TLDR: This is working out better than my prior Wacom tablets and my Surface Pro 6 /7. Give it a shot but make sure to check EVERY detail first. There is no touch zoom (but maybe that's for the best…)
This is going to be long.
First, I'm a freelance professional illustrator. I draw anime and manga style art and have been transitioning over the past 3 years to a more painterly style. I draw chibi, emotes for Twitch, and pin-up posters. I also illustrate my own manga. I spend over 40 hours per week drawing. I work in Clip Studio Paint EX. Vector lines and art that uses very large brushes is very important to my work. Color matching is important because most of my work is printed on charms, t-shirts, and paper and then sold. I stream my work on Twitch, so I also need a drawing monitor/tablet that enables me to be comfortable in one spot for a long time.
In the past, I have used a very small 5×5" Wacom Bamboo tablet, a 7×9" Samsung Note Tablet, an 8.5×11" Wacom Bamboo Create Tablet, an 11×17" Wacom Intuos Pro Tablet, a Surface Pro 6 tablet, and a Surface Pro 7 tablet – in that order over the past 15 years. The XP-PEN Artist24 is the first drawing monitor I have purchased. All the Wacom products were drawing surfaces, but you still needed a monitor. Since working on the Surface Pros, I have been using the TabMate by Clip Studio for quick tool access. It is amazing!
The issues I had with the Wacom products included the nibs wearing out within one month, buttons resetting after every update, the touch-zoom features triggering from my hand motions when I draw, loose cable connections at the port on the Intuos Pro and Bamboo Create, random instances where it would produce the oddest pen and brush strokes you've ever seen (I never found a remedy for this), and driver issues that sometimes resulted in me needing to reinstall the software. I did not care for the size of any of my Wacom tablets but the Intuos was my favorite of them. It had exceptionally high pressure and touch sensitivity and I loved that. I hated that I had to keep calibrating it but I was always told "it's Wacom. It's the best. So we just have to deal with that."
Why though?
I switched to the Surface Pro 6 after my ankle injury left me unable to sit at my desk for long hours. It enabled me to work from bed. I did not like the screen size but it enabled me to get work done. I got used to the Surface Pro 6 and, eventually, the 7 after I accidentally dropped my 6 on the tile floor and it shattered (even with the case on it…). The Surfaces both were difficult to capture for streaming on Twitch. I had to set up a crazy VLC local stream and then capture from my pc. This resulted in some very awkward camera angles, back pain, and discomfort because I could never set those tiny tablets up just right to work. The battery life was a significant issue. The touch and pressure sensitivity rivaled my Intuos, so I was happy with that. But I still had issues with random zooming but less of it. I used a different drawing pen than what came with the Surfaces. It enabled me to have more pressure sensitivity. If you're going the route of the Surface, I recommend buying a different pen, one that run smoothly across the screen, has long battery life, and can increase the sensitivity for you. The default pen is awful for drawing and very uncomfortable. This is when I started using the ClipStudio TabMate because I no longer had the buttons that Wacom tablets offered. I loved it more than the Wacom buttons! It was far more comfortable and I cannot look back. I love this thing and will take it to my grave. It was important for it to work with whatever new tablet or monitor set up I went to.
I decided to transition away from the Surface Pro 7 after I noticed a gradual quality loss over the past 4 months (I'd had it over a year and a half). My lines did not look as slick and I was having issues with weird tapers on my lines or the line or brush stroke extending farther than necessary. I tried a different pen but that didn't help. I tried a different program – that didn't help either. I was already frustrated with the screen size and awkward streaming experience so I started looking for something larger.
I decided that it was time to invest in a Wacom. I arrived at this decision not because of any research I'd done or any test drives but because "Wacom is the best". I almost purchased a Cintiq until I read a ton of negative reviews – more reviews than I could find of positive ones. Most of the positive reviews shared that same thought that "Wacom is the best so we deal with the inconveniences". But, in the time between when I had a Wacom and the day I went shopping, a lot had changed about the drawing monitor market and Wacom actually had serious competitors. Competitors charging far less for comparable products.
