Tablet with pen: Five powerful models in comparison

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Tablet with pen: 5 models in different price ranges in comparison

Tablets are small, handy and easy to use. However, if you want to use the mobile PC for painting or drawing, it reacts extremely imprecisely to finger input. Unless you use a special tablet pen.

In technical jargon, the special pens, which were specially designed for tablets with a touchscreen, are also called stylus or – translated into English – pencil. Providers such as Apple have developed their own stylus, which is very expensive (just under 100 euros) and not even compatible with all iPad and iPhone models. In the meantime, however, there are a large number of cheaper Apple Pencil alternatives that also harmonize with other brands. They all have one thing in common: they make writing or drawing on a mobile PC more realistic and ensure precise execution. There are already very cheap tablets under 100 euros, but they are less suitable for drawing. For this reason, five higher-priced models are presented below.

1.Huawei MediaPad M5

The PC, which weighs just 475 grams, is equally suitable for photos and books, games and films. Although the tablet does not come with a stylus, it can purchased separately will. The average battery life is eleven hours, so you have enough time to paint and draw and then examine your works of art with the very good image quality in Full HD. Other advantages of the tablet include the four speakers, the integrated fingerprint sensor and the eight-megapixel front camera and eight-megapixel rear camera. The Huawei MediaPad also supports Micro-SD, so you can expand the storage capacity.
Here is the tablet.

2.Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite

Here the tablet comes with a pen: the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite can be used both as a digital drawing board for sketching, writing, taking notes and editing photos – but also for surfing and listening to music, for gambling or for streaming. The long-lasting battery lasts up to twelve hours (according to the manufacturer), but that always depends on what the tablet is used for. Its advantages include the slim and light design, the fast loading times and the expandable memory. In addition, the mobile PC’s software and hardware have been equipped with a powerful security platform to protect your data from external attacks.
Here is the tablet.

3.Samsung Galaxy Tab S3

Although the Galaxy Tab S3 from Samsung is significantly more expensive to buy, it also has a lot more to offer than the cheaper Tab S6 Lite: the tablet also comes with a pen that can be used for writing and drawing – even when the display is on is switched off. The integrated “Screen Off-Memo” function makes it possible to take notes “in the dark”. The four speakers, which adapt their stereo sound to the orientation when you turn the tablet, also deserve a positive mention. Optionally, you can also connect an external keyboard to the mobile PC to make typing easier. Otherwise, the Galaxy Tab S3 boasts a strong 13-megapixel main camera, a powerful processor and HDR video support.
Here is the tablet.

4.Apple iPad Air

Although this iPad is compatible with the expensive one Apple Pencil, but it must be purchased separately. Alternatively, a cheaper one is also suitable Pen, which works fine on Apple products. And other external accessories such as a smart keyboard or a Bluetooth keyboard can also be connected to this iPad. According to Apple, its clear strengths include the pencil’s pixel-perfect precision, a powerful processor, large memory, eight-megapixel rear camera and seven-megapixel HD front camera, as well as a powerful battery that promises a runtime of up to 10 hours, and the Touch ID function. Here, too, it depends on the purpose for which the tablet is used (surfing, listening to music, drawing).
Here is the tablet.

5.Microsoft Surface Pro 7

By far the most expensive tablet in this round of introductions comes without a pen, with the Surface Pen with 4096 pressure levels can also be easily reordered here. Not only can it be used in the classic apps like OneNote, but it is also compatible with programs like Adobe Photoshop CC. The 12-inch+ display makes the Surface Pro 7 an ideal drawing board, which can be expanded with the addition of a Signature Type Covers (i.e. a keyboard) can also be converted into a laptop. Additional accessories can be added via USB-A or USB-C, for example to connect an external display or other devices. Another advantage that the tablet has to offer is the powerful battery, which (according to the manufacturer) should last for up to ten hours.
Here is the tablet.

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19.11.2021

Tablet with pen: The most important purchase criteria

Before you decide on one of the tablets mentioned – or even another one – you should think about which criteria are important to you in advance. Depending on whether you want to use the mobile PC for work or just in your free time for surfing, gaming or streaming, it has to have different properties. Regardless of whether the tablet comes with a pen or without, the following points should be taken into account when making your purchase decision:

Note: The article was first published in May 2020.

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