- [Gareth] So today I have a new product I'd like to share
with you, which I have been using on my recent project.
Now in a previous video, I reviewed
the XP-PEN Artist 22 Pen Display.
Now the XP-PEN Artist 22 is a serious pen display.
As amazing as that is, the only downside is that
it's not cheap and takes up a lot more room on your desk.
The XP-PEN Artist 22 is great for dedicated illustrators
and artists who may be using the product on a daily basis.
But what about us designers
who don't need a dedicated display
and want something a bit more nimble and portable?
Well, if you're someone who uses a regular pen tablet
and likes the idea of getting that extra screen
and connection to your work.
And don't want to commit to a larger display
and price point, I think you're going to really like
this new product by XP-Pen.
So join me as I introduce you to the ultimate sidekick
to your laptop, so let's get into it.
So here I have the Artist 12 Pen Display,
second generation by XP-Pen.
This is a nice little display and comes in HD 1920 by 1080
with a wide color gamut of 127% sRGB.
Now I'm about to show you just how nimble this thing is.
But before that, I have to talk about
the price point right off the bat.
Because this is what sets it apart
from most of the competition.
Right now this product is retailing
for $250 American dollars.
Which when you compare it to the Artist 22 display
and products like the iPad and the Surface tablet,
it's less than half the price.
And for what you get in the box, it's really good value.
So let's take a quick look at an unboxing.
So the packaging for this product
is really nice with a premium feel.
Inside the box you have this nice protective layer here,
which when removed reveals a display nicely packaged.
Included in the box, you have
the three in one USB-C cable connection.
This comes with a USB extension cable
and the three in one HDMI to USB-C cable.
Now with the Artist 12, second gen,
it comes with the all-new X3 Elite stylus,
which is battery free, lightweight
and feels really nice in the hand.
Next, we have a pack which contains the manual,
additional nibs, a cleaning cloth and a neat drawing glove.
Now it's worth mentioning that the Artist 12, second gen
is available in four vibrant colors.
Black, green, blue and pink.
Though here I went with the black version,
which I think is really slick.
So with the wrapping removed, my first impression is that
the tablet feels well-made, lightweight.
The buttons have a nice press to them.
And the display has a nice rubber coating,
which sits nicely on most surfaces.
Overall, a good build quality.
So let's take a look at this in action.
So the screen itself works like
a sidekick to your main display.
So you can either clone or extend the desktop.
Now one of the coolest things about this display
are the eight buttons on the side.
These can be programmed inside the XP-Pen software
to initiate a range of commands
from assigning mouse controls, entering into precision mode,
launching applications to assigning
your own keyboard commands and actions,
which is really handy.
And you can even add different profiles.
So you can program the buttons for specific commands
within specific programs, which is really handy.
Now one of my favorite ones here was assigning
the switch monitor command.
This enables you to jump from the pen display to the monitor
in a single click when using it in extended desktop mode.
This allows the tablet screen to also work as a pen tablet
for your computer or laptop monitor as well, allowing
the entire tablet display to work for each monitor.
So you don't have to share the display across two screens,
which makes for a much more comfortable experience.
Now unlike the Artist 22 display,
this is a much lighter and more nimble screen,
which makes it much easier to chuck
in your backpack and commute with.
And especially a lot easier to move around your desk.
This made it really easy to change positions when
I was working in a variety of instances on the fly.
When I was not using the pen display, I could simply mount
it on this easy stand next to my laptop, which makes
the tablet an extra display.
Though when using it, it's out comfortably
in front of the laptop.
And if I wanted to switch to some text heavy work,
I simply pushed it forward and propped it up
in front of my laptop like so,
which actually proved to be the main position I kept it in.
Simply swapping the monitor arrangement on my computer
made it really easy to navigate with the mouse
when I was not using the pen.
Now I have this nice laptop stand here to raise the screen
off the desk to maintain good posture,
which made it really easy to rest the screen on, easy.
Now what's really nice about this tablet is it
has this nice rubber edge, which enables it to grip nicely
so there is no slippage.
This makes the display versatile and comfortable to use,
especially when propping it up and moving it around.
So the display comes in HD with 127% sRGB wide color gamut
and a node 0.6 millimeter retraction distance.
The screen is vivid clear and the surface of the screen
is really nice too with full lamination.
Now when comparing this to the iPad Pro in Sidecar mode,
the iPad does have a taller screen.
However when it comes to drawing,
I'd say the experience is pretty much equal.
So if you're looking for an experience on par
with the Apple iPad inside car mode at a quarter
of the price, this display tablet
is seriously worth considering.
The XP-Pen works and feels very similar.
So what about the stylus?
So with the Artist 12, second gen, you get
the all new X3 Elite stylus, which is said
to dramatically enhance your sensory experience.
The X-3 is battery free and never needs charging,
allowing for hours of uninterrupted drawing.
The steady nib ensures a stable performance.
And powered by the X3 smart chip without
the spring mechanism, the stylus performs better than any
other existing XP-Pen stylus.
And with its 8,192 pressure sensitivity levels
and a 60 degree tilt function, you will have easy,
intuitive control while creating artwork.
Now as someone who spends a lot of time drawing on paper,
I like drawing with pens and pencils for precision.
And with this stylist, I was actually pretty happy.
It's not too chunky and comes with the standard two buttons,
which can easily be programmed.
When drawing lines there is a small amount of lag
but not too much to spoil the experience.
Now I'll admit that the stylist here may not
be quite as slick as the Apple pencil.
However as styluses go,
I found it really comfortable to use.
So to use a display is pretty straight forward.
