In case you’re on the lookout for a premium various to the greatest Wacom pill available on the market, then Xencelabs’ vary of artistic peripherals is price a glance. We price its Pen Pill Medium as one of many greatest drawing tablets obtainable, so I couldn’t wait to get my palms on its newest pen show, the Xencelabs Pen Show 16. What units this machine aside from its rivals is its 4K OLED display screen, a very tantalizing characteristic from a pictures perspective that would make it the greatest pill for photograph modifying and photographers.
In case you usually wish to work on a bigger pen show, Xencelabs has you catered for by way of its Pen Show 24. However what makes the Pen Show 16 so enticing, is its portability. Positive, it’s actually not as transportable as, say, the XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad or AppleiPad Professional and Apple Pencil 2, however when you think about it’s a pro-grade pen show with respectable display screen actual property, it’s surprisingly slender and light-weight. So, in case you’re on the lookout for a premium pen show that may slip right into a rucksack, learn on…
Xencelabs Pen Show 16 Bundle comes with a mighty assortment of equipment. (Picture credit score: Future)
USB-C (DisplayPort, USB-A and HDMI 2.1 appropriate)
Pen stress ranges
8,192
Pen decision
5,080 LPI
Suitable OS
PC (Home windows 7 or later), Mac (OS X 10.12 or later), Linux (Ubuntu 14.04, CentOS 7.0, Redhat 7.0 or larger, and Debian 9.5)
Xencelabs Pen Show 16: Worth
The Xencelabs Pen Show 16 is on the market in two guises: Necessities and Bundle, with the previous priced at $999 / £969 and the latter at $1249 / £1199. Even the Necessities bundle features a wholesome haul of equipment together with two styluses, a pen case, spare nibs, a glove, and a carrying case. However the Bundle is rammed with all that and extra, most notably an influence adapter and hub, the Cell Easel (a stand), and Xencelabs’ very personal Fast Keys distant.
If you have already got a Fast Keys machine, then you definitely’re most likely higher off going for the Necessities bundle. And even in case you don’t, the Fast Keys is on the market standalone for (£95.90 / $99.99). In case you’re shopping for the Xencelabs Pen Show 16 at its RRP, you’ll be able to decide up the Fast Keys individually totaling simply $1,099 / £1,065. However you will not have the hub and Cell Easel.
At face worth Necessities sits inside an analogous worth vary to the XP-Pen Artist Professional 16TP ($899.99 / £799.99) and Kamvas Professional 16 Plus (4K) ($899 / £899), however on the time of writing, each of those tablets can be found for a lot much less on sale.
With that in thoughts, it sits someplace between the aforementioned rivals and the Wacom Cintiq Professional 16 ($1,599.95 / £1,399.99), however when the Wacom’s are on sale, the margins shut up a bit extra. General, the Xencelabs Pen Show 16 splits the Wacom Cintiq Professional 16 and cheaper 16-inch, 4K alternate options, making it competitively priced.
Xencelabs Pen Show 16: Design & Dealing with
The Xencelabs Pen Show 16 isn’t a standalone machine. It requires a appropriate PC or Mac to function and works as a second, stylus-operated display screen to be used along with your selection of software program. The way you join the Pen Show 16 will rely in your laptop. In case you’re plugging right into a USB-C DisplayPort you’ll be able to merely use the included USB-C cable to attach the Pen Show 16, which can emit a minimal brightness of 170 nits. In any other case, you’ll want to make use of the included powered hub (Bundle solely) and the mandatory mixture of cables.
Xencelabs has helpfully simplified issues by color-coding the cables and offering a helpful color-coded connection chart. It’s necessary to notice that utilizing the hub may even present the utmost 300-nit brightness. A QR code is included within the paperwork to obtain the mandatory driver and also you solely want to pick the corresponding driver to your OS, whatever the Xencelabs product you’re utilizing.
The pill itself feels very stable and well-built, it additionally runs quietly and coolly. A thick 1.3-in border surrounds the 16-inch show and whereas this may occasionally really feel slightly dated – in a world of slick-looking iPads and Galaxy Tablets with edge-to-edge screens – it’s a fantastic characteristic for professional retouchers and illustrators, offering run-off areas for the palm of the hand to relaxation, ought to the stylus stray near the perimeters of the show. And because it surrounds your entire pill, each left-handed and right-handed creatives will profit.
I additionally like how the perimeters of the pill don’t have a trim. Different tablets available on the market do have this and if the trim is barely raised or there’s a small hole between the trim and display screen, it’s much less snug on the palm.
Most high-end pen shows are eradicating shortcut keys from the face of the show these days, an enormous boon for left-handed creatives. Xencelabs will get round this by way of its Fast Keys distant (Bundle solely, however bought individually), a free-standing shortcut peripheral that matches the invoice completely. It may be operated wirelessly or wired by way of the included dongle and USB-C cable respectively. It doesn’t really feel as premium because the pen show itself and the buttons really feel a bit unsatisfying and plasticky, however the command wheel is buttery clean and I just like the rubber grip on the again of the machine. This stops it from sliding, do you have to work on a slanted drawing floor.
