Wacom Intuos Art vs Wacom Intuos Pro: which one is best?

Almost every artist who either wanted to try digital or already has some experience faces the same problem.

And the problem is – how to choose a perfect graphics tablet?

Among the ocean of models and features, how do you pick the perfect device to cater to your every need? How do you choose a tabled that will be your loyal companion on your creative journey? What is important while choosing a digital tablet and what – not so much?

We did a comparison of Wacom Intuos Art VS Wacom Intuos Pro to answer this and other questions.

Brief Overview

Wacom Intuos Art is a nice and laconic model for beginner artists (and experienced artists with simpler drawing styles), and it can be used for studying, drawing and designing.

Wacom Intuos Pro, as its name suggests, is a more professional model for drawing, designing and editing.

While their functions are pretty similar and they allow you to almost do the same things, Intuos Pro will provide you a professional experience with its materials, features and some additional cool abilities. Its price is significantly higher though.

Direct comparison

Model:

Wacom Intuos Art Medium Pen and Touch (Old Version)

Wacom Intuos Pro Medium Bluetooth Graphics Drawing Tablet, 8 Customizable ExpressKeys, 8192 Pressure Sensitive Pro Pen 2 Included, Compatible with Mac OS and Windows,Black

Active Area:

Medium: 8.5 x 5.3 in

Medium: 8.7 x 5.8

Pen:

2048 pressure levels

8192 pressure levels + eraser

Multi-Touch:

Head-Up Display:

Express Keys:

4

8

Wireless:

Yes (separately)

Yes (included)

Bundled Software:

-

-

-

-

Price not available

$279.00

-

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon

Model:

Wacom Intuos Art Medium Pen and Touch (Old Version)

Active Area:

Medium: 8.5 x 5.3 in

Pen:

2048 pressure levels

Multi-Touch:

Head-Up Display:

Express Keys:

4

Wireless:

Yes (separately)

Bundled Software:

-

-

Price not available

-

Buy on Amazon

Model:

Wacom Intuos Pro Medium Bluetooth Graphics Drawing Tablet, 8 Customizable ExpressKeys, 8192 Pressure Sensitive Pro Pen 2 Included, Compatible with Mac OS and Windows,Black

Active Area:

Medium: 8.7 x 5.8

Pen:

8192 pressure levels + eraser

Multi-Touch:

Head-Up Display:

Express Keys:

8

Wireless:

Yes (included)

Bundled Software:

-

-

$279.00

Buy on Amazon

Breaking it down…

Now that we’ve figured out the most important features in this case, we’re going to compare our two contestants. Whoever has the best result in the covered paragraph, gains a point.

After all the paragraphs, whoever won the most of them, is going to be named the best digital tablet of the two.

Active area size:

The size of the tablet’s active (or working) area is a very important parameter, since it basically means how much space you’ll have for your hand movements. It doesn’t influence the actual size of your drawing, of course, but if your style requires lots of linework or very long strokes, owning a small tablet might me very uncomfortable.

Some artists are satisfied with smaller versions of digital tablets and don’t need more; it also can apply to people with limited workspace and those who carry their tablet around a lot. Others prefer longer strokes, and won’t settle for anything less than a medium one.

Wacom Intuos Art is available in small and medium options. The active area size of small one is 6.0 x 3.7 inches, of medium one – 8.5 x 5.3 inches.

Wacom Intuos Pro is also available in two options, but this time they are medium and large, their working area sizes being respectively 8.7 x 5.8 and 12.1 x 8.4 inches.

Since the tablet size is a very subjective parameter for every artist, and there is no standard that defines which one is better, let’s call it a draw.

Pen (Stylus) Qualities:

Pen, or stylus, is probably the most important thing in a digital tablet, since it’s your main working tool and you’ll be holding it for hours. It should be comfortable, easy to work with, durable and capable of many things.

Wacom Intuos Art has the cordless battery-free pen with two customizable buttons. It features 2048 pressure levels, which should provide enough realism for beginners and artists whose style is rather simple.

Wacom Intuos Pro’s pen is cordless and battery-free as well, with two customizable buttons. But what makes it different is that it has an eraser on its end, bringing you extremely close to the experience of a real pencil (and it’s just very convenient in general).

Both pen and eraser have 8192 pressure levels, which allows your drawings to be incredibly realistic in both lining and coloring. If you’re a professional artist doing complicated digital paintings, this choice is definitely more convenient for you.

In this case, the winner is Wacom Intuos Pro and the wonderful abilities of its pen.

Multi-touch:

The multi-touch function allows you to navigate your drawings extremely easily, design and edit. You can tilt, pinch-zoom, pan and scroll, using just your fingers.