To connect the display, you can either use
the provided three in one USB-C cable connection
or a USB-C supporting display port,
which is sold separately.
This display supports Windows, Linux
and Mac and is compatible
with all industry standard creative software tools.
Installing the software drivers
from the XP-Pen website was pretty easy.
And once installed, you can calibrate the stylus
and tweak the properties of the stylus to your preference.
Calibrating the stylus is quite easy
and programming the eight buttons is also simple
where you can choose a range of functions.
Now onto the important bits.
So I have been using this display for the past couple
of weeks and I have to say for me, it's a wicked sidekick.
Now from someone who spends a lot of time drawing on paper,
I personally cannot stand drawing on glass
with a big space between the pen and the screen,
which is far removed from the natural experience
of drawing on paper with all that reflection and glare.
On this display the screen has full lamination
to minimize both parallax and screen glare.
And I was impressed by how close the pen is to the screen,
which provides far more accuracy and feels more
like a natural drawing experience.
This is a screen you're going to get really close
to when you're drawing.
And I think the size is just right
to accommodate the HD display.
It looks smooth and there is no obvious pixelation.
Drawing on this is really smooth.
It has a bit of resistance so the pen does not slide
around too much, which I have to say made
for a comfortable drawing experience.
I found the Artist 12, second gen to be a perfect fit
for the desk and lightweight to move around,
which works really well as part of a seamless workflow.
For the most part, I had it propped up against my laptop,
just in front of my keyboard.
I just love how the display can work
as more than just a tablet.
As an extra monitor on the fly to extend your screen space
and use within the programs
should you switch to using the mouse.
I found myself using it to control my music,
watch YouTube videos and as an extra screen
to show reference material as I worked on my design project.
With the swap monitor feature, you can still use it
as a tablet on your main screen while there
is something completely different below.
To simply control the screen again, press the button
to swap monitors and boom, really easy.
Now the three in one USB-C cable does get a bit messy
as there are a lot of cables and ports you need to cater to.
I would note that getting the single USB display cable
is a must for this display.
I used a single USB-C to USB-C supporting display cable,
which took care of the lot, which is pretty cool if
you're rolling with a USB-C Mac or Windows machine.
Because all it requires is this one cable.
So no dongles and a less cluttered workspace.
Now one thing I was a little disappointed with
is that it does not come with a stand.
I think it would have been nice if they had built
a mini kickstand or little legs just to prop up
the screen from the flat desk a little.
To do this I had to use a book to get
the right comfortable angle.
And I also propped it up on my laptop stand,
which also worked well.
Now there is a stand from XP-Pen, which you can get,
but that comes at an additional price,
which is sold separately.
Now the screen size is nice.
However at a 16 by 9 ratio, when drawing it can
sometimes feel a little claustrophobic.
When you compare it to the iPad with the taller screen,
which feels more like a piece of paper,
it does not feel right to have
a drawing surface at 16 by 9.
This is a typical screen size.
Granted, it looks nice when you extend the desktop
but surely this is a drawing tool first,
not a monitor display.
So I would assume they should have prioritized
the drawing experience over conforming
to a classic screen aspect ratio.
So I would have liked a larger height to width ratio
like the iPad and with smaller bezels.
Also it would have been nice to have had
some sort of magnetic strip on the side of the screen
to stick the pen to or some sort of rubber ring.
The pen is loose and there is no way to put it
when you're not using it.
It just loses itself on the desk.
Now putting all that aside,
it's really fun to sketch on this thing.
After a few hours, you really get a feel for it.
For this review, I found it a lot of fun adding texture
to my letter forms using the stylus functionality.
This is just something I would have not been able
to achieve so smoothly with a mouse.
I love how in Photoshop I can turn on
the pressure sensitive function, draw and get nice,
tapered ends and control the pressure
of the brush application.
Using the stylus there is a heightened sense of control
and connection to the work.
You can really finesse the effects
as opposed to using a mouse.
Overall, I found it to be a much more natural experience.
Now as a designer, workflow is really important to me.
If I'm working on the desktop, I don't like breaking my flow
and jumping onto other devices.
And especially using alternative apps with different UI.
I found using this display was
a seamless part of my mobile setup.
Not only is it right there in the perfect position
to work with, but I can jump from
my mouse to the stylus in a second
And use the tools and features of my main apps perfectly
on the same device.
It's just really easy.
Drawing on this thing was also a breeze.
I didn't notice any considerable lag, which didn't interfere
with my flow and the space between the glass
and the screen is barely noticeable.
So it did not impact on my drawing experience at all.
So in conclusion, I'd say the Artist 12 display is perfect
for us designers who may not be full-time illustrators.
But like to use a pen tablet to both control our computer
and add more human qualities to our work.
This is not just in nice tablet but also a nimble monitor
you can get to extend your desktop.
So if you are a designer who uses a conventional tablet
and wants to take it to the next level
and add an extra screen to your setup
at a reasonable price point, I would recommend investing
in the Artist 12, second gen.
This thing is nimble, lightweight and highly maneuverable.
You can just throw it in your bag
and connect it at a moment's notice.
Perfect for students, freelancers and creatives on the go.
If you don't have a drawing tablet or maybe you do
and want to upgrade the screen
and you're looking for one at a low budget,
I'd recommend this one as it's amazing for a first starter.
The entry specs are great and it's great value.
So those are my thoughts on the new Artist 12 Pen Display,
second generation by X-P Pen.
So what do you think?
Would you see yourself using a display like this?
Be sure to let me know what you think in the comments below.
And if you want to learn more about this display,
you can check for links in the description.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this video.
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Until then have fun guys and I'll see you next time.
(upbeat music)