As the gold standard for art tablet hardware, Wacom’s products are ubiquitous at studios worldwide. Despite this, there has been a long-standing gap in their offerings between the Intuos tablet line and the Cintiq pen displays: the former are affordable but lack a built-in display, while the latter are prohibitively expensive for hobbyists, students, and smaller studios.
Wacom is looking to bridge that gap with their latest release: the new 16.6-inch Cintiq 16, aimed at “professionals, students, and enthusiasts on the brink of something big.” It comes with the same Pro Pen 2 Stylus as the Pro models, retaining the familiar 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity. Priced at $650, the Cintiq 16 is $150 less than the Cintiq Pro 13, and a whopping $850 less than the similarly-sized Cintiq Pro 16.
Some corners inevitably had to be cut to lower pricing. The Cintiq 16 offers a significantly lower-quality screen than the Pro version, supporting only a 1920x1080 resolution (compared with the 3840x2160 supported by the Cintiq Pro 16). It also takes a hit to color gamut (72% NTSC, compared with 94% Adobe RGB), and screen brightness (210 cd/m2), though contrast ratio and viewing angle range are the same. The Cintiq 16 is also substantially heavier than the Pro version, weighing in at over 4 lbs (1.9kg).
The Cintiq 16’s specifications put it in line with other lower-end pen display solutions such as the Huion Kamvas (the Cintiq 16 costs $70 more than the most comparable Huion product). Despite the higher price point than its competitors, Wacom’s reputation for quality hardware makes it an exciting option for artists on a budget.
The Cintiq 16 is available on the Wacom online store as of this writing. If you have questions about pen displays, tablets, and which product might be best for your facility, reach out to Nodal!