2022 mini-review of the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite – still great for digital art beginners on a budget

It’s February 2022 and at last I’m able to get my paws on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite for a quick review. So far it has met my expectations, and does a pretty solid job as an entry-level standalone drawing tablet. And if you can find it priced closer to $200, that’s unbeatable value. I did have a couple of issues in the testing but I’ll get to that in a bit.

Galaxy Tab S6 Lite Specs

You get some decent specs on the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite that make it a suitable option for beginner digital artists or hobbyists. These specs are for the 2020 model I used.

• Display size: 10.4″ TFT LCD
• Resolution: 1200 x 2000px (~224ppi)
• Chipset 2020: Exynos 9611
  OR
  Chipset 2022: Snapdragon
• RAM: 4GB
• Storage: 64GB, also available in 128GB
• Weight: 467g or 1.03 lb

For full spec sheet of the 2022 version, check out the listing on GSMArena here.

Drawing with the S6 Lite

The drawing experience on the Tab S6 Lite (2020) is really good. With basic tools in most apps, the performance is great. More advanced users who like to work on larger canvas sizes and with more complex tools and textures might hit the device’s limits fairly quickly. But for beginners, this is perfect.

I did run into very occasional crashes drawing in different apps and this can happen when you have a lot of large layers. Thankfully some apps are quite clear about how many layers your device can handle (generally based on RAM) and even limit you going over a certain number.

For some, the tablet will work better as a sort of digital sketchbook that you can take with you on the go, and then save the more professional work for when you get back to your computer.

Drawing with the S Pen

The pressure sensitivity is very smooth and the palm rejection works well enough. You never have to worry about your pen running out of juice either because the S Pen that comes with S6 Lite it is not an active pen. There is no battery inside it.

When you zip off to make another cup of coffee, you can just magnetically clip your pen to the side of the tablet.

Coming from the iPad Pro, the S Pen feels very different from the Apple Pencil 2. The S Pen is much lighter and a bit thinner, and I found that the button on the side got pressed quite a lot unintentionally. That’s not a big deal, as you can deactivate it.

Android Drawing Apps for the Tab S6 Lite

My favorite app while putting together this brief review of the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite was Infinite Painter. This app gives you the closest drawing experience to Procreate if you are looking for something like that on Android. It’s rich in features and tools but has a really clean interface that lets even a complete beginner jump in and paint without getting overwhelmed.

If you want to see some other options worth checking out, take a look at this piece I wrote for Android Police recently about the 8 best apps for drawing and painting on Android.

Clip Studio Paint is another popular option for Samsung tablets, and even Krita which is designed for PC. To get the most out of these on your Tab S6 Lite, I recommend a compact wireless keyboard so that you can take advantage of the keyboard shortcuts in these apps.

Use it as a drawing tablet on your pc?

The 2020 Galaxy Tab S6 Lite doesn’t not have Samsung’s Second Screen feature but there are other ways to get this from your tablet. EasyCanvas turns your Galaxy Tab into a drawing tablet for your computer much like the Artist series from XPPEN. It supports the S pen so you will still get the pressure and tilt sensitivity. I’m actually pretty impressed with how this works, even over WiFi if you have a strong network.

SuperDisplay is another app that enables this but EasyCanvas gives a bit more room for customizability.

Should you buy the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite?

The Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is versatile standalone entry level tablet and a great choice for digital drawing, especially if you are on a tight budget and don’t want to go the Apple route. It’s price is hard to beat when you consider that the S Pen is an included accessory. Just be sure to pick up the 2022 version with the Snapdragon chip inside.

If you have a little more to spend, it’s worth keeping an eye out for other Galaxy Tabs on special like the S7 FE which would give you roughly the same performance, but a larger screen area of 12.4″.

If your budget is limited though, the S6 Lite will still serve you well as you begin your digital art journey and develop your skills.

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