The show and all of its equipment pack away neatly into the included carrying case. (Picture credit score: Future)
Similar to the Wacom Cintiq Professional 16, the Xencelabs Pen Show 16 will not be a touch-screen machine. This can disappoint those that wish to rapidly pinch to zoom in and swipe their method round their canvas, whereas pleasing others who detest sporting a glove, leaving them vulnerable to activating contact controls with their naked palm by accident. I’m used to utilizing an iPad Professional and Apple Pencil 2 for drawing and though continuously reaching for the mouse, keyboard or Fast Keys takes a little bit of getting used to, I actually did not miss having to continuously undo or erase unintentional palm inputs.
Kudos to Xencelabs for together with a pair of styluses, its Skinny Pen v2 and three Button Pen v2. As you’d anticipate, the pens don’t require charging to function and each really feel sturdy and are constituted of respectable plastics. That stated, the buttons do really feel slightly plasticky and clicky. The thicker 3 Button Pen v2 has a pleasant rubbery grip, whereas the Skinny Pen v2 will really feel immediately recognizable to anybody who’s used an Apple Pencil.
What pen you like is completely as much as you and photographers will doubtless stick to their favourite. However illustrators who get pleasure from utilizing, say, a thinner pen to sketch and a thicker pen to ink and add shade, are nicely catered for.
The Cell Easel that comes with the Bundle bundle is plastic and encompasses a pair of flaps that lock into place so you’ll be able to set the pen show at two totally different heights. And whereas it won’t seem like the sturdiest stand on the earth, it cradles the machine completely and may simply stand up to as a lot stress as you’d care to inflict on a pen show.
The Cell Easel cradles the Pen Show 16 completely and is surprisingly sturdy. (Picture credit score: Future)
Xencelabs Pen Show 16: Efficiency
Xencelabs Pen Show 16 is the primary pen show with a 16-inch 4K OLED display screen and for a lot of, this will likely be well worth the worth of admission alone. It delivers stunning colours and vivid brightness, making it a unbelievable selection for illustrators and photographers. That is necessary. Photographers demand correct colours and the Pen Show 16 delivers that. That stated, a point of sharpness has been sacrificed in favor of an anti-glare, paper-like coating to the show’s floor.
What Xencelabs calls its Tremendous AG Etching Show isn’t fairly as cheesy as some shows (what you like is down to private choice), nevertheless it nonetheless presents a nice floor on which to attract. In my view, that is completely important for illustrators. Photographers can work round this by mirroring the pen show’s display screen on their laptop monitor, in order that they have an excellent sharp reference.
I’m very a lot of the opinion that extra is extra in terms of pen show display screen measurement. In case you’re used to modifying in your 24-inch iMac, 16 inches will take some getting used to. Then once more, in case you’re used to drawing on a 12.9-inch iPad, the Pen Show 16 will really feel like a marked step up. In case you’re drawing or modifying on the similar workstation 24/7 and finances isn’t a consideration then by all means take a look at the Xencelabs Pen Show 24. In case you’re on the lookout for a decent-value pill that’s beefy sufficient to change into a desktop staple however sufficiently small to slide right into a rucksack, then a 16-inch pen show is right. In truth, each variations of the Pen Show 16 include a mushy, padded carry case, with room sufficient for the entire Bundle’s many equipment.
The Pen Show 16’s 16-inch 4K OLED display screen is a big boon for photographers. (Picture credit score: Future)
I spend lots of time with my 12.9-inch iPad Professional and Apple Pencil 2, and the bounce to 16 inches is unquestionably noticeable. The bigger house is kind of merely nicer to attract on. As is the thick, inactive border that surrounds the machine. Tablets just like the iPad Professional truly encourage you to not use the entire display screen actual property, as a result of it’s simple to expire of display screen, be it your stylus assembly the sting or an unsupported palm inflicting your strains to jitter. The Pen Show 16’s border makes these issues a lot much less doubtless and the general drawing expertise is all the higher for it.
One other key element in terms of this show’s suitability for drawing is the shortage of any onboard shortcut keys. This implies left-handed creatives don’t have to fret about their palms resting on a row of unhelpfully positioned shortcut keys and you’ll fortunately sit on the sofa, swiveling your machine each which method whereas drawing, with out concern of by accident triggering undo or enlarging your brush. Nevertheless, this machine isn’t touch-sensitive. And whereas that’s excellent news for anyone who doesn’t like sporting a drawing glove to stop by accident triggered contact features, you’ll have to ceaselessly attain to your mouse or touchpad.
Fortunately, Xencelabs has remedied the shortage of onboard shortcut keys and contact features by way of its current Fast Keys distant. This wi-fi machine options eight fast keys and a button to toggle between 5 units, totaling 40 totally customizable features. That’s not together with an enormous command dial, with a button to toggle between 4 further features. The Xencelabs software program that you just set up with the motive force can be utilized to customise the pen show, styluses, and Fast Keys. What I actually like concerning the Fast Keys distant is which you could customise it for a particular software. So, in case you use Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, and need it to carry out totally different features for every, it’ll bear in mind the settings for each.
