Wacom has refreshed their One range of drawing tablets aimed at beginners and artists on the move. The brand has typically been the choice of professionals, but the first generation Wacom One display tablet was their entry-level drawing tablet with screen hitting a more affordable price point for those starting out who still wanted the brand quality. They’ve now added a 12-inch version, and brought 10-finger multitouch to their 13-inch model, as well as two screenless tablets, through their Wacom One line of products. The touch capability on this particular tablet is what sets it a step above others in this size range, so let’s review the Wacom One 13 Touch.
Important: the Wacom One 13 Touch is not a standalone device. It MUST be plugged into a computer or a compatible Android phone to work. If you are looking for an affordable standalone device, check out my review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE.
Another note: Wacom did not ask for this review. The device was provided to me through my place of work.
This post may contain affiliate links that I could earn a commission from should you purchase through them. This helps me to keep dedicating more time and resources to the website.
Overall
+ Compact
+ Single cable connection
+ 10-finger Multitouch
– Only 1920 x 1080 resolution
– Price can be a bit high for beginner
PRICE: ~ US$600
Box contents
The box contents of the Wacom One 13 Touch vary a little bit depending on how and where you’re purchasing from. When you’re buying from the Wacom e-store, you can choose things like your pen and cables. Buying from retailers and marketplaces like Amazon may provide a full bundle.
- Wacom One display tablet – DTH134
- Wacom One Standard Pen – CP92303B2Z
- Pen nibs and remover
- 2x USB-C cables
- power adapters
Specs overview
Tablet size: 33.6 x 22.2 x 1.15cm / 13.2 x 8.7 x 0.5in
Display size active area: 13.3″
Display resolution: FHD 1920 x 1080
Color gamut: 99% Adobe sRGB
Touch: 10-finger multitouch
Pen pressure: 4096 levels
Tilt: Yes
Weight: 0.93kg / 2.05lbs
The tablet
Body
The body of the Wacom One is largely a sturdy plastic covering the back and sides, and glass on the top right to the edges. The bezels are quite big (relative to an iPad’s), which I prefer on a smaller tablet like this. There’s enough room for your hand to rest without falling off the side as you move toward the edge of the tablet.
Along the top you’ll find a fabric hoop to slide your pen into. Then on one end will be your two USB-C ports, while on the other are the buttons for power, display settings, and a switch for toggling touch input.
On the underside, each corner has a round rubber foot to minimize slipping when lying flat.
Display
The display is 13.3″ with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. For this size, the Full-HD resolution is perfectly good. The image is sharp and the colours are strong. You can expect a 99% sRGB coverage.
On my laptop, the display scale of the extended display was automatically set to 150% and the UI of painting apps was uncomfortably big. After adjusting down to 100% in my Windows display settings, everything looked much better.
Connecting it
When choosing the custom order route through Wacom’s e-store, you can then decide which cable arrangement works best for you. If you are unsure, check out their product page in the Identifying your USB-C Ports section.
If you have Thunderbolt or a USB-C port that has Power Deliver and DisplayPort, then you only need a single USB-C cable which is included in the box. It definitely makes a difference only relying on a single cable for connection. My only [minor] complaint is that this is not an L-shaped connector.
There are two USB-C ports on the tablet and you can use either one if you only need a single cable. The setting panel gives you the option to select your input source: USB-C L or R. I was able to easily connect both a Macbook and my gaming laptop to each port and easily switch connections between them.
The Wacom One Standard Pen
The pen is a sturdy plastic that is quite light. Of course, as a more entry-level device, the Wacom One Standard Pen doesn’t feel as good as the Pro Pen 2, but certainly good enough.
It has 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity which is plenty. Some brands like to