iPhone users will have to find some other tablet to draw on.
What you need to know
- Wacom One is a 13-inch pen display that costs $399.
- The display works with macOS, Windows, and some Android devices.
- The Wacom One is 2.2 pounds and portable, but requires dongles.
The Wacom One is a new entry-level “pen display” tablet, which is to say it connects to your device through HDMI or USB and lets you draw directly on screen with Wacom’s battery-free pens. The new display costs $399, making it the least expensive pen display in Wacom’s lineup. Surprisingly, the new display will work not only with macOS and Windows computers, but also with Android phones and tablets. No iPhone support is currently planned, according to Wacom.
The new Wacom One has a 13.3-inch display with a Full HD 1080 resolution, and it’s capable of showing 72% of the NTSC color gamut. The display has a 26ms response time to pen input, and you can tilt the pen to a 60-degree angle for different drawing effects. The Wacom One weighs just over two pounds, so it’s portable but not a featherweight. Unfortunately, the display requires a dongle that gives you HDMI, USB and power, but no USB-C support, so you’ll probably need a small collection of dongles to use this with your new Google Pixel 4.
A dedicated pen display is a bit of a tough sell today, as good Android tablets can be found for less than $400 that also support pen input. Even Apple’s pricey iPad is less expensive, and also supports pen input. Tablets also come with a built-in battery and offer much higher resolution than the Wacom One’s 1920 x 1080.
On the other hand, Wacom’s pen display gives you the convenience of your smartphone without having to load all of your content to a new device. If you are interested, the Wacom One is available immediately from Wacom, Best Buy, and Amazon.
Pen Display
Wacom One
$399 at Best Buy
Android-friendly drawing
The Wacom One pen display gives beginners an entry-level step into the world of digital drawing, and Wacom was friendly enough to give the new tablet Android compatibility, along with the big desktops. The One is a portable two pounds but requires dongles.
