Hi frogs and toads, welcome to a fantastic new decade!
Let's start this year in style!
Today, I want to try a new display released a few days ago.
Wacom didn’t announce it, it came out of the blue, so I decided to test it.
This is the display in question:
the Wacom One Creative Pen Display.
There is another device with a very similar name: One by Wacom,
but that’s the cheapest, most basic model in the Wacom tablet range.
This one is a Pen Display.
The screen is beautiful, which is what everyone’s most interested in.
So, let's open the box and check it out.
There!
First, the display: it’s really nice looking.
It’s 13.3 inches, so it should be the same as Wacom’s former 13-inch Cintiq display,
which should now be out of production.
The back is white, a huge sheet of plastic, while the front is glass.
The strap to hold the pen is at the top.
Cables, the transformer with both the Italian and UK plugs.
The pen is made specifically for this device, and isn’t a Pen Pro 2.
There’s no eraser, only a button on the side, while the tip is the same.
What’s new about this Wacom device?
It’s their cheapest Pen Display yet, and costs around 400 euros.
It answers the prayers of many fans,
who have no desire to do their apprenticeships
on a tablet with no screen, and so on,
but want a cheap device with a screen.
I have noticed this trend more and more often,
I understand it because, when you draw
you always tend to look for an experience as similar as possible to drawing on paper.
Next, let’s look at the display’s specifications,
then I’ll try it out and let you know my impression.
And then, I’ll also tell you about some other innovations that this display has introduced,
which could be very interesting for some of you.
The tablet has a 13.3-inch screen
with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 Full HD
and a colour range that covers 72% of the NTSC colour space.
The screen’s surface is mat,
the glass covers the entire front, including the edges,
which I personally like very much.
The back is a single block of very solid plastic
that will protect the sides of the display well in case of any bumps,
although we should try to avoid that. Treat it well!
There are two integrated feet that allow an inclination of 20 degrees,
under one of which are the replacement nibs for the pen.
It’s a very slim tablet:
the lower part is less than a centimetre thick,
while the thickest part is no more than 2 cm.
The included pen is a very simple passive pen and doesn’t require charging.
It has 4,082 pressure levels and supports tilting up to 60 degrees.
There’s also a programmable button on the side.
One special feature of the Wacom One is its compatibility with non-Wacom pens.
There’s a list of compatible pens on the website,
but here’s a brief overview.
The display isn’t touch-enabled, and there are no programmable ExpressKeys.
Lastly, the connection: the display works through an X-shaped cable.
On one side, there are the HDMI and USB sockets to connect to a computer,
while on the other side there’s the USB-C for connecting to the display
and the mains power socket.
However, the power supply can also be connected directly to the computer
if it is capable of delivering enough power through its ports.
The non-laminated screen creates a little distance between the cursor and the nib of the pen.
On such a small 13-inch surface, it is not such a noticeable problem.
You do notice it, but it didn’t bother me while I was drawing.
Now you can watch me having fun using it.
It feels like I’m going back to my old Cintiq 13HD,
it was very nostalgic to use this display.
I liked this new, smaller pen a lot.
At first, I was a bit unhappy not to find the Pro Pen 2,
even if I perfectly understand why.
This pen is simpler than the other one,
but it was very good to use.
The pen starts working with a very light pressure,
just by skimming the surface.
As usual, I’m working with Photoshop.
I have a third hand, and it's Photoshop.
The tablet comes with some programs included:
six months of Clip Studio Paint, one of the most popular software tools for comics,
Wacom’s Bamboo Paper,
and two months of Adobe Premier Rush and Adobe Fresco.
However, the display isn’t only suitable for creative use,
it can also be used with productivity software.
You can work with PowerPoint, edit PDFs and take notes.
It’s very versatile.
This display’s price is quite revolutionary within Wacom.
There has never been such an inexpensive display with a screen.
I said the same thing about the Cintiq 16 last year.
That gives me hope that Wacom will continue to find the right compromises
between consistent quality and low prices,
which many people need to be able to get into the digital world.
With this size and these specifications, it’s not the cheapest display on the market,
but I don't think it wants to be.
Those were my impressions.
If you also have others to share, I will be very happy to read your comments.
It’s always better to have many different opinions, to make the best choice.
But wait for the end of the video,
because there is one other thing that deserves a mention.
It could open up new frontiers in digital illustration.
Now let's look at the innovations Wacom has introduced with this display.
It can be connected to Android devices,
which adapt to the screen of the Wacom device,
becoming a sort of Desktop version.
I described it in a very simplified way.
At the moment, the list of compatible devices is limited,
because it is a function that only some Android devices have.
I managed to get this Samsung smartphone.
I wanted to use it to show you how it works.
To connect it, we need the display, the cables, the power supply and the pen,
an Android device that supports this function,
a USB-C hub with both USB and HDMI inputs and a power bank.
Once connected to the display, the Samsung DeX appears on the screen,
which becomes accessible just as if it were a Desktop.
There are the windows, there’s multitasking, you can switch between apps as you would on the PC.
You just need to install the phone drawing apps such as Photoshop Sketch and Painter on the phone,
but also Bamboo Paper, which transforms the display into a genuine notebook.
There are many possibilities, and innumerable uses.
Lately, I was fixated on this series “How to get away with Murder” on Netflix,
but then I watched Family Guy!
Or you can play a variety of mobile games that are already adapted for this mode,
or do more productive things, like working on PowerPoint.
I also wanted to try to connect a keyboard.
I was surprised by the ease of recording and video editing
using the phone and the Wacom device in combination with Premier Rush.
A video recorded on the phone can immediately be edited, exported and loaded.
After a few minutes, it really felt like I was sitting at my PC.
This is a very interesting new opportunity.
It obviously has its pros and cons, like everything that’s still in development.
At the moment, there are limitations that make it less functional.
Since it uses the phone’s processor,
it very quickly consumes the battery.
Another limitation is all the cables and tools,
so it’s not a solution well suited to genuine mobility.
You can use it to move around, but only if sitting at a desk,
you can’t use it on the train resting on your knees, that’s a little uncomfortable.
Actually, you can, but I don't think it's the best option.
Also, it’s not a touch display,
so not all apps can be fully exploited.
I tried to use an application I like a lot, but there was no way to zoom,
I couldn’t find a magnifying glass anywhere.
That’s because many apps are designed to use gesture controls,
which is not possible in this case.
But it is very interesting to think that one day,
it’ll be possible to use a graphics display and professional software for illustration
only using a phone,
simplifying the hardware with fewer cables,
and optimising the new Android function.
Who knows... it could really become something interesting.
So, thanks so much for watching the video,
thanks also to Wacom who, as usual, allowed me to test their latest releases.
See you in the next videos.
Last year I was good, this year I will be even better.
Thanks a lot for watching the video.
A hug and a wink, bye!