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XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K: one-minute assessment
The XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K is a well-performing 24-inch drawing show that provides a pure drawing expertise and comes with some nice equipment for a surprisingly affordable value. Probably the most notable of the equipment embrace the X3 Professional Good Chip and X3 Professional Slim styli, pre-mounted ACS02 Stand, ACK05 Wi-fi Shortcut Distant, and rather more.
With 4K decision and the potential of displaying 16.7 million colours, I may see my photographs in additional element than ever earlier than. It was straightforward to transition between shade areas relying on my job through the use of the XPPen Pen Pill driver. The everyday shade gamut ratio of the XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K is spectacular, masking 99% sRGB, 99% Adobe RGB, and 98% Show P3. Additional shade calibration is achievable utilizing the free XPPen Colour Grasp program and a colorimeter, must you need full management over the output.
My drawing expertise felt satisfyingly pure and freed from issues over the hours I examined the XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K, to the purpose the place it may show a worthy rival to lots of the best drawing tablets. Some key options that made this drawing show such a pleasure to work with embrace the practically-bordered 526 x 296mm working space, the optimally textured anti-glare etched and anti-fingerprint coated glass floor, and the 60-degree tilt vary of the styli. I didn’t encounter any lag or jitter, and though there was a tiny little bit of parallax, regardless of the absolutely laminated display screen, a fast calibration within the settings put this proper in moments.
I solely encountered minor niggles when testing the XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K, the worst of which being some brushes requiring rather more stress for the stroke to be seen, although this may very well be rectified within the related design software program’s settings. This small misgiving is greater than forgivable although, contemplating the standard, equipment, and efficiency you get for the low $1,299.99 / £1,199 / AU$1899.99 price ticket. For those who’ve been eyeing up a Wacom however can’t carry your self to make such a big funding, the XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K is the right answer, delivering gorgeous outcomes for an affordable value.
XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K assessment: value and availability
- Introduced: October 22, 2024
- Listing value $1,299.99 / £1,199 / AU$1899.99
The XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 collection, which incorporates the 4K mannequin I’ve been testing, and a barely cheaper 165Hz mannequin, was introduced on October twenty second, 2024, and is out there now on the XPPen web site within the US and Australia. I’m sorry to say that we Brits might have to attend a bit longer for the 4K mannequin, as on the time of writing supply is not anticipated till mid-June 2025, though there’s a handful left in stock at Amazon UK. The XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K retails at $1,299.99 / £1,199 / AU$1899.99 however at current, the value has been discounted to $1,065.99 / £1,139.05 / AU$1,557.99 in a Valentine’s Day sale.
You get a variety of bang in your buck with the XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K, as a purchase order doesn’t simply get you a large-format drawing show, but additionally the X3 Professional Good Chip and X3 Professional Slim styli, plus a sturdy twin styli case, an ACK05 Wi-fi Shortcut Distant, all of the cables you could possibly ask for, and extra.
XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K assessment: specs
|
Dimensions |
25.1 x 16 x 1.7 inches (638 x 408 x 44mm) |
|
Lively drawing space |
20.7 x 11.6 inches (526 x 296mm) |
|
Weight |
16.1 lbs (7.3kg) (Stand Included) |
|
Decision |
3840 x 2160 |
|
Stress ranges |
16,384 |
|
Compatibility |
Home windows 7 or later, macOS 10.13 or later, Android USB3.1 DP1.2, Chrome OS 88 or later, Linux |
XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K assessment: design
- Sturdy metallic stand included
- Handy stylus storage
- Three multifunctional buttons on high of show
The general aesthetic of the XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K is clear and understated. The working space has been stored sensible, with a generously sized border giving me loads of house for my hand and wrist. The one buttons on the unit itself are three multifunctional ones on the highest proper that function each brightness adjusters and sign changers.
XPPen helpfully contains all of the required cables, together with HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C to USB-C cables, plus completely different regional energy cables. Whereas that is undeniably handy, it feels a bit extreme, and a few of these cables will probably show redundant for a lot of purchasers. Within the identify of sustainability, there’s a bit extra management over the equipment obtained when buying the Wacom One, though one will get a little bit of a shock from the brand new whole value as soon as the pen and cable prices have been factored in.
As soon as the facility and USB-C cables have been in place there was a plastic cable cowl that helped neaten up the cables and maintain the mud at bay, although it took a good bit of persuasion to clip onto the again of the show. The pen clips on the highest of the show labored nicely, though the holder for the slim was manufactured from a rubber-like materials that attracted lint the second I took it out of the plastic. I used to be happy with the premium-feeling stylus case and appreciated that I may stand a stylus in there, as the highest of the show was a little bit of a attain for me. If there was the choice to mount a pen clip on the aspect too, that may have been ideally suited.
A really a lot appreciated accent that’s included as commonplace is the ACS02 Stand. It felt and proved very sturdy, which I ought to hope contemplating how heavy it’s. It was straightforward to regulate utilizing the central set off, with an achievable angle vary of 16 to 72 levels. The included glove, then again, isn’t precisely premium, nevertheless it did its job nicely; serving to my hand to glide throughout the floor of the show, eradicating the possibility of any mischief being attributable to my palm or rogue fingers.
XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K assessment: efficiency
- Vivid colours and spectacular element
- Exact efficiency with no lag or jitter
- Simple and assignable stress and shortcut customization
The XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K got here to life and fortunately introduced an extension of my desktop, no setting tweaks required. I very a lot appreciated this easy begin, resulting from different shows I’ve examined that proved a nightmare by refusing to attach and/or maintain a connection. The UX of the XPPen Pill driver was straightforward to navigate, and completely different settings have been straightforward to seek out and alter. I used to be additionally grateful how easy it was to alter the stylus shortcut keys and alter the pen stress, and that I may assign completely different settings to particular purposes.
The absolutely laminated show did a very good job of decreasing the parallax, however as there was nonetheless some current to a level, I accomplished the calibration sequence within the settings, which knocked it on the pinnacle.
I discovered the show’s anti-glare etched glass floor pleasant to sketch on – it had the correct of texture to really feel like I used to be drawing on paper. I didn’t discover both stylus catching at any level, which was good to expertise from a drawing show. The show is said to be anti-glare and I’m inclined to agree – even with a vibrant daylight bulb in my desk lamp, I didn’t encounter any issues with reflections on the display screen.
I additionally (very reluctantly) put my fingers on the display screen in a couple of areas to check the anti-fingerprint coating and no pesky prints have been left behind. Nonetheless, after choosing up the XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K, I may positively see the place my fingers had been on the black border. However I’m nonetheless glad that it did not choose up any marks whereas I used to be engaged on it, plus the XPPen cleansing fabric eliminated each fingerprints and mud.
The XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K can reportedly show 1.07 billion colours and has a typical shade gamut ratio of 99% sRGB, 99% Adobe RGB, and 98% Show P3. For many who need a sophisticated stage of management over the display screen’s output, the free XPPen ColorMaster software program appropriate with this mannequin provides freedom to calibrate in real-time, to make sure the show is producing probably the most correct outcomes. The software program has been developed with shade calibration aficionados Calman and makes use of their shade accuracy engine, nevertheless it’s price noting {that a} colorimeter is required for full shade calibration.
Colours seemed oversaturated within the first occasion when taking a look at a few of my pictures (lots of which, sure, featured alpacas, should you’re asking). This was as a result of default shade house being set to Adobe RGB, which, predictably, was your best option for once I was doing graphic design or drawing, however a fast change to sRGB within the driver settings made my pictures rather less psychedelic.
The brightness of the show was ample. I did discover myself rising it to the max stage quickly after I started testing it, because the desktop was noticeably dimmer than my MacBook display screen. Nonetheless, once I opened a brand new (startlingly white) doc to attract on, I shortly regretted that call. The standard of the XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K’s show was spectacular; it delivered nice readability and vibrancy, bringing fond reminiscences again to life whereas additionally enhancing the element in my photographs, just like the one above of Ernesto the alpaca.
Though drawing slates just like the XPPen Magic Drawing Pad are nice for the value, I far most well-liked working with the XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K – as one would hope, contemplating the huge distinction in value. I spent a number of hours drawing on the XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K to get an correct concept of how nicely it dealt with completely different speeds, motions, and ranges of element. I started by drawing check traces with completely different brushes, together with some very quick strokes, and there was no lag or jitter in sight. At instances I used some very texture-heavy brushes in massive sizes, the sort that used to fatally offend my earlier MacBook, and nonetheless, I didn’t encounter any points with lag. The results of each motion I made was exact, and my stylus strokes felt beautifully clean and pure in the course of the hours I spent sketching, drawing, and writing.
XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K assessment: stylus
- Two pens, every with customizable buttons
- Ergonomic, snug design
- 8K stress sensitivity with programmable curves
The XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K comes with the X3 Professional Good Chip and the X3 Professional Slim styli, each of which boast 16,388 stress ranges. Whereas that is twice as a lot stress because the styli included with the well-rated Xencelabs Pen Display 16, we’re unlikely to be able to using something above the 8K trade commonplace, so a stress sensitivity of 16,388 isn’t fairly as spectacular as it might sound.
One situation I encountered was that strokes from sure brushes, equivalent to pencils, didn’t all the time present up on the canvas, so I discovered myself needing to place extra stress down than felt obligatory. This may be labored round by altering the stress within the design software program’s settings, nevertheless it was a bit irritating switching between brushes to seek out the stylus had seemingly run out of lead.
Each styli felt light-weight, with the Slim stylus weighing 10g, and the Good Chip weighing 16g, however they have been nonetheless heavy sufficient that it felt like working with hole plastic. The styli can assist a satisfying 60-degree tilt. This gave me extra management over my line variation and allowed me to put in writing and draw the way in which I might with a pen.