Most of the reviews I found online recommended either a Huion or the XP-PEN Artist24. I knew someone who had used a Huion and hated it, so I went with the XP-PEN Artist24 because of the size, resolution, pressure sensitivity, price, and ability to mount it to an Ergotron monitor arm so that I could draw more comfortably on stream. I did not care about the buttons (at first).
I have had the XP-PEN Artist24 for nearly three months now.
When I used its stand, it was absolutely perfect. The monitor did not budge when I drew on it. I could sit upright at my desk and I didn't have any more awkward camera angles on Twitch. No more weird VLC capture nonsense. Absolutely perfect for desk work and streaming.
It works perfectly with the Ergotron arm that can support over 25 pounds. This is important! If you want to mount it – this is a HEAVY monitor. Make sure you get an arm that can support it. And you will be tightening the joints of the arm frequently, so keep the tool in a desk drawer.
It's quiet. No loud fan sounds (like the Wacom reviews cited of the Cintiq).
No heat. I've yet to notice it getting hot – even during 14+ hour drawing sessions while I stream on Twitch. This is in stark contrast to the Surface Pros, which heated up after only an hour.
The drawing space is large, but not too large. I still feel like I get a bit of a workout going from one side to the other but I have small arms. I had been considering larger drawing monitors but I am glad I purchased this one. Anything larger would have been too big.
The image quality and resolution are excellent. No weird fuzzy pixels or color noise. (I read this was also a problem with the Cintiqs.) The monitor feels like it has less glare than my Surface Pros did. I'm enjoying looking at the monitor itself. Other monitors have made my eyes feel tired and, as an artist, blue light filter glasses and settings aren't preferable when doing work.
The pen. The box came with 2 pens (one as a bonus gift) and several nibs. I have a love-hate relationship with pen nibs. I always think the plastic ones are too thick and wear out too quickly (getting sharp and potentially ruining the tablet) and that the rubber ones are too slow. I used to use a felt nib with my Wacom Intuos because it felt like I was drawing on paper and wouldn't cut my tablet if it wore down quickly before I took a break. I had real issues with Wacom's plastic nibs wearing down too quickly. I used their rubber nibs for a while and those, too, had issues with wear. I'd wear them out in 1 – 2 weeks. I spent a lot on nibs with Wacom. I have not had that experience with the XP-PEN Artist24 pen. It requires no charging but you have to make sure that the cords are plugged in very snugly – especially if you use an ergonomic arm or are constantly readjusting the monitor. I pull and push and turn and swivel my monitor all day so the wire sometimes comes a little loose. It's not a big issue. I just need to get a longer cord and give it more slack. I do not like the buttons on the pen. They were awkward for me, positioned too close to where I put my thumb. I kept accidentally pressing them so I disabled this feature. That being said, if you like that sort of thing, they are very responsive and worked more easily than Wacom's and the Microsoft pens I've used. The pen feels nice to hold. I like it better than the Wacom pens in terms of weight, feel, and balance.
The buttons on either side are ok. I don't really use them. Again – I still have my ClipStudio Tabmate that I worship. If I were trying to use these buttons with how I have my monitor on the Ergotron arm, it would be very uncomfortable. Even if it were on my desk, the buttons would be awful to use. But that's because I'm used to relaxing with that Tabmate. LOL Maybe that's just the norm for drawing monitors, but I don't like it!
However, because the XP-PEN Artist24 does not have touch capabilities, I do have to use the left wheel to zoom in and out. Sometimes I zoom in too much but I think this is a Clip Studio EX problem and not the fault of the XP-PEN Artist24.
