THE DESIGNER

WACOM ONE

- 

The rise of really good tablets put a dent in the idea of artists defaulting to Wacom kit for digital drawing work; but there’s no denying the company makes some stellar products, notably its drool-worthy high-end Cintiq pen displays.

The Wacom One isn’t one of those… but it’s enough to give dabblers a taste for a considerably lower price.

Construction is sturdy. The unit’s chunky, resembling a tablet yet to learn the concept of thin bezels. But having all that space around the 13.3in 1920x1080 display makes sense for art: you get something to hold without your fingers getting in the way, space to draw sweeping curves with the battery-free stylus, and a setup that lets you really focus on what you’re doodling.

Elsewhere, the lack of buttons is a bit of a misfire – there’s one on the stylus and none on the tablet, forcing you to keep a keyboard nearby to trigger app tools and actions. The included cable warrants a mention too: it’s got USB-A and power at one end, and HDMI and USB-A at the other to plug into your device. The former means the Wacom One draws power from the mains, not your device; the latter, though, means you’ll have grab a dongle for laptops that only have USB-C.

The screen isn’t blazingly bright, lacks true colour accuracy and has a widescreen aspect ratio that feels awkward. But its matt surface is lovely to draw on, and you’re soon sucked in. In fact, that’s the key takeaway here: this review might be peppered with gripes, but the Wacom One is really fun to work with.