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

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.

iPad is great for digital art, and art app Procreate is unrivalled as a mobile painting software, but it can feel like Apple's device has been cajoled into being an art tablet, whereas the Magic Drawing Pad is designed as a drawing tablet. To be clear, iPad Pro is a league above and very powerful, and after using the XPPen Magic Drawing Pad I would say it sits between iPad Air and the standard iPad (it's display is larger than both).

This new tablet's 12.2-inch display is a unique size, and offers a 3:2 ratio, so it's easy hold and offers extended width over a standard iPad or even an iPad Pro. In use I find I zoom in and out less because more of my art is visible. The X-Paper etched glass finish feels smooth to draw on and there's a lack of slippery gloss making sketching feel more 'traditional'. It has a matte, anti-smudge and anti-reflection finish too. (I use the Rock, Paper, Pencil iPad cover for a similar feel but there's no need for an extra accessory here.)

Inside is XPPen's X3 Pro chip, designed for drawing tablets and the small-ish X3 Pro Pencil boasts 16K levels of pen pressure, which on initial testing feels really nice. What's great is this is a passive electromagnetic stylus, so it needs no charging or Bluetooth connection, it simply works out of the box immediately.

At just 69mm and weighing 599g the Magic Drawing Pad is incredibly slim and light, meaning it can fit into most bags, and be held in one hand while you draw and paint. XPPen's new tablet also boasts a sizable 8000mAh battery and can reverse charge to connected devices such as a smartphone. It features a 13M rear and 8MP front cameras, ideal for capturing references or video calls. There's 8GB RAM and a 256GB internal storage, expandable to 512GB, but it also connects over WiFI to your Google Drive or cloud storage. Four speakers round out the tech.

At first glance it's hard to fathom where XPPen's Magic Drawing Pad sits, after all there are good Android tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra (see our list of the best Android tablets) that can be used for digital art, and then you have the iPad range that are great for art creation, but XPPen is bringing its drawing tablet tech and knowhow to the Apple / Samsung space, delivering something specialised for, I would expect, less money.

My review is in progress, and you can read that next Monday, but first impressions of the XPPen Magic Drawing Pad are very good. It's a solid but lightweight tablet with a size and form designed for sketching; its screen is lovely to use and the stylus, while a little small for my liking, has the same feel as XPPen's larger drawing tablet stylus.

The XPPen Magic Drawing Pad also comes with ibisPaint pre-installed (and a three month trial) as well as ArtRage Oils, a paired back version of the excellent ArtRage Vitae. It means anyone new to digital art, or creating on an Android device, can be up and sketching straight away.

What's also nice is this new mobile drawing tablet comes with a transparent slip on case that also doubles as a subtle stand and the stylus can clip into the rear for safe keeping. It's a design choice that shows XPPen has a clear vision for this as a mobile drawing tablet.

The XPPen Magic Drawing Pad releases 22 January and you can read more about it on the official XPPen website. The price is yet to be confirmed but given XPPen's track record for competitive pricing I'd guess just above $400 / £400 for a tablet on par with iPad and includes a stylus designed for digital art.