Best Drawing Tablet Under $100 by Consumer Report

Are you an aspiring digital artist? If so, a drawing tablet would be a worthy investment as it allows you finer control over your digital brushstrokes, just as you would draw with pen and paper. With the excellent precision of a fine stylus, a drawing tablet enables you to make detailed digital sketches.

However, new artists may feel that they are at a loss when confronted with a wide variety of graphic drawing tablets available these days.

You may find that there are some pricey drawing tablets out there with many different features. Fortunately, there are also plenty of decent ones for a reasonable price that is used by amateurs and professionals alike.

If you are wondering what is the best drawing tablet under $100, look no further! We are sure you will be able to find a suitable tablet for yourself on this list we have compiled.

What to Look For When Buying a Graphics Tablet For Drawing?

• Size: One of the key factors you should consider when choosing a digital drawing tablet is the size of its screen. In drawing tablets, the screen which you can draw on is called the active area. The ideal size of the active area largely depends on your preferences. If you are looking for a larger space to express yourself and add detail to your work, you may want to go for a drawing tablet with a larger active area. Or if your biggest concern is whether your drawing tablet is handy and portable to carry around, you may want to go for a smaller sized drawing tablet.

• Pressure Sensitivity: Generally, the higher the pressure sensitivity of the tablet, the more accurate it will be in depicting natural lines when drawing. A drawing tablet with high-pressure sensitivity allows you to draw thick lines if you exert a lot of pressure when drawing and thin lines if you draw lightly. If your drawing tablet does not have very good pressure sensitivity, it may be more difficult for you to accurately digitize different line styles – you will have to vary your drawing pressure a lot more to see any visible effect, and thus the sketching process may not feel as natural as drawing with a pen on paper.

• Quality of Stylus: Since the stylus pen directly affects your drawing quality, it should be one of the key considerations when you are choosing a drawing tablet. Even if your drawing tablet is extraordinarily good, if it has a poor quality stylus, it’s not going to be of much use. There are also both battery-operated and battery-free styluses, so make sure to choose one according to your needs and whether you are comfortable with having to charge the stylus repeatedly.

• Price: Of course, the price of the tablet is another important factor – possibly even the most important for some people. Generally, you get what you pay for. If you want high-end features, they generally come with a high-end price tag. However, the last thing you want is to spend a thousand dollars on a drawing tablet and then find out it is unsuitable for your needs. If you are not absolutely certain that you will stick to using that drawing tablet, you may want to go for a lower-end tablet first before investing in an expensive one. Even at lower prices, there are still great drawing tablets that offer a comprehensive range of features for your budget.

• No Jitters: Jitters can be extremely annoying when you are trying to draw a straight line but end up with uneven wavering. As a graphic designer, even a difference of just a pixel can mess up your project. Unfortunately, it is usually difficult to tell if a drawing tablet is going to cause jitters just by looking at it in the store or online. This is where online forums and recommendations really help. Try searching for people with the exact same drawing tablet and computer models like you. Or if you plan to use the tablet with a laptop, the best way to confirm that it is compatible with your laptop is to personally test it out in the store.

How to Get Used to a Best Graphics Drawing Tablet Under 100?

Even if you buy the best inexpensive drawing tablet out there, you should not expect to be using it like a professional right away, regardless of your graphics ability. Every drawing tablet has different dimensions and a different feel to it, and it is perfectly normal for artists to go through a period adjusting to these specifics.

As such, don’t be worried if it takes you some time to get used to a new graphics drawing tablet, especially if it is the first one you have ever used.

Once you get used to a digital art tablet, you should be able to draw on it with the same ease as you would draw with a pen on paper. A lot of high-end drawing tablets also come with special features that allow you to draw as naturally as possible.

Other than drawing with a stylus directly on a touch screen, using a graphics drawing tablet is currently the only way to use your computer as a drawing canvas. As such, if you wish to work on digital graphics, it is imperative that you find a graphics drawing tablet that fits your needs and is relatively easy to use.

For example, one difficulty some people face when using their first drawing tablet is that they can’t get used to drawing on a blank surface and having their artwork appear on their computer’s screen instead. They may find it difficult to coordinate where they should sketch and where it is going to appear on their canvas.

Fortunately, almost all drawing tablets will show you the position of your pen if you hover it close enough to the active area of the drawing tablet, which can help greatly as a guide for you to get used to the working space of drawing tablets.

