- I'm Aaron Rutten and today I'm reviewing
the 2021 version of the Wacom Cintiq Pro 16.
This is a top-of-the-line graphics tablet
with a built-in display you can draw directly onto.
In this review, I'll explain the new features,
make a test painting with the Cintiq Pro 16,
and I'll give you my overall opinion of the device.
Wacom sent me this device unconditionally
for review purposes.
All opinions in this video are my own.
Also, the unit I have been sent is pre-production,
but I'm told its very close to the final product.
The 2021 version of the Cintiq Pro 16
is a refresh of the previous generation
which was released around 2016 or so.
Wacom took a lot of the feedback from users
and used it to improve upon the device.
Let's start with a quick overview of the key features
that have not changed since 2016.
The 2021 Cintiq Pro 16 still has a 4K Resolution.
It comes with the Pro Pen 2 which has 8,192 pressure levels.
You can also use other Wacom Pens like the Pro Pen Slim
or the Art Pen, which supports barrel rotation.
The display is made from etched glass
with optical bonding to greatly reduce parallax.
There is a Kensington mini-lock slot.
And the device is compatible with both PC and Mac.
The accessories included are:
one USB-A to USB-C cable, one USB-C to USB-C cable,
one HDMI cable, and one power brick and power cable.
The cables are not super long,
but long enough to connect to a desktop
that is very near your desk.
Most certainly, it will do for a laptop,
but if you use a standing desk like I do,
you may want to pick up some longer cables
from the thrift store.
While I like the design aesthetic and convenience
of Wacom's all-in-one cables, once you break one,
the attraction fades.
I broke the HDMI connection on the cable to my Wacom One,
it was completely my fault,
and I had to replace the entire cable
rather than replacing just the HDMI cable.
So, although they are not as tidy,
I think the individual non-proprietary cables
are less wasteful.
This tablet also comes with instructions,
a two-year warranty in the US, and a weighted pen stand
which can be opened to reveal six standard nibs
and four felt nibs,
which have more of a marker feel to them.
With the one in the pen, that's a total of 14 nibs.
The build, weight, and size are all about the same
so as you can see, the core features of this device
are pretty much unchanged.
Now let's take a look at what's new.
The most noticeable new features are the eight Express Keys
that are included on this model.
Located on the back of the tablet,
there are four buttons on each side.
These buttons can be programmed
to activate shortcuts and other commands.
The idea here is to allow you to press the keys
where your hands will be holding the tablet.
Personally, I find the buttons
to be in kind of an awkward position.
I'm struggling to understand how this is ergonomic.
The keys are too close to the edge, which doesn't feel like
it would be a very comfortable hand position long-term.
As you can see, the legs prevent the keys
from moving any farther in,
so I'd move the Express Keys down a bit
and then over toward the back.
I'd make them flat
but maybe a bit inset like the keys on the Intuos.
If you just pinch one key at a time,
the placement isn't too bad,
but my second gripe is that you have to feel the buttons,
which isn't difficult
because they're elevated quite far off the surface,
but that means you have to keep all four fingers there.
If the Express Keys
have to be on the very edge of the tablet,
then there really should be some LED
or at least markings on the side of the tablet
to show you where each key is
so you don't have to rely on feel.
You could put a few stickers on there yourself I suppose.
That's not to mention that it's impossible
to have your hands on all eight keys,
while simultaneously drawing on the tablet.
Although, you can still press the keys
while holding the pen.
If you need more than eight buttons,
you can purchase the optional Wacom Express Key Remote.
There's no way to dock it to the Cintiq Pro 16,
but I'd recommend upgrading to the remote.
I think these Express Keys
are a little too clunky for my taste
but better than nothing and certainly useful
for invoking Display Toggle and On-Screen Keys.
The location and style of the pen holder has been changed.
Instead of being located on the top of the tablet,
it's now on the sides.
You can move the holder to either side
depending on your handedness.
Although, the holder does block the Express Keys a bit.
Not as much when the pen is removed,
but If I were using the Express Keys often,
I wouldn't have the holder attached.
Rather than the plastic and metal pen holder
that was on the previous generation,
this one is a fabric sleeve with an attached nib holder
hiding three spare nibs.