Fast Keys is a necessary peripheral, which helps to mitigate the shortage of contact controls. (Picture credit score: Future)
With prolonged use, I’m positive you’d be taught to get essentially the most out of the Fast Keys. However even throughout my restricted time with the machine, I used to be instinctively reaching for the command wheel to rotate my canvas, hitting buttons to undo/redo and alter my brush measurement. As a result of it’s a separate peripheral, I might relaxation my palm on it comfortably, similar to a mouse, moderately than having to succeed in over my pill to faucet an awkwardly positioned shortcut button.
In line with Xencelabs, the Fast Keys distant is appropriate with different pen shows, too. It’s solely obtainable within the Pen Show 16 Bundle, however this is smart as a result of it may be bought individually if want be and in case you already personal the machine, you gained’t find yourself with two. My solely gripe is its construct. The buttons really feel a bit low cost and the machine might actually be extra ergonomic.
Drawing with the Xencelabs Pen Show 16 could be very pleasurable, if not revolutionary. In case you’ve drawn with an honest pen show earlier than, you’ll know what to anticipate. The display screen is optically bonded so there’s no noticeable hole between the protecting layer of glass and the show itself. The styluses assist a 60-degree tilt angle. And pen-to-screen contact feels suitably papery. I did expertise a slight jitter when drawing strains at slower speeds and like most shows, whenever you draw mild, sweeping strains, the road itself will lag a cm or two behind the stylus ( this might merely be a processing limitation of my MacBook).
A slight jitter is the one mark on a fantastic digital drawing expertise. (Picture credit score: Future)
In the end, the Xencelabs Pen Show 16 supplies nearly as good a drawing expertise as you can hope for on a devoted pen show. However, I nonetheless assume the Apple Pencil 2 delivers a greater bodily digital drawing expertise with its whip-fast responsiveness, pinpoint accuracy, and excessive tilt angles. And but, that’s to not say Apple’s answer is a greater skilled answer.
You see, an iPad Professional and Apple Pencil 2 ship an impressive drawing expertise, there’s little doubt about it. However in case you’re knowledgeable illustrator or a photographer wanting so as to add pen show performance to your modifying regime, a pill just like the Xencelabs Pen Show 16 is arguably nonetheless the higher possibility. Apple’s iOS ecosystem is its personal worst enemy right here. You’re locked into some admittedly unbelievable iOS apps reminiscent of Procreate and Affinity Picture 2 for iPad, however if you would like unbridled entry to desktop industry-standard software program, a tool just like the Pen Show 16 permits that. In spite of everything, it’s working via your MacBook or PC. And naturally, the 16-inch display screen is larger than any iPad’s and you’ll bounce as much as 24 inches in case you so want.
Lastly, the styluses are actually pleasurable to make use of. Personally, I discover having a skinny and thick stylus to be actually useful since I’m vulnerable to slightly RSI when utilizing the identical stylus for lengthy durations of time. Having the choice to swap helps to maintain this at bay.
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Swapping between the three Button Pen v2… (Picture credit score: Future)
… and Skinny Pen v2 supplies further consolation. (Picture credit score: Future)
Xencelabs Pen Show 16: Verdict
The Xencelabs Pen Show 16 is able to going pound for pound with the largest title within the drawing pill biz. The slick 4K OLED display screen is a big promoting level and none of its few shortcomings are deal breakers. Crucially, the colourful and correct colours make this a superb selection for photographers wanting so as to add a pen show to their modifying workflow and digital illustrators alike.
Except touch-sensitive controls are your line within the sand, it delivers a superb drawing expertise and a stable construct besides. General, you’ll be able to anticipate a premium efficiency for barely lower than different premium choices. It’s additionally extremely easy to arrange and sufficiently small to slide right into a roomy rucksack, making it a fantastic selection for individuals who require a conveyable show, with out giving up an excessive amount of display screen actual property. Even the Necessities bundle delivers a formidable roster of equipment. Nevertheless, I’d suggest choosing the Bundle bundle to get the Fast Keys distant (or buying it individually), as a result of this actually does improve the pen show’s usability.
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Options
Each obtainable packages come bursting with equipment. Drivers are fast and straightforward to put in. And the 4K OLED display screen makes the Pen Show 16 stand out inside its class.
★★★★★
Design
From the shortage of onboard shortcuts to the shortage of touch-screen sensitivity, each design selection has been made for a sensible motive. And the pill itself is solidly constructed.
★★★★★
Efficiency
Slight pen jitter apart, this can be a pro-grade pill that gives an pleasurable and very succesful drawing expertise.
★★★★☆
Worth
Not the most cost effective pen show available on the market and never the costliest. However whenever you tally up its characteristic set and raft of included equipment, it’s respectable worth.
★★★★☆
The colourful OLED display screen makes the Pen Show 16 a fantastic instrument for photographers and digital artists. (Picture credit score: Future)
✅ Purchase this if…
You’re on the lookout for a 16-inch pen show with a 4K OLED display screen.
You’re on the lookout for an ideal mix of display screen actual property and portability.
🚫 Do not buy this if…
You desire a pen show with touch-sensitive controls.
You don’t require a conveyable show and wish to work on as giant a piece floor as attainable.
