If you thrive on big space and detailed visuals in your creative projects, the 22-inch pen display monitor should be your go-to option.

For a long time, the Wacom Cintiq Pro 22 was the only option for artists who wanted a large 22-inch tablet. The problem was – this is a very expensive tablet which not everyone can afford.

Then came the wave of more affordable drawing tablets including the Huion Kamvas 22 Plus (Gen 3), and XPPen Artist Pro 22 (Gen 2), which had all the essential drawing features at a very pocket-friendly price.

Having a number of similar features, many may face difficulties selecting their personal best.

In this guide I place three products side by side to compare and contrast their features, helping you decide which one is right for you.

Wacom Cintiq Pro 22 vs Huion Kamvas 22 Plus (Gen 3) vs XPPen Artist Pro 22 (Gen 2) Features Comparison

Let’s start by having a quick look at all the features that Wacom Cintiq Pro 22, Huion Kamvas 22 Plus and XPPen Artist Pro 22 (Gen 2) offer.

Key Features In-Depth Comparison: Which is Best?

The comparison tablet shown above tells a lot about these drawing tablets, now I will go through these features in detail.

1. Design & Build Quality

When it comes to quality, it is safe to say that all three tablets do a really good job of making the tablet feel like a premium drawing device.

Although these tablets are made of plastic, they still feel dense and strong, with no flex or wobble to be found anywhere.

Looking at the design of the tablet you can see that, they all follow a minimalist design with nothing but a screen at the center.

One feature that separates the XPPen Artist Pro 22 (Gen 2) from the other two tables in this segments is its wider bezel.

These tablets have all the connection ports at the back, this helps with cable management with no cable running across your working region.

2. Screen Size & Resolution

All three tablets come with a 21.5-inch screen that provides generous space for detailed illustration work. This is great for you If you really like to stretch your hands and work on a larger drawing tablet.

Both the Huion Kamvas 22 Plus (Gen 3) and XPPen Artist Pro 22 (Gen 2) comes with a 2.5 K QHD (2560 x 1440 pixels) Resolution at a pixel density of 137 PPI.

On the other hand, Wacom Cintiq Pro 22 takes the big lead with a higher 4K UHD (3840 x 2160 pixels) Resolution at a pixel density of 204.92 PPI, providing sharper details, and a larger working space.

To be honest, 2560p looks nice on a 22-inch screen, ensuring sharp and clear visuals. but 4K on this display is phenomenal!

So 2560p will get the average user by without much trouble, as for the working artist who’s producing high production material, it’s essential to have your images seen in crystal clarity via 4K.

3. Color Accuracy and Depth

The color accuracy is one of the main areas where these displays differ the most. A wider color gamut allows not only more colors to be displayed, but more lifelike colors, allowing you to express your ideas with more color options and create more lifelike images.

The Huion Kamvas 22 Plus (Gen 3) comes with a color accuracy of 90% Adobe RGB which is the lowest among these three displays.

The XPPen Artist Pro 22 (Gen 2), and wacom cintiq pro 22 on the other hand, comes with wider 99% Adobe RGB color accuracy which is excellent for professional art.

Note that the screen of Huion Kamvas 22 Plus (Gen 3) and XPPen Artist Pro 22 (Gen 2) offers 8-bit color depth, whereas the wacom cintiq pro 22 is an exceptional 10-bit color.

With 8-bit color you get a 16.77 million colors, which can still appear vivid and brilliant, but shading will be less fluid, and gradations can appear less subtle.

1.07 billion hues is what you get from 10-bit color, very Amazing and impressive, you will get a far smoother transition of the colors.

4. Contrast Ratio

Wacom Cintiq Pro 22 has a higher 1200:1 contrasts which result in deeper blacks and brighter white colors producing more vibrant colors.

For comparison, the Kamvas 22 Plus (Gen 3) and the Artist Pro 22 (Gen 2) comes with a contrast ration of 1000:1, which is decent enough but not as good.

5. Refresh Rate

XPPen Artist Pro 22 (Gen 2) comes with a standard 60Hz refresh rate, while Huion Kamvas 22 Plus (Gen 3) has a higher 90Hz. For Wacom Cintiq Pro 22, you get a 120Hz refresh rate.

The difference between 60Hz, 90Hz and 120Hz on a pen display is massive; 120Hz offers a smoother, more responsive drawing experience.

6. Brightness

Both Huion Kamvas 22 Plus (Gen 3) and XPPen Artist Pro 22 (Gen 2) come with a max brightness of 250 cd/m2, while the Wacom Cintiq Pro 22 has a higher max brightness of 300 cd/m2, which is better.

