**XP-Pen Deco Pro LW Tablet Review**
Before diving into the review, I think it’s important to provide some context about my background. I’m a senior 3D artist with over 25 years of experience across feature films, television, games, and virtual reality production. I’ve served as a supervisor on multiple major films, and before entering the entertainment industry, I worked as a manufacturing engineer in Silicon Valley, where I specialized in writing technical documentation and procedures. Additionally, I’ve built my last five computers from scratch, so I’d like to think I know what I’m doing when it comes to tech.
**XP-Pen Purchase Date**: 2024/10/01, delivered 2024/10/02
**System Specs**:
– Motherboard: ASUS Z790-E WiFi
– RAM: 128GB
– GPU: RTX 4090
– Total Storage: 20TB
– Monitors: 2x 4K displays
For most of my career, I’ve relied on tablets from "that other company" (which I won’t name because this isn’t about them). However, I’ve always felt their products were vastly overpriced. I initially had my eye on the Artist Pro 19 (Gen 2), but given the current state of the visual effects and games industries, which are facing a severe downturn, I needed to make a more cost-effective choice. Freelancing has allowed me to make ends meet, but I had to stick with essentials rather than splurging on more expensive tools—even if they might boost my productivity. That’s why I opted for the Deco Pro LW.
### REVIEW
**TL;DR**
For the price, I’m extremely satisfied with the XP-Pen Deco Pro LW. While I encountered a few issues, they seem more related to my workstation setup than the tablet itself. I would definitely buy this tablet again. If I had the budget, I wouldn’t hesitate to upgrade to the Artist Pro 19 (Gen 2) because the quality-to-price ratio of XP-Pen products is impressive.
**Packaging**
I was pleasantly surprised by the packaging quality. I expected something lightweight and basic, but the box was sturdy and well-organized, with all the contents securely protected.
**SCORE**: 5/5
**Documentation (Quick Guides)**
The printed materials are well-done and feel more premium than I expected. While I wish the text in the manual was larger (a personal preference), the content is clear and easy to follow. The step-by-step instructions for setup are generally good, though there are some minor grammatical issues. The biggest problem lies in the English translation during the Bluetooth setup section, which could be clearer.
**SCORE**: 4.5/5
**Setup**
The Bluetooth setup instructions in the manual suggest pressing the power button for 3 seconds to turn on the tablet and 6 seconds to enter pairing mode. However, I found that holding the button for 3 seconds didn’t turn it on, and holding it for 4.5–5 seconds immediately put it into pairing mode, which contradicts the manual. Initially, I couldn’t get my PC to detect the tablet via Bluetooth. After troubleshooting, I discovered that the "Allow Bluetooth devices to find this PC" setting was disabled on my system. Once enabled, the tablet paired easily.
The wireless shortcut remote uses a USB dongle (not Bluetooth), but setup through the configuration app was simple.
Since the Bluetooth issue was caused by a setting on my PC, I won’t deduct any points.
**SCORE**: 5/5
**Use**
Upon first use, I noticed some lag and lack of smoothness when using Bluetooth, particularly in Maya and ZBrush. Using the USB-C cable instead eliminated the issue, so I’ll be spending more time tweaking my system to determine if the problem lies with my hardware or the tablet.
Given that this is my first day with the tablet, I plan to further investigate and resolve the Bluetooth performance.
**SCORE**: 4.5/5
**Overall**:
**SCORE**: 4.9/5
I’m very happy with the Deco Pro LW and excited to explore more of what it can do.
Edit 11/3/2024: After using the tablet for some time I have raised the score, and moved the stars from 4 to 5 to better reflect the quality of the product. It is my hope that, in the future, I will be able to get a Artist Pro 19 (Gen 2) based on my experience with this tablet.
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