Whisper it, but I think this Android tablet could be better than an iPad for artists

XPPen Magic Drawing Pad; a tablet on a wood table with clear case
(Image credit: Future / XPPen)

The new XPPen Magic Drawing Pad, announced at CES 2024, is being pitched to digital artists as a way to take your sketching out of the home and studio, but it's something many of us have been doing for a while anyway using our iPads. Yet it could be more affordable given XPPen's track record for pricing, it has tailored tech for artists and runs the best drawing apps for Android such as ArtRage Vitae, Krita and ibisPaint.

I have an iPad Pro that I love, and use it all the time to doodle while lounging on the sofa or stuck on a long train journey. This is what XPPen refers to as 'light creativity'. My iPad Pro is great, but it's also expensive, which is why XPPen's Magic Drawing Pad catches the eye; by offering a similar experience for digital art creation on the go as an iPad, while leveraging the tech from its range of dedicated desktop drawing tablets, such as the XPPen Artist 16, this could be a disruptive release.

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Editor, Digital Arts & 3D

Ian Dean is Editor, Digital Arts & 3D at Creative Bloq, and the former editor of many leading magazines. These titles included ImagineFX, 3D World and video game titles Play and Official PlayStation Magazine. Ian launched Xbox magazine X360 and edited PlayStation World. For Creative Bloq, Ian combines his experiences to bring the latest news on digital art, VFX and video games and tech, and in his spare time he doodles in Procreate, ArtRage, and Rebelle while finding time to play Xbox and PS5.

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