Unlike a laptop or a mobile phone a drawing tablet is not meant to be used outdoors so they do not require super-bright displays. These brightness levels are sufficient enough for a bright indoor environment.

7. Laminated display

A display on a drawing table is made of multiple layers, if non laminated, there is an air gap between layers, causing parallax.

All three tablets comes with a fully laminated display, which help reduce parallax and offers a very accurate stylus position tracking.

8. Surface Texture

All three tablets features a superior etched glass surface, where the surface texture is present on the glass itself.

The matte textured surface has microscopic irregularities that provide resistance to the stylus giving you more control over them, resulting in a superior paper-like drawing feel.

In addition, the matte surface does an admirable job diffusing light, reducing reflections and glare even under bright lighting.

9. Stylus Pen

For a long time, the Wacom Pro Pen 3 is considered as a gold standard for a digital stylus. meantime stylus from competing brands such as Huion and xp-pen have quickly caught up.

At present, the Huion PW600L and XPPen X3 Pro Stylus almost as good as the Wacom Pro Pen 3 and provides a very similar drawing experience.

All three stylus are battery free and works through EMR tech! You don’t have to recharge it again and again.

You get a 2 or 3 side buttons on the three stylus, but xppen x3 pro stylus has an extra pressure-sensitive eraser at the back end that works just like a real pencil.

10. Pressure Sensitivity

Wacom pro pen 3 stylus has a total of 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity, whereas both the Huion PW600L and XPPen X3 Pro stylus have higher 16,384 levels of press ure sensitivity.

Generally, Higher pressure levels offer smoother transitions in brush size & opacity, giving artists more precise control over these qualities.

But the difference felt is minimal beyond a few thousand, anything over 4k is generally comfortable.

So the truth is that for most people, it’s very difficult to tell the difference between, for example, 8,192 levels of pressure and 16,384 levels.

11. Initial Activation Force

The Initial Activation Force (IAF) is the smallest amount of pressure that a digital pen will detect, in other word, how hard you have to press to draw.

High IAF means you have to press harder to draw with the pen. Low IAF means you don’t have to press as hard. Generally, The lower IAF, the better.

The Wacom Pro Pen 3 performs slightly better in the initial activation force – where it better detects the lighter pressure.

With that said the Huion PW600L and XPPen X3 Pro Stylus performs just as good as Wacom Stylus and you would honestly not even feel the difference in initial activation force unless you are paying very close attention and comparing the two stylus side by side.

12. Tilt Sensitivity

All three stylus can detect tilt sensitivity up to 60 degrees, quickly and easily responding to the way your hand moves.

In practical uses, the tilt sensitivity on the Wacom stylus is more stable and works better than other two stylus.

13. Accessories

Wacom has always been known for providing a limited number of accessories or in other words you only get what you actually need in the box, which is not really a bad thing.

With Huion and xppen you get a few extra accessories like the pen stand pr case, 10 extra pen nibs, Cleaning Cloth, and the drawing glove which is always appreciated.

14. Shortcut Buttons

Wacom Cintiq Pro 22 comes with 8 shortcut buttons hidden around the back, which can be easily programmed to any shortcut of your choice.

XPPen Artist Pro 22 (Gen 2) doesn’t has any Shortcut buttons on the tablet but includes a ACK05 Wireless Shortcut Remote with one Physical Dial and 10 buttons.

Huion Kamvas 22 Plus (Gen 3) lacks the Shortcut buttons, which is a drawback. It supports the bluetooth HUION Keydial Mini K20 with 18 18 buttons and a Dial Controller, but you need to purchase it separately for extra $54.99.

15. Compatibility

All three tablets are compatible with major Windows and Mac devices. You can use either HDMI cable or Single USB-C cable to connect it to your computer to work.

For Android devices, the Huion Kamvas 22 Plus (Gen 3) and XPPen Artist Pro 22 (Gen 2) works with them, while wacom cintiq pro 22 not support.

In Conclusion

So far I have compared various aspects of these three tablets and So far in almost every category the Wacom Cintiq Pro 22 came on top.

It offers the best stylus performance and screen quality no doubt, ideal for seasoned professionals looking to invest in their craft for maximum precision and reliability.

When it comes to the budget, the Wacom is almost 5 times the price and that may be a problem to most amateur and even professional designers.

Artists on a budget should consider the Huion KAMVAS 22 Plus (gen 3) or XPPen Artist Pro 22 (Gen 2), which offers similar features at roughly a fraction of the price.

You will for sure have a great drawing experience using either. Happy Drawing!

Shop at UK:  Wacom Cintiq Pro 22, Huion Kamvas 22 Plus (Gen 3), XPPen Artist Pro 22 (Gen 2)