Over the last couple of years digital artists, creatives and designers have been spoiled for choice when it comes to graphic tablets.
That being said, only a few companies such as Wacom, Huion or XP-Pen, have managed to stand out from the rest of the market to offer a unique experience.
Looking to join this list of household names is the relatively new company Xencelabs which has just released its first set of flagship digital pen tablets.
I’ve been lucky enough to use a wide range of graphic tablets over the years but the majority of them didn’t really offer anything extra, other than a lower price tag, to entice me away from some of the big names. Which is why I was fairly surprised with what Xencelabs Pen Tablet was offering.
Firstly I was impressed with how much was included in this bundle, alongside the tablet Xencelabs have thrown in two pens, loads of extra nibs, two USB cables, a wireless dongle, a USB adapter, Quick Keys and cases for the tablet and pens.
The fact that Xencelabs have included two different types of pens, plus nibs is just amazing value. Every piece of this bundle felt extremely premium, I was especially impressed with the cases.
The tablet measures 32 x 23.25 x 0.8 cm and weighs 71.5k g, which makes it slightly bigger and heavier than most tablets. However, Xencelabs have managed to find that sweet spot where the tablet isn’t too big or too small with its full active area coming in at 26.2 x 14.74cm.
It has solid rubber pads along the bottom that will stop it from sliding off the table. Xencelabs have also added some extra design features such as LED lights to show the current drawing area and the sloped bottom which will help relieve extra pressure placed on the wrist.
The tablet's stellar build and design features are fantastic, especially for a first product. My only gripe was the placement of the shortcut buttons which are situated at the top of the tablet, this didn’t detract from the overall quality but it felt like an odd place to put them.
Xencelabs says they: "placed the shortcut buttons on the top of the tablet to ensure our tablet can be used for either Left or Right handed users."
The tablet is easy to set up out of the box with two methods of connectivity via a USB-C cable or wireless dongle. Both connections worked effortlessly and I didn’t experience any lag during my time with it.
Xencelabs’ tablet comes with two different battery-free pens to pick from, the PH25 and the PH6-A.
The PH25 is a thick three-button pen whilst the PH6-A is a two-button thinner alternative. They both are built with a nice rubber texture enabling a firm grip, they come with 8192 pressure levels, a 60-degree tilt range and an eraser at the end of them.
I found that out of the box, both pens were very responsive allowing me to be accurate with creative drawings, and while the PH6-A felt more in tune with traditional pens, I found myself drawn to the PH25 as it was much more comfortable with the added bonus of the three programmable buttons.
Both Pens are fantastic but the PH25 was definitely much more versatile and better suited for different styles of digital drawings.
Another additional device which is rarely included with tablets is the quick key device which enables the artist to create up to forty shortcuts per application which are fantastic.
Xencelabs iteration is a robust remote featuring an OLED display. The dial and buttons felt nice and clicked well.
But the feature that impressed me the most was the awesome battery that only needed to be charged once while I was reviewing.
There are two methods of connectivity via USB C and wireless, however, I did come across a little lag with some commands when using wirelessly, but that wasn’t enough to sully the experience.
Xencelabs also has a driver that can be used on Windows, Linux and Mac to control how well the tablet works.
In fact, I was quite amazed by how detailed the driver is and the level of customisation it allowed for each peripheral, such as changing each pen's sensitivity or assigning the LED lights for a particular application.
This level of customisation is more than welcomed, but this driver really shines in how easy it is to use and navigate which is a godsend.
Xencelabs Pen Tablet Verdict 4/5
Xencelabs' first graphic table is fantastic and surprisingly capable, offering a plethora of features you don’t usually find at this price.
The intuitive driver makes customisation a breeze and accessible for newcomers while elevating the overall experience for veteran designers.
It's not easy to stand out in a very crowded market, especially with such household names like Wacom or Huion but Xencelabs are on to a great start with this tablet.
