XP-Pen Artist15.6 review
XP-Pen Artist15.6: Affordable IPS Drawing Tablet with Full HD Resolution
If you are a digital illustrator on a budget searching for a high-quality yet non-costly drawing tablet, you definitely should check the XP-Pen Artist15.6. This model comes with a battery-free stylus with 60° tilt sensitivity and has all the basic features that most users will appreciate.
Setup
Connecting the tablet to the PC is a true headache. It uses both USB and HDMI cables for connection simultaneously which is not very convenient. The tablet comes with two USB cables: red USB cable must be plugged into an extra USB cable. Then, you must plug the two-part USB and the HDMI cords into your PC.
The XP-Pen Artist15.6 drivers constantly update, so it's highly recommended to download them from the XP-Pen official website rather than using an included CD.
I give this tablet 7/10 for the installation since most other modern tablets offer a much simpler setup process.
Features
The model is often compared to the Wacom Cintiq 16 tablet which is more expensive and more popular. However, the Artist15.6 outperforms it in terms of the color richness (84% of Adobe RGB vs 75% of Adobe RGB). This way, the color transmission is accurate and the colors also may be calibrated if you feel such a need.
It's great to get a high-quality IPS panel and Full HD resolution in a budget model. The screen has a specific coating that serves for parallax reduction. However, its surface feels slippery, and, in fact, it's similar to the smartphone's screen to the touch; there is no paper-like feel.
The XP-Pen Artist15.6 15.6-inch tablet isn't completely free from lagging issues. It became especially noticeable when I tried to draw a smooth line. This is not a major issue, but when you are trying to draw something in a hurry, it may be quite irritating.
Speaking of the pen, it has solid 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity, so it will be easy for you to style your lines. It doesn't feel perfectly responsive out of the box, but the pressure curve settings helped me fix this problem. The stylus also feels and looks like a real pen, but the convenience of its thickness and weight actually depends on one's drawing style and technique, so I won't presume to judge it. It comes with 8 replacement nibs and a holder.
Considering the presence of some issues, I rate the unit's performance at 8/10.
Design
On its left side, the XP-Pen Artist15.6 drawing tablet has 6 built-in programmable shortcut keys. The buttons are rubberized and feel nice to touch. HDMI and USB connectors can be found on the right side.
Diagonally, the tablet measures 15.6 inches. The whole model is sized at 17.5 x 11 x 0.4 inches. The panel is only 4 inches thick. Despite the large screen size, it's really lightweight, weighing just a bit more than 3 pounds, so it doesn't feel heavy when you put it on the laps.
The Artist15.6 doesn't have a built-in stand; there are only 4 anti-slip rubber pads that allow you to firmly fix it on the surface.
The tablet is large and convenient, and therefore gets 9/10 for the design from me.
Conclusion
So, as you can see from this XP-Pen Artist15.6 review, this tablet is a solid budget offer. It has Full HD resolution, an IPS panel, good color accuracy, etc. However, professional, experienced artists probably won't consider it as a decent option.