I already had the Wacom Intuos Pro 2017 (and have had all three sizes at various points) and overall was happy with it, but I decided the improvements of the 2025 model made it worth upgrading to:
• Smaller physical footprint: I mainly work at my desk at home, but for the times when I take my laptop out to, say, a coffee shop, it's a more comfortable fit for both my laptop and Wacom 2025 Medium on a table versus the wider 2017s. I could fit the 2017 Medium but just barely, and it was a tight fit depending on the table size. With the 2025 that's no longer a problem.
• Larger active area. While the active area on a 2017 Medium is adequate, depending on your monitor size it can still feel too crampt, but the 2025 active area is a lot more roomy. (This has the somewhat negative side effect of losing the bevels to rest your hand on, but the device is now thin enough that you get used to it pretty quick when you're on the edges; it's not a problem for me, but if you use it for drawing as opposed to photo editing it could be an issue.)
• Third button on pen. I had the Wacom Movink briefly last year and while they included the Wacom Pro Pen 3, it was the barebones pen itself minus the grips, which I disliked. Fortunately for the Intuos Pros, they include all of the pen's accessories and I have the flair grip on the pen, which makes it great to use. I also love the third button (I rarely used the eraser button, so I don't miss that not being included here), as it enables more flexibility and convenience.
• Bluetooth 5.3. I've seen multiple reviews, including here, going on about how bad the Bluetooth is, but I've noticed they are all on Windows 11, whereas I'm on a Mac, so I'm guessing the issue lies there. I've had issues with Wacoms drivers in the past on my Mac, so I'm just saying in this instance bluetooth works great; in face I've had ZERO connectivity issues on the 2025, whereas I regularly had problems on the 2017 even when plugged in, and it wasn't rare that I'd have to reboot the computer in order to get the tablet working again. That hasn't been an issue here. However, you can't ignore the complaints from the Windows 11 users, so if that's what you work on, be advised and maybe wait until Wacom fixes it. But on a Mac it's been an underrated bonus for it to "just work" when I power up my computer without having to make a fuss over connecting it, which was common on the 2017 (which has Bluetooth 4.2).
Other things:
• Photos don't do this device justice. People have complained that it looks "cheap", but when you actually have it in front of you and handle it, it is a premium device that is totally professional.
• I use a Tourbox for my shortcut keys so I don't use the quick keys on the tablet itself, so their position at the top now instead of the side is a non-issue for me, and in fact is a net benefit in that it's allowed the device to be narrower (see above).
• The 2025s no longer feature touch sensitivity, but I only used that feature as a cursor after I'd set the pen down to type something, so it's not a big loss for me. If touch was something you used extensively for actual editing (rotating the canvas, zooming in, etc), then you'll want to go with the 2017.
In closing, this is a great recommendation, although if you feel the price is too steep, you can find great deals on used 2017s on eBay for less than half the price.
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