to throw the dice once more and ordered the Artist 15.6. Things started going very well from that point on: it arrived a day early to start with. The packaging presented well and once un-boxed the tablet felt well designed, well made and well finished. Some reviewers thought it a bit plastic-y, I can't imagine why, unless expectations were set at the gold-inlaid brushed titanium level. Set-up and connecting was a doodle. Driver install ditto. I had a minor issue with the resolution, but thanks to great online support that was quickly resolved (it was a Windows setting, nothing to do with the product). I've used it for a few days now with Clip Studio Paint and Photoshop - no issues. Drawing is easy and natural, surface resistance is right for me and the tablet reacts well to pen pressure. The parallax (the apparent difference of the pointer position from the the tip of the pen due to the thickness of the glass) is well within tolerance for me - I got used to it in about half an hour. Oh, and it comes with a battery-free stylus. It could do with more function keys though - should have gotten the pro perhaps. Overall, great product, great price. Couldn't say whether this is a Wacom killer but it's certainly in the same ballpark.

I've been using the XP-Pen 15.6 for just over 2 years now in a semi-professional capacity (I'm not an artist as my day job but I've been involved in a lot of projects) so I'd like to think I have a reasonable grasp on the product. Pros: The most obvious positive is the price point. At the time I bought the XP Pen my Wacom Bamboo had died on me, and I had no intention of buying a graphics tablet with a screen since I knew the Cintiq prices. However, after comparing the price of XP-Pen with the Intuos, I decided to take the leap, and I'm very glad I did. Very easy to set up. It was a while ago that I did so, but I don't remember any issues. Great drivers. I used to have a lot of trouble with Wacoms drivers and haven't encountered many issues along the way. Occasionally they disappear off the system tray and things start to go a little funky, but that's usually after I haven't turned my PC off for 3 weeks straight (sorry I'm that kind of person) and I haven't encountered anything where a quick reboot doesn't fix the problem. Express buttons. I don't use them as much as I should, but the ability to assign them per program is very helpful when you have to hop between them (I use Sai, Blender and Photoshop that have some very different configs.) This might be standard across all Monitor tablets, but as someone who came from pen tablets they're very handy. The kit as a whole is nice. I love the single cable for everything, and I've never had to use the additional power even on the few occasions I've run it off a laptop. The pen holder is a little wobbly, but I can forgive it since the built in nib remover and the hidden nib compartment make it so easy to travel with the tablet. Cons: The biggest con is the parallax. I'll recalibrate it maybe once a month, and I find that sometimes I need to calibrate it a couple of times to get the cursor exactly where I want it to be. The further you stray from the centre of the screen the worse it can get, but I only really notice the effects a few weeks after calibrating if I try and do something in the very corner of the screen. Sai's close button is pretty small and jammed in the corner and I know it's due a recalibration when I have trouble with that. I can't seem to get the colour balance right between the tablet and my monitors, and the tablet always comes out darker and more saturated. It can be a big problem, but I think this is a me thing, not the tablets fault, and I'm just too impatient and too cheap to buy a calibrator and get it right, since I don't remember any of the reviews mentioning this problem. I've heard that the screen scratches very easily. I wouldn't know because the moment I got it out of the box I threw a screen protector on it and haven't had any problems. I used Brotect and haven't noticed any issues with sensitivity, it's looking a little scuffed after a few years of solid use but I don't blame it. In my experience the nibs wear down quicker than Wacoms. This isn't that much of a con though as I managed to get 50 replacements for about £15, and I don't see myself getting through that many any time soon. All in all I think it's a fantastic tablet with a few little issues that'll take up some of your time and be a bit annoying, but at it's price point I will happily accept that. The XP-Pen Atrist15.6 has done me well for over 2 years and shows no signs of stopping. I have recommended it to friends and I would do so again.