Xencelabs Pen Display 16

It has been pitched to sit between Xencelabs’ large Pen Display 24 and the traditional Pen Tablet Medium.

- lan Dean

PRICE From £970/$1,000 COMPANY Xencelabs WEBSITE xencelabs.​com

Over four weeks I had the chance to get an early hands-on with the Xencelabs Pen Display 16 and really get to grips with how this drawing tablet performs against its rivals.

This is a lightweight, smooth and smart-looking display aimed at anyone who splits their time between the home and a studio or college, or needs a smaller display.

DESIGN AND BUILD

I’ve been impressed with the build quality of Xencelabs’ drawing tablets ever since I tried out the Pen Tablet Small over a year ago, and the Pen Display 16 doesn’t disappoint.

It’s a lightweight device for a 16-inch 4K OLED display and feels durable and solid. There aren’t any corners cut here; the display has an aluminium backing and slim edge-to-edge glass. There’s no internal fan so it’s silent to use, and disperses heat nicely. Even after hours of use I don’t find this warms up in the same way as my ageing Wacom MobileStudio Pro.

The screen is a star, not simply in dispersing heat but for the overall vibrancy and colour. It features an anti-glare coating and is super-smooth to the touch. Speaking of which, the Pen Display 16 isn’t a touchscreen, so doesn’t support gesture control. This is a design decision that was likely made to keep the cost down, but also because many artists prefer not to have the feature on a larger display. This means that the accompanying Quick Keys Remote is essential.