If you want to invest in one of the best budget tablets for drawing, we've got you covered right here.
Much like if you're picking up one of the best budget laptops for graphic design, getting one of the best budget tablets for drawing will mean you can get in on the act of graphic design and drawing at an affordable price.
It's worth noting these can come in a couple of different shapes and sizes, so you'll have to decide what you'd prefer.
Firstly, you've got standard tablets with their own display that can be used for drawing, as well as for web browsing, taking photos and surfing the net.
The list also contains more specialist drawing tablets, which need to be connected to a computer. These offer more functionality for artists, such as increased touch sensitivity for extra precision.
They also usually come with their own pressure-sensitive stylus that can give you incredible accuracy and, for professional graphic designers, may offer a better solution than a general-purpose tablet.
With all this in mind, we’ve selected these tablets based on our research into their specs, features, general reviews, and other general points that we think make them worth considering. Plus, we’ve answered some of your most frequently asked questions so you can pick the best ones for you.
So with that being said, let’s get into it – here are some top picks for the best budget tablet for drawing available today.
Best Budget Tablet For Drawing
Best Budget Tablet For Drawing XP-Pen - XP-Pen Artist 12
If you're looking for a marvellous and affordable specialist option for drawing, the XP-Pen Artist 12 looks like a great choice.
It features a 1920x1080 resolution with an 11.6-inch display, making this a handy option if you're wanting a more compact tablet that’s still certainly capable when you've got this tablet connected to either a PC or Mac.
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The XP-Pen Artist 12 also features the brand's P06 stylus which should allow for some rather accurate drawing, especially with 8192 total levels of pressure sensitivity, which rivals tablets a lot higher in price.
Moreover, you'll also find that this tablet connects easily with just a couple of USB and HDMI cables and that you may not need any other cables if your PC draws enough power to run the XP-Pen Artist 12 on its own.
Best Budget Tablet For Drawing HUION - HUION Kamvas 13
The HUION Kamvas 13 looks like a handy choice if you're wanting the power of a graphic design tablet at an affordable price.
What you'll be getting here is a 13.3-inch display, with a Full HD display to offer you some detailed and sharp images, as well a brightness of 220 nits or so to ensure those images are also pretty vivid, which will be handy for drawing.
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In addition, the HUION Kamvas 13 looks to be quite a portable choice, given its smaller size, complete with 11.8mm thickness and 980g total weight, which means you can sling it into a bag alongside your laptop without too much effort and take your drawing with you.
This tablet also features the PW517 stylus that offers you both 60-degree tilt and 8192 pressure levels, to provide you with an accurate drawing experience, so you can produce some rather good drawings indeed.
Best Budget Tablet For Drawing Wacom - Wacom CTL4100 Intuos
Wacom makes some of the best drawing tablets, and the CTL4100 Intuos looks like a brilliant affordable entry from the drawing tablet giants.
It's the smallest entry on our list, with a total surface size of 7 inches, complete with 1920x1080 resolution, which makes it a handy choice for those with limited desk space who still want to try out the power of a drawing tablet.
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The CTL4100 Intuos also features 4096 pressure points and 2540 lips to give you precise inputs and offer you a marvellous drawing experience. Alongside this, you'll also find that the stylus is battery-free, you don't need to charge it up to use it, which is convenient.
You'll also find 4 customisable express keys to give you easy access to any shortcuts you wish to use, and handily, this tablet is available in both a wired and wireless configuration if you don't want to have any cable clutter.
Best Budget Tablet For Drawing Veikk - Veikk A30
The Veikk A30 looks to be a great all-round choice for a tablet with a decent-sized surface area for you to draw on.
It comes with an 11.6-inch total size panel for you to draw on, which gives you a nice amount of real estate to work with for a day's drawing, as well as also being rather thin with just a 9mm total thickness.
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The Veikk A30 also features four touch keys and a gesture pad for selecting any shortcuts or different functions, which makes this quite versatile, as does the stylus, complete with its 8192 pressure points to offer you an accurate drawing experience.
A 670g weight also makes it quite a portable tablet which means you'll be able to sling it into a bag with your laptop and you can draw on the go rather easily.
Best Budget Tablet For Drawing Samsung - Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite
If you're wanting more of a traditional tablet that you could use for drawing, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite looks like a great option.
It may be a couple of generations old now, but it retains S Pen support so you can use a stylus for drawing accurately onto the 10.4-inch screen that, in it itself, should also be nice and vibrant, complete with 435 nits of brightness and a 1200x2000 resolution.
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Inside, you'll also find the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is quite powerful with its octa-core Exynos 9611 processor, and 4GB of RAM should also mean it's great for both day-to-day productivity work, as well as more intense tasks.
There's also 64GB of internal storage for any apps or files you want to install, and a MicroSD card slot also means you can expand this if you so wish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a budget tablet for drawing worth it?
In our humble opinion, we'd say that a budget tablet for drawing is worth it if you're wanting more precise means of illustration and graphic design without spending too much.
They're quite a versatile option, as some tablets can also be used as second screens, or as their own devices outright, as well as being graphic design tablets, of course.
How much should I spend on a budget tablet for drawing?
As a general rule, spending between $50 and $150 is likely to get you a good drawing tablet with precise application, and a good-sized space to draw on.
Spending more will get you an actual display, as opposed to a pressure-sensitive pad, as well as a higher quantity of pressure points for your stylus to give you more accurate tracking.
What should I look for in a budget tablet for drawing?
In essence, you'll want to make sure that the tablet you pick is big enough for what you need it to be by choosing a screen size that's adequate.
You'll also want to make sure it features a good amount of pressure points to give you an accurate drawing experience. Most of the best budget tablets feature anything from 4000-8000.
Moreover, you may want to make sure it's easy to connect up via both USB and HDMI if need be, and that it's compatible with whatever programs you use, be it Photoshop, Gimp, InDesign or otherwise.
Can any tablet be a drawing tablet?
There isn't anything stopping you from using any tablet as a drawing tablet, although with some, you won't be getting stylus support, and may be left to draw with your fingers, which won't be as accurate.
If you do want to use a standard tablet as a drawing tablet, we'd say to at least look for one with a good resolution screen as well as proper stylus support.
What is the difference between a graphics tablet and a drawing tablet?
In essence, the difference between a graphics tablet and a drawing tablet is that one has a screen and the other doesn't.
A graphics tablet will typically connect up to a PC in order to be used in conjunction with a monitor, while a drawing tablet will have its own screen to work on.
Is a drawing tablet necessary?
This all depends on your workload. If you're someone who is involved in design and illustration, then getting a drawing tablet such as the ones we've listed above will be useful.
For those only casually into drawing, then a specialist tablet may not be the best investment just yet, and you may be better with more of a standard tablet with good stylus support.
Is it hard to draw with a graphics tablet?
This all depends on personal preference and level of experience. It may seem difficult to draw on a tablet first of all given that there isn't much in the way of tactile feedback as opposed to drawing with a pencil and paper.
As time passes however and you get more used to drawing on a tablet, it's likely to get easier.
Is it easier to draw on paper or digitally?
Initially, at least, it's likely to be easier to draw on paper given the overarching familiarity of using a pencil and paper, and there will be a period of adjustment to using a screen and a tablet's surface, but hopefully, the more you use a tablet, the easier it'll become.
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