Artists who are making the transition from using a mouse to using a graphics tablet may find that there are additional features on the drawing tablet they have to get used to. For instance, there is no pressure sensitivity when you are using a mouse, and the action of drawing with a mouse is less natural than holding a real pen.

Even so, in the process of getting used to the learning curve of a drawing tablet, some artists may inadvertently return to using the mouse again.

Also, the controls of a digital drawing pad and pen may be slightly different. A drawing tablet’s pen usually comes with a button – or a few – on the body of the pen, which can be pressed for certain styles of clicking such as double click, pan or scroll, or right-click.

Hovering the pen slightly above the active area of the drawing tablet is akin to moving the mouse around on a mousepad, and touching the tip of the pen to the drawing tablet accounts for a click.
If you are having trouble adjusting to using a new graphics drawing tablet and pen, read on for a few tips and pointers that can help you make the switch easier.

What is the Best Drawing Tablet by Consumer Reports?

As discussed above, there are various factors you will want to keep in mind when choosing a drawing tablet. These factors may be of varying importance to different people, so it is important to weigh them carefully and decide what you personally are looking for in a drawing tablet. For example, someone on a budget may be looking for a cheap but good drawing tablet, while a professional who cares more about precision and has a little more money to spare may decide that the most important factors are how well the tablet performs and what additional features it has.

If you are looking for drawing tablets under $100, these are some of the best drawing tablets for beginners.

  1   Huion H610 Pro Graphic Drawing Tablet with Carrying Bag and Glove

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This tablet has a Large Compact Drawing Surface that measures 10by6.25 inches. You will never feel the restriction of space again. The screen features an improved papery textured surface that makes your experience more natural and realistic as if you are drawing on a lightly grained paper. This texture also serves to prevent your pen from slipping around without compromising your artistic ability. The tablet has 8 customizable buttons on the side and 16 hotkeys along the top for erasing, zooming in and out, scrolling, and a lot more for convenience. The best thing is that these buttons can be customized according to your preferences. Also, the tablet can be used for both left and right-handed people. The stylus pen is light and ergonomic with 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity and 2 programmable buttons. It provides precise control of your cursor so you can draw accurately and efficiently. However, the pen requires recharging which may be a hassle at times. 

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See the product spec at a glance

  2   Wacom Intuos Art Pen & Touch Tablet Black (CTH490AK)

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This drawing tablet by well-known brand Wacom allows you to create awesome artwork, print your paintings, or share them online. This tablet package is specifically tailored to come with everything you need to paint, design, and create artwork. It comes with a free creative package that includes downloadable creative software, services, as well as online tutorials.

The tablet is designed to be easy to use, allowing for drawing, sketching, painting, and editing with natural feel and movement. The pressure-sensitive pen, responsive tablet, and intuitive multi-touch gestures are customizable. The setup is also simple, allowing you to plug a single USB in, install the driver, and then register and download your creative software. 

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  3   Turcom TS-6610 Graphic Tablet

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The tablet can be used as a digital pen for almost everything – manga, anime, photo editing with Photoshop, sketching, drawing, industrial design, architectural design, writing or signing documents, to name a few. It is compatible with Corel Painter, CorelDraw, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Fireworks, Macromedia Flash, ComicStudio, SAI, Infinite Stratos, 3D MAX, Autodesk MAYA, Pixologic ZBrush and sketchbook.

The pen is pressure-sensitive, supporting 2,048 levels of pressure to let you create precise variations in line width and opacity or unique brush effects. The tablet comes with a wireless digital pen and pen holder. You also will not need to recharge the pen as it uses 1 AAA battery.

The tablet has a large active area of 10 inches by 6.25 inches, providing you more space to express your creativity. The tablet’s resolution is 4000 Lines Per Inch (LPI) with a Report Rate Speed (RPS) of 220.

See the product spec at a glance

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  4   HUION New 1060 Plus Graphic Drawing Tablet

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This tablet has even higher pressure sensitivity with 8192 levels, allowing you to enjoy smooth and accurate lines when using the drawing tablet. It also has a higher resolution of 5080 LPI and a Report Rate of 233 RPS.

The tablet features 12 physical express-keys on the left and 16 soft keys on the top of the drawing surface which are all customizable, providing you with a plethora of ways to tailor your software experience and raise your work efficiency. The tablet has a Full-Area Surface Cover, Pen Carrier, and Thinner Border, which makes the drawing surface bigger.