Both Wacom Intuos Art and Wacom Intuos Pro have the multi-touch option. Both of them also have a switch on their side to turn off the function, allowing you to place your palm right on the tablet for comfortable drawing.

So, it’s a tie, since both models have this very convenient option and it works properly in both cases.

Head-up display?

Head-up display (also known as HUD) is quite a useful function, allowing you to speed up your drawing process. It basically shows you all the settings quickly, hiding it after a few seconds, so you won’t have to check it inside the computer software settings all the time.

Wacom Intuos Art has no head-up display.

Wacom Intuos Pro has the HUD function, which might seem an unnecessary fancy function at first. But since it’s more of a professional tablet, made for the needs of professional artists who spend lots of hours working with it, HUD can help them a lot.

The winner is Wacom Intuos Pro, since it includes the mentioned function.

Number of ExpressKeys:

ExpressKeys are buttons placed on the tablet’s body, which are meant to significantly enhance your work productivity.

They can be programmed to respond to certain shortcuts, like undo/delete function or switching between different modes. You can lower your dependence on your keyboard and put the most necessary key combinations at your fingertips.

Wacom Intuos Art has got 4 ExpressKeys, which is enough for a beginner artist, considering the fact that it’s an entry level model by itself.

Wacom Intuos Pro has 8 ExpressKeys for every need. But not just that: it also features TouchRing and home button. The TouchRing can be programmed to zoom, scroll or give you access to customizing your keystrokes easily.

So, that makes Wacom Intuos Pro the winner!

Wireless?

This function basically allows you to use your tablet without plugging it into your computer. It might lead to small lags during the working process, but it also allows you to organize your workplace better.

Wacom Intuos Art is capable of having a wireless function, but the kit needs to be bought separately and installed under the device’s lid.

Wacom Intuos Pro features Bluetooth wireless option right from the atart, and you can start using it immediately.

As you could guess, the winner in this paragraph is Wacom Intuos Pro. Because who wants to buy separate parts and wait for them to arrive before you’ll be able to use a cool function? No one, for sure.

Bundled software…

Sometimes a digital tablet model features a software bundle. In modern times it doesn’t mean a CD put inside the box. Instead, it’s a serial number or a passcode for downloading the full version of the software online.

This can be really useful, since good drawing or designing software can be quite expensive, and if you already spent some money on the tablet, you might not be capable of buying fancy software immediately.

Wacom Intuos Art has Corel Painter Essentials bundled with it. This program is considered to be quite overloaded with functions and it can be hard to get used to, but it also gives you access to lots of creative abilities.

Wacom Intuos Pro has no software bundled with it.

This leads us to conclusion that Wacom Intuos Art wins this round.

Final recount:

Wacom Intuos Art won 1 out of 7 sections.

Wacom Intuos Pro won 4 out of 7 sections.

The remaining 2 are a draw.

Wacom Intuos ART – Pros & Cons

PROS:

• A nice and stable option for beginner artists and art students;
• Includes Corel Painter Essentials bundled with its purchase;
• It’s lightweight and very easy to carry around wherever you go.

CONS:

• The plasticky material might not be too sturdy, and the tablet bends easily;
• The wireless kit needs to be bought separately;
• Its pen is quite small and light, so it can be hard to use for those who prefer heavier tools or have big hands.

Wacom Intuos PRO – Pros & Cons

PROS:

• The tablet is made of very good high-quality materials;
• It has some amazing features to significantly increase your productivity;
• The Bluetooth wireless option comes together with the tablet;
• Its stylus has amazing pressure sensitivity and tilts recognition.

CONS:

• The toothy surface of the tablet leads to nibs wearing down rather quickly;
• No bundled software, so you’ll have to either use free programs or buy some of them;
• The ExpressKeys can be difficult to use quickly since they aren’t too palpable when you’re not looking at them.

Final verdict: Wacom Intuos ART VS Wacom Intuos PRO

So, now that we’ve compared both tablets and discovered what their strong suits and weak points are, we are able to make a choice. It turns out that out of these two, the winner is Wacom Intuos Pro.

You can surely go with Wacom Intuos Art, it isn’t a bad tablet at all.

But the Intuos Pro has more features, bigger pressure sensitivity, and, overall, is a more professional model for those who seek more out of a digital tablet.

Also, you can check out these articles for other options & ideas:

• 20 Best Digital Drawing Tablets
• 12 Best CHEAP Drawing Tablets
• Wacom Intuos DRAW vs ART

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Hanna is an artist, poet and musician who lives in Minsk, Belarus. She loves food, cats, gigs and esoteric stuff.

Author: Hanna Martsynkevich

Artist and Writer