Ugee UE12 Plus review: a good value pen display for students on a budget

Ugee's new drawing monitor (also called a pen display), the UE12 Plus, is another budget-priced tablet vying for your attention. But with so many drawing tablets and monitors on the market at the moment, the question is where does this sit among them, and what makes it different?

If you've not heard of Ugee, this is a brand that has been around since 1998 in China and in the last few years has been pushing further into the US and Europe with a series of low-cost but high spec drawing tablets. The brand also owns XPPen, with a number of tablets in our best drawing tablets guide, so you'll see some similarities, such as the introduction of the 16k levels of pressure stylus. 

Don't be misguided by the price point either. Ugee has some statement design choices that set its products apart, such as the unique organic quick key cluster found on its better tablets. Ugee has won three design awards, including a Red Dot Design Award in 2019.

If you’re on a budget, Ugee’s UE12 Plus drawing monitor is an appealing choice at the low price of $199 / £162 for the 11.9-inch display (reviewed here) and $299 / £244 for the larger 15.4-inch model. For this price Ugee proudly highlights the monitor’s brilliant colours, anti-glare matt screen with paper-like quality and pencil-like battery-free stylus as its main attractions. I'm looking forward to seeing how the experience measures up to its promises. 

Ugee UE12 Plus review: in the box

Inside the box I find everything I need to get up and running, including a battery-free stylus, this uses ERM technology so there's no need to charge it or calibrate to the display. There are 10 replacement nibs, a nib extractor, a USB-C to C cable, a USB-C to A cable, quick guide and a warranty card. 

It doesn't include a USB cable t HDMI, but these days this is less of a concern, and you can buy a 3-in-1 cable separately if needed. Ugee also sells a a mini WiFi dongle and mini USB adapter if needed, and everything is relatively cheap.

Ugee UE12 Plus review: design and build

When I first pick up the pen, it feels noticeably light, in a cheap plastic sort of way, and I think I'm not going to enjoy using this at all, but it pleasantly surprises me. I like how slimline it is, and how comfortable it is to hold. The two customisable buttons on the side are in a convenient place that don't find they interrupt my workflow, but they are close enough so I don’t have to adjust my hand when I need them.

There’s no eraser on top of the pen - but for me that’s not an issue as when I work solely with a Wacom Intuos Pro - whose pen does have that feature - I find it handier to use the short-cut button to erase (which is what the UE12 Plus caters for), instead of flipping the pen in your hand every time you have to erase something. 

There is a bit of spring movement to the nib. I generally prefer a sturdier pen tip, like the Apple Pencil, but this isn't too noticeable and doesn't really affect how I work too much.

The Ugee UE12 Plus drawing display is quite slim and sleek-looking. It’s a bit heavier than my iPad Pro which, considering it requires an external computer as well, makes it more suited to a stationary desk-top setup. I'd also advise getting a stand - more on that later. 

Unlike some other new drawing tablets that are removing shortcut keys into a remote device to make the bezels smaller and the frame larger, the Ugee UE12 Plus keeps keys on the size of the display's frame. This likely brings the cost down, but also many artists prefer having these here rather than on a separate device. Thankfully, the Ugee UE12 Plus' keys are very tactile, the dial feels nicely 'clicky' and they are fully customisable.

Ugee UE12 Plus review: stylus test with Photoshop

The stylus sensitivity is good, with even the lightest touch being registered. An increase in pressure leads to an increase in the size of the line. It acknowledges the tilt of the pen (up to 60 degrees). 

I am pleased to see there isn't any lag or jitter when drawing, and only a little latency between the cursor and pen when hovering above the screen. Using this stylus and display feels like a very natural drawing experience. The only small flaw I can find is when drawing dots with a perpendicular angle, the monitor has trouble recognising the marks I am trying to make about 50% of the time. 

Unfortunately, for me, the screen is the biggest disappointment, especially in terms of brightness. It's a grey gloomy day today and the natural light in my North-facing room doesn't initially interfer with where I've got the monitor set up. But as it's getting darker I notice my ceiling light and floor lamp cast their light more and more on the screen. 

A brighter screen coupled with the anti-glare lamination would be a boon to work with, but because of the screen's darkness, it's still heavily dispersing the light. It's such a shame, because I can see the benefits of the anti-glare lamination compared to my highly reflective, glossy iPad Pro screen, however the darkness cancels out those benefits. 

Another issue with the brightness is you can only see its full colour potential when it's directly perpendicular to your eyeline. While it may be true of many screens, it's particularly noticeable with this one. 

I recommend buying a stand for the Ugee UE12 Plus to mitigate the issue, and wish it had one built in or came packaged with one. Again, I do see the Ugee UE12 Plus being a good option for a stationary work set up. With a stand, no harsh lighting or sunlight, and consistent softer lighting angled away from the screen, I think this would be the optimum setup for this tablet. 

The matt screen does live up to its claims of a paper-like quality, and while I personally don't mind a glossy screen, I know I'm in the minority and most artists love a paper-like feel to their tablets. The Ugee UE12 Plus does a decent job of replicating the feel of drawing on a textured surface. 

The other drawback to the monitor, however, is the hefty bezel. Running my larger desktop programs such as Photoshop with its toolbars on the monitor, left me with much less actual drawing workspace. I understand the thinking, the large bezel can offer space to rest your hand and the choice to retain the shortcut keys on the frame is likely cost effecient (no need for an extra remote as with the XPPen Artist Pro 16 (Gen 2). It's not tiny either, it's workable, but to make the most of the screen you'd need to reconfigure your workspaces. 

Ugee UE12 Plus review: should I buy one?

The only reason I wouldn't personally use a pen display like the Ugee UE12 Plus now is because I like the portability and all-in-one nature of drawing tablets – some of the best examples are Apple iPads (which I usually use) and the new Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 (only for EU), while our recent XPPen Magic Drawing Pad review shows you needn't spend a fortune on a mobile drawing tablet designed for artists. 

If you're on a really tight budget, and are looking for something that would be part of your work station, your desk setup, then the Ugee UE12 Plus is a good starter drawing monitor. Currently discounted to $149.99 on Amazon US and £135.99 on Amazon UK it's a good price for the spec - anti-glare glass, 124% sRGB, shortcut keys, 60 degree of tilt and full lamination. Especially if you like to draw directly onto the screen, this is one of the most affordable drawing monitors I'm aware of right now. 

The pen gives a great performance, and the shortcut keys and zoom wheel make everything so easy. The Ugee Ue12 Plus does the job, and straight out of university, in the days I was using a trackpad to draw, I would have loved this upgrade.