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XPPen’s Magic Drawing Pad could be better than iPad for artists, here’s why

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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).

XPPen Magic Drawing Pad; a person holds a new drawing tablet

The XPPen Magic Drawing Pad’s display feels smooth to the touch and has an anti-glare and smudge protection. (Image credit: Future / XPPen)

XPPen Magic Drawing Pad; a hand holds a silver drawing tablet

The rear of the XPPen Magic Drawing Pad features a camera top right and has a nice metallic sheen. (Image credit: Future / XPPen)

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.)

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