There are customizable buttons on each the styli, and so they assist pen ID recognition, which proved useful whereas I used to be switching between them each throughout testing,. Nonetheless, the X3 Professional Slim stylus shortly proved to be my favourite of the 2 supplied, as I liked the way it felt like a standard pen in my hand. To be clear, the X3 Professional Good Chip stylus can be nice, particularly as the usual nibs might be swapped out for felt nibs, 4 of that are included, together with an extra ten commonplace nibs. The X3 Professional Slim stylus has fourteen replacements too, so I can’t see myself needing to buy replacements any time quickly.
The ACK05 Wi-fi Shortcut Distant was an incredible addition to my drawing classes, for probably the most half. It sits flat on the desk, and since it’s compact, I may match it between myself and the XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K, offering easy accessibility to the customizable keys. There’s additionally a dial for actions equivalent to zooming out and in and adjusting brush sizes, however I discovered it inefficient as I couldn’t make changes in small increments. The leap between every click on of the dial appeared unreasonably massive, so it provided imprecise management. Except for that ingredient, although, I used to be very keen on the ACK05 Wi-fi Shortcut Distant, as a result of easy connection course of, satisfying scissor switches, and spectacular 300-hour battery life.
Ought to I purchase the XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K?
|
Worth |
XPPen are providing a complete lot for a modest value right here. Contemplating you get a high-spec drawing show with a bunch of equipment for round $1,000 lower than an identical Wacom gadget, that is incredible worth. |
5 / 5 |
|
Design |
A really beneficiant sized and height-adjustable working space and handy stylus storage make this a very pleasurable drawing show to create on. I simply want they’d permit cable customization earlier than buy to scale back waste. |
4.5 / 5 |
|
Efficiency |
I used to be dazzled by the gorgeous shade and immersive expertise of this show. The floor of the display screen had the perfect texture, and I had zero points with jitter and lag, which means I had an enjoyably pure drawing expertise. |
5 / 5 |
|
Stylus and Shortcut Distant |
Each of the included X3 Professional styli proved extremely succesful, and I appreciated the button customization and good quantity of substitute nibs. The shortcut distant was handy too, however the dial proved disappointing. |
4 / 5 |
Purchase it if…
Don’t purchase it if…
XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K assessment: additionally take into account
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K |
Xencelabs Pen Show 16 |
Xencelabs Pen Show 24 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Dimensions |
25.1 x 16 x 1.7 inches (638 x 408 x 44mm) |
16.1 x 10.2 x 0.47 inches (410 x 259.4 x 12mm) |
24.4 x 15.3 x 1.4 inches (619.8 x 388.6 x 35.6mm) |
|
Lively drawing space |
20.7 x 11.6 inches (526 x 296mm) |
13.55 x 7.6 inches (344.2 x 193.6mm) |
20.75 x 11.7 inches (52.71 x 29.72cm) |
|
Weight |
16.1 lbs (7.3kg) (Stand Included) |
2.67 lbs (1.21kg) |
13.3oz (6kg) |
|
Show decision |
3840 x 2160 pixels |
3840 x 2160 pixels |
3840 x 2160 pixels |
|
Stress ranges |
16,384 |
8,192 |
8,192 |
|
Compatibility |
Home windows 7 or later, macOS 10.13 or later, Android USB3.1 DP1.2, Chrome OS 88 or later, Linux |
PC: Home windows 7 or later (newest service pack/construct); Mac OS X 10.13 or later (newest replace); Linux – Ubuntu 14.04 or above, Debian 9.5, CentOS 7.0 or above, RedHat 7.0 or above |
PC: Home windows 7 or later (newest service pack/construct); Mac OS X 10.13 or later (newest replace); Linux – Ubuntu 14.04 or above, Debian 9.5, CentOS 7.0 or above, RedHat 7.0 or above |
XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K assessment: how I examined
- I spent many hours drawing on the XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K over one week
- I used it for photograph enhancing and drawing utilizing Affinity software program
- I examined for parallax, lag, and jittering, and created some graphic script utilizing numerous brushes for linework and texture.
Throughout my week testing the XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K, I examined the benefit of setup and value. I did some photograph enhancing on Affinity Photograph, and did numerous experimenting with completely different settings and instruments on Affinity Designer, utilizing my favorites to attract some lettering and add texture. I additionally examined how the Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K dealt with different duties equivalent to finding and previewing recordsdata in Finder and opening completely different file varieties.
I carried out line exams to examine for jitter and lag and examined the lean angle and stress sensitivity to get a really feel for the way responsive and life like the drawing expertise was. I additionally in contrast the XPPen Artist Professional 24 Gen 2 4K and its equipment in opposition to earlier pen shows I’ve examined, in addition to its specs in opposition to equal merchandise available on the market.
When it comes to expertise, I’ve used many a drawing pill over time, proper again to once they have been teeny-tiny pads with flimsy plastic pens. I’ve additionally had a few a long time of expertise with Affinity (previously referred to as Serif), Artistic Cloud software program, and loads of applications in between.
- First reviewed: February 2025
- Learn extra about how we test