I did not realize that the XP-PEN Artist24 did not have touch capabilities. I rather like being able to move my canvas around with my fingers despite always having issues with the touch zoom randomly going off and making me angry. That being said, this monitor is so large that I can work well on my 11×17" prints without much movement. I maybe zoom in and out for a total of one hour a day and that's only when I'm working on touching up the finished art. Though I was originally upset about this and it almost made me send the monitor back, I'm glad I gave it a shot. This has been a blessing in disguise. If you're addicted to your touch zoom and touch features, in general, you'll be irritated that this doesn't have that. However, give it a shot – especially if you are used to working on smaller monitors.
Mounting it to the Ergotron arm was easy. The screws were a normal size, removed effortlessly, and the Ergotron fit perfectly against it. Have had zero issues. The Ergotron plus this monitor are gamechangers!
However, it is important to purchase the Ergotron arms that can support over 25 pounds. Don't try to push it just because the product weighs just under 25 pounds. Remember – you'll be pushing against it with your arm or resting your arm on it, adding to the weight. Err on the side of safety. You don't want to drop a bunch of money on an expensive drawing monitor only to have the arm fail because of the weight or the quality of the product.
Driver installation. I hate installing drivers. I hate it. I hate updating them. I hate dealing with adding monitors and installations. I just want plug-and-play. Every minute I spend doing stuff with drivers and having to troubleshoot my programs and equipment is time that I'm not making money to pay my bills.
The XP-PEN Artist24 is plug-and-play after you install the software. I have had zero issues with it after doing that. None. This is huge for me because I frequently had to fight with my Wacom tablets to get the drivers installed and working or I had to reinstall everything. I have had not a single issue like that with the XP-PEN Artist24. Very happy. No time wasted.
ClipStudio compatibility. If your PC is compatible with ClipStudio, the XP-PEN Artist24 will work beautifully. You'll get smooth vector lines too. The tilt functionality is a Godsend after working on the Surface Pros that don't have it. I can be far more expressive with my brush tools and I'm now producing significantly higher quality digital paints as a result. I love it. I've even given Paint Tool Sai a spin and I loved that too. I'm very impressed. The responsiveness in my art programs and the responsiveness with the brushes makes me super happy. For the first time in several years, I feel like my drawing monitor/tablet can keep up with me.
Pen point/circle and actual line on screen. Some people complain about the Surface Pros and how the dot that appears on the screen to indicate the pen's location is slightly off and can cause some accuracy issues. I can attest to this. I've had this issue for years on both the Pro 6 and Pro 7 tablets. I had this issue regardless of the program I was using or if I was just browsing the internet and using my pen for clicking. It's something I had to "get used to". The XP-PEN Artist24 does not do this. When you place your pen, it's where you think it is placed. And it keeps up! No more lagging lines, no more delayed inputs. Just make sure your PC has enough RAM to support your programs. I have 64 GB RAM, and Intel Core 7 processor, and… for the moment… no video card because of the market. That's an issue but it is not preventing me from creating stellar art with the XP-PEN Artist24.
The only issue I've had with the XP-PEN Artist24 is that I cannot seem to extend my monitors after I built my new PC. When I try to, I have issues with the pen recognition. I'm trying to work through this and I think it could be because I don't have a video card right now. So I have, basically, a single monitor but two screens and that's frustrating. What I need are 3 monitors with one being the XP-PEN Artist24. But I need to wait for the video card market to improve. After I get one, I'll update this review.
The cords. Cord management is great. The cords that came with the monitor were a bit short for my use so I have cable extenders and purchased longer cords. If you're using an arm or your PC is farther away from the monitor, I'd recommend getting some longer cables.
So far, I'm a very happy customer and am so glad that I went with the XP-PEN Artist24. It was a huge gamble for me during a time that I did not have a lot of money to invest because of COVID and how it has ruined my business. The XP-PEN Artist24 is worth every cent and should definitely be tried before considering purchasing anything more expensive – even if you are loyal to your brands like I can tend to be. I'm glad that I stopped making excuses for Wacom products and tried a competing brand. Very glad.