This is the same pen holder you see
on the non-pro Cintiq 16 and 22.
I'm pleased to see a refresh
of the multi-touch on Wacom's devices.
Touch has come a long way.
Early multi-touch was very inconsistent
and I would rarely use it.
The Cintiq 27 QHD I use currently has pretty decent touch,
however, it does glitch out sometimes,
so usually I keep it disabled until I need it.
I haven't tested it extensively,
but the new multi-touch feels much more responsive.
The motion appears smoother
and the movement of the canvas is less choppy.
Panning and zooming feel much improved,
but rotation feels a lot different.
I'm used to using one hand to rotate,
but it feels like it now takes repeated gestures
to get a full rotation.
However, if I use two hands, it rotates very smoothly.
If this is how it is, I can probably get used to it,
but what I would prefer is a more sensitive rotation
or at least a setting to control rotation sensitivity
so that I can make it feel more responsive.
In the Wacom Tablet Properties,
there is also an option to use Wacom or Windows Gestures.
The Cintiq Pro 16 features a physical switch
on the top-edge of the bezel
for enabling and disabling multi-touch.
There is a bit of a delay
so the switch just triggers the Touch On/Off command
like an Express Key would.
Once you do this, the Wacom Tablet Properties
give you the option to either Disable All Touch Input
or Disable Touch Input except for On-Screen Controls.
On-Screen Controls are buttons that are on-screen
rather than physical.
This switch is a nice addition
because then you don't have to waste an Express Key
on that function.
The Cintiq Pro 16 is slightly brighter
and more color accurate than its predecessor
at 98% of Adobe RGB.
That puts it on-par with the larger Cintiq Pros.
The Cintiq Pro 16 can be connected as a display
through HDMI or USB-C,
if your computer supports DisplayPort Alt Mode
or Thunderbolt 3.
The USB-C connection only requires a single USB cable.
If you're connecting the display through HDMI,
you'll also need to connect
an additional USB-A or USB-C cable
for the data transmission.
My computer was a little picky about which USB port I used,
but I got it working.
Unfortunately, you can't both connect and power the device
with a single USB cable.
No Wacom Link or adapters are included,
but you can for example,
use an adapter to convert DVI to HDMI,
although, that may reduce the display resolution
to 2560x1440 or lower.
I had to make sure to connect it
directly to HDMI on my video card
to get the full 4K resolution.
HDMI 2.0 or later is required for 4K.
The Cintiq Pro 16 has built-in folding legs
that put the tablet at a slight 20 degree incline.
I happen to prefer drawing with my tablet more upright,
so these legs never quite do it for me.
One of the small features that I'm really happy to see
is the VESA mounting holes on the back of the device.
This allows you to attach your display to a monitor arm
like an Ergotron.
The older generation lacked this feature
and instead had a clunky three-position stand.
I recall dozens of people selling
their own sketchy-looking hand-made VESA mounting systems.
Wacom offers an optional adjustable stand
for the Cintiq Pro 16 which connects to the VESA mount.
I'd go ahead an pick that up
if you don't like hunching over while you're drawing.
And the last new feature I will mention
is that the cables do not contain PVC.
Because we need to conserve that for pants.
You know because of covid.
But also it's harmful to the environment.
Now that we've looked at all of the features,
let's see how the device performs for digital art.
For the most part, you can expect that a Wacom Pro Pen 2
is going to perform pretty much the same
across any of the devices that support it.
For example, the lines I draw
aren't going to be unintentionally wobbly.
Unlike many of their competitors,
Wacom's not wasting anyone's time
with a sub-par pen and drawing experience.
And as a reviewer,
I appreciate when things just work right out of the box.
One thing that is sort of drawing related
is the noise that the fans make.
They're definitely audible
compared to my Cintiq 27 QHD Touch which is near silent.
Something about these newer Cintiqs are noisier
and I don't like that
as someone who records what I'm drawing.
The Cintiq Pro 16 is $1,499.95.
If that sounds a little bit outside of your price range,
you can get a display tablet like this
for far less than $1,500.
