The drawing pill market has been simmering for years. Wacom has held its crown, Huion and XPPen have been snapping at its heels, however innovation has typically felt incremental. That modifications with the XPPen Artist Extremely 16.It is a 15.6-inch pen show with a 4K OLED display screen, twin styluses providing 16,384 strain ranges, a brand new X-Contact gesture system, Crimson Dot design recognition, and full Calman-verified color accuracy. It’s XPPen’s most formidable pill but, and one which feels designed to compete straight with Wacom’s Cintiq Professional and the OLED-based Wacom Movink 13. It’s aiming for a spot among the many finest drawing tablets of 2025.Straight out of the field, the Artist Extremely 16 feels premium. There’s a reassuring weight and solidity to the design that brings it nearer to Xencelabs’ current releases than XPPen’s personal older {hardware}. The packaging is, as common with the model, excessive. This implies each cable and accent you can need is included: USB-C, HDMI, a Bluetooth Fast Key distant, and a number of energy adapters for worldwide journey. It’s a element that speaks to XPPen’s understanding of how creatives really work, particularly those that count on the very best drawing tablets with a stylus to return with every part wanted on day one.
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(Picture credit score: XPPen)OLED finally The large information is the OLED panel. Whereas we’ve had OLED telephones, laptops and screens for years, pen shows have stubbornly caught with LCDs. OLED modifications every part: blacks are deep, colors pop, and distinction is on one other degree.In use, the display screen feels full of life and crisp. A painted sketch I’d been toying with immediately got here alive, the greens and blues virtually bursting out of the display screen like a Sonic the Hedgehog degree. That is an older sketch I wished to open and tweak, checking to see how totally different OLED is, and it reveals what OLED was imagined to carry to artists: vibrancy and subtlety in equal measure, particularly when paired with the very best digital artwork software program.It’s value noting the OLED caveats: burn-in stays a priority with static UI panels, and brightness can’t fairly match the very best IPS shows underneath harsh studio lights. However in regular, managed circumstances, this display screen is nearly as good because it will get proper now. And XPPen has some built-in fail-safes, akin to an auto-sleep to show the show off if not in use.Picture 1 of two(Picture credit score: XPPen)(Picture credit score: XPPen)Stylus tech and touchYou get two pens within the field, each comfy and acquainted if you happen to’ve used XPPen earlier than. The 16K strain ranges are the headline spec, and whereas I’m not satisfied artists will really feel the leap from 8,192, it definitely doesn’t harm. Extra importantly, the pens really feel correct and pure within the hand. The actual assessments might be latency, jitter, and parallax underneath totally different apps and working techniques (I’ve solely used the pill with Photoshop on macOS thus far), issues I’ll dig into extra in my full overview.Each day design information, evaluations, how-tos and extra, as picked by the editors.The brand new X-Contact system guarantees intuitive gesture management. In my early testing, setup on macOS was plug and play, no fuss, no friction. Home windows and Calman calibration I’ll be testing shortly, whereas Android connectivity has been trickier. On Android 15 it ought to, in idea, be seamless, however thus far it hasn’t been. Extra on that within the full overview.Contact management is one thing that splits the digital artwork group. I am somebody who makes use of an iPad Professional lots, so I just like the intuitive nature of gestures, however I discover it will probably result in errors and undesirable traces. There’s slightly button in the back of the pill to change X-Contact on and off, so it seems like a win-win.Picture 1 of two(Picture credit score: XPPen)(Picture credit score: XPPen)The OLED tussle begins Wacom has already pushed into OLED with its Movink 13, a smaller, slimmer, ultra-portable system that I described as “close to faultless” in my overview. It’s splendidly slim and light-weight, however capped at Full HD decision.
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The Extremely 16 seems like XPPen’s reply: greater, sharper (4K versus 1080p), and with all of the trimmings: 16K strain, Calman color certification, and pro-level construct. If Movink proves OLED’s potential, the Extremely 16 will be the system that makes it commonplace.My fast specs comparability under highlights the Artist Extremely 16’s larger decision and elevated strain sensitivity, ideally pitched to professional artists looking for top-tier efficiency. The Movink 13, whereas extra moveable and light-weight, presents a stable OLED expertise with professional-grade color accuracy. However for on a regular basis use, Extremely 16’s dimension, decision, and color accuracy really feel a step up.Swipe to scroll horizontallyXPPen Artist Extremely 16 vs Wacom Movink 13Header Cell – Column 0 Artist Extremely 16Movink 13Display Size15.6 inches13.3 inchesResolution4K (3840 x 2160)Full HD (1920 x 1080)Panel TypeOLEDOLEDColour AccuracyCalman VerifiedPantone Validated, Pantone SkinTone ValidatedPressure Levels16,3848,192Tilt Recognition±60°±60°ConnectivityUSB-C, USB-A, HDMIUSB-CWeightApprox. 1.2kg420gThicknessApprox. 12mm4 – 6.6mmOperating SystemsmacOS, Home windows, Android, ChromeOSmacOS, Home windows, Android, ChromeOSAccessoriesx2 Stylus, Fast Key distant, StandWacom Professional Pen 3
(Picture credit score: XPPen)First impressions matter, and the XPPen Artist Extremely 16 has made a powerful one. It appears to be like and feels skilled, the OLED panel is beautiful, and the out-of-the-box bundle leaves little to be desired.Sure, I wish to push it additional, take a look at Home windows drivers, long-term color accuracy, and actual workflow reliability. However already, it’s clear: that is the following step XPPen wanted to take.The battleground for the following technology of pen shows is OLED. Wacom moved early with the Movink, Huion is shut behind, and with the Artist Extremely 16, XPPen may have nudged forward, notably on spec, expertise, and worth. For digital artists weighing up a brand new drawing pill, this one deserves critical consideration. Come again quickly, my full overview is due shortly.Go to the XPPen retailer for extra.