It is an improved version of previous HUION tablets with quieter express keys, better linearity in art programs and better pen pressure sensitivity. It also comes with an 8GB MicroSD Card which is built into the product.

The tablet package comes with 1 Carrying Case that guards your Huion Graphics Tablet from scratches and scrapes as well as 1 Glove that reduces the friction between your hand and the tablet surface.

see the product spec at a glance

  5   Monoprice 10 x 6.25-inch Graphic Drawing Tablet

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The Monoprice graphics tablet review of the 10 x 6.25-inch Graphic Drawing Tablet from Monoprice boasts unsurpassed accuracy and performance. This tablet features a 4000 lines per inch (LPI) drawing resolution, a 200 RPS report rate, and 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity.

It has plenty of customizable keys, including eight user-assignable Express Keys on the left side of the drawing area and sixteen user assignable Hot Cells along the upper edge of the drawing surface.

These Express Keys and Hot Cells can be assigned to input specific keystroke combinations, launch applications, open web pages, send an email, or to emulate a specific mouse function (e.g., left-click).

The tablet comes with driver/software utilities for use with Windows (XP and later) and Mac OS X (10.4.x and later). It uses a USB interface and is physically compatible with Linux, though Linux drivers are not included. You can flip the tablet so that the Express Keys are on the right side, so the tablet can be used as a left-handed drawing tablet.

See the product spec at a glance

Tips for Transitioning to a Graphics Tablet and Pen

• Get comfortable with a pen: If you have gotten used to doing graphics with a mouse so far, or even just use a mouse for your usual tasks on a computer, the first step would definitely be to get used to holding a pen again. The more comfortable you are with using a pen on a drawing tablet, the easier it will be to draw. Every pen has a different shape but they all aim to maximize comfort and ease of use, so it’s important to pick one and aim to master it before moving on to anything else. 

• Align your tablet: It can help a lot with positioning if you align the drawing tablet to your display. If the active area of your tablet is parallel to the display area, it will be easier for you to get used to the position of your cursor and where you should begin drawing. Also, you can get a reference from the edges of your active area. Remember that the corners of your tablet correspond to the corners of your display area, even if you are using more than one display. 

• Show off your skills: Do not be discouraged if you have difficulties mastering the drawing tablet initially. Sometimes, the best thing to do is to think of it as a natural pen and paper and let your creativity flow. You may be surprised that you can pick it up intuitively! Most importantly, remember that you are simply learning a new tool to aid you in digital art, which is meant to make digital drawing easier rather than more difficult. Rest your hand comfortably on the tablet and draw as you would on physical paper. 

• Get to know the pen: Every pen has a different shape. Some may have additional buttons and functions. These may or may not be customizable, so if you are unsure whether you can change what the buttons do, check the manual that came with your drawing tablet. You may find that you are more used to using the button on your pen as a right-click rather than a scrollbar, for instance. Internet reviews and forums can also be a good source of information on what you can do with your drawing tablet’s pen. The best way to use it is largely personal, so don’t be afraid to try different things!

Final Verdict

These five models we have hand-picked are some of the best budget graphics tablets on the market and we are sure you will not go wrong by choosing any of them. 

Most importantly, trust in your talent as a digital artist and use your electronic drawing padas much as possible to let yourself get used to it faster. Drawing tablets need not be used solely for graphic design – in fact, one of the best ways you can feel comfortable with using a stylus is to play games with it! If you are having fun, you will remember the controls and positioning better. 

Any time you feel like going back to using the mouse, remember that conquering this learning curve will be a great benefit in the end. It may be difficult at the start, but many graphic designers have done it and you can do it too. 

Don’t forget that there is a slew of resources for you to access if you are having difficulties with your wireless drawing tablet. Your tablet should come with a user manual which often answers many beginners’ questions. Additionally, you can always reach out to others in the graphic design community for help with your drawing tablet model. 

Conclusion

We hope that after providing you with this detailed breakdown of the five drawing tablets we recommend, you are more familiar with the different factors that make a cheap drawing tablet with a screen worth it. 

Don’t worry if you need to take some time to consider which drawing tablet is right for you. After all, it is an investment and you will likely be using the tablet for almost everything if it fits right, so there is no need to rush into such a decision. 

Among these five cheapest drawing tablets we have suggested, which one do you like the best?

Do you have any other drawing tablets to recommend?

We would greatly appreciate it if you let us know so that we can share it too! 

How much experience do you have with graphic design in general?

What are the most important factors you would personally consider when buying a drawing tablet?