The Wacom One is only $399
and although it has fewer features and a smaller display,
it still offers a great on-screen drawing experience.
At $1,199, there is also the Cintiq 22
which is quite a bit larger
and it comes with an adjustable stand,
although the screen resolution is lower at only 1080p.
I'll discuss some of the differences
between the Cintiq Pro and the non-Pro models in just a bit.
If you want to spend a bit more for a larger display,
you can get the non-touch version
of the Cintiq Pro 24 for $1,995,
but then you're probably going to want an Ergotron Arm
or a stand which can be another $200 to $500 on top of that.
I don't know if there will eventually be a 13-inch model
of the Cintiq Pro
like there was with the previous generation,
but that could be a bit cheaper as well.
So who is the Cintiq Pro 16 for?
Ultimately, I think it just comes down to size preference.
The price of the Cintiq Pro 16
is probably overkill for most hobbyists,
so it will most likely be professionals buying this.
If you want the best display tablet on the market,
but don't have the desk space
for one of the larger Cintiq Pros,
then this is the next best option.
It really does look and feel
like the larger Cintiq Pros, only smaller.
Just as well, if you're a student
and you want the same quality device
as the industry professionals use,
the Cintiq Pros will give you the same performance at home
as you are used to at school.
Wacom has some confusing product names
so I don't blame you if you get the Cintiq Pro 16
mixed up with the regular old Cintiq 16.
So next, I'll really quickly list
some of the key differences
between the Pro and non-Pro Cintiq 16 and 22.
The Pro version of the Cintiq 16
has a higher display resolution,
more accurate color representation, built-in Express Keys,
multi-touch, an etched glass surface,
and it can be connected to your computer
through USB-C in addition to HDMI.
The only advantage the Cintiq 16 has over the Pro 16
is that it has better protection for the cables
where they attach to the display.
There is a little compartment you have to open
which keeps the cables from getting broken
at the connection points.
The cables feel like they are attached firmly,
but they do wiggle a bit.
I'm sure the compartment was probably scrapped
in order to make the design thinner.
Plus the compartment makes it more time-consuming
to take apart if you want to your tablet to be portable.
Both the Cintiq 16 and the Cintiq Pro 16 have folding legs,
but as I mentioned earlier,
the Cintiq 22 comes with the built-in stand.
Before I wrap up this review,
I think it would be fun to speculate
on what clues the updates to the Cintiq Pro 16 might give us
to the next generation of larger Cintiq Pro 24 and 32s.
For the record, I don't have any insider information
about upcoming Wacom products,
I'm just making educated guesses.
At first, I was expecting the refreshed Cintiq Pro 16
would feature an 8K resolution.
This signaled to me
that perhaps the next large-format Cintiq Pros
are either not going to be 8K
or they aren't coming for a while longer.
There was about a two-year gap
between the first generation Cintiq Pro 16
and the Cintiq Pro 24,
and that was before all of the worldwide supply chain issues
we're having now.
But as my eyes were struggling to see much of a difference
between HD and 4K on such a small screen,
I realized that 8K would probably be overkill
for a small 16-inch screen like this,
so perhaps we will see a Cintiq 24 or 32 with an 8K display
since you can better appreciate the resolution
at larger scales.
Even better would be a 27-inch model.
A higher resolution certainly would be a feature
that would differentiate the larger Cintiq Pros
from the smaller ones.
What seems the least likely
is that there will be a similar refresh
of the larger Cintiq Pros.
I can't see built-in Express Keys
as being much of a reason to upgrade
since the Express Key Remote is a better option
and it's included with the current Cintiq Pro 24 and 32.
Improved multi-touch would be welcome,
but most everything else that was added
to the refreshed Cintiq Pro 16
already exists in the current Cintiq Pro 24 and 32.
While it's not as substantial of an upgrade
as I had initially expected,
I think it's great that Wacom has used user feedback
to improve upon the design of Cintiq Pro 16.
If you're looking for a top-of-the-line
16-inch display tablet,
I highly recommend the Cintiq Pro 16.
That's it for this review.
For more drawing tablet reviews and digital art videos,
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Thanks for watching and I'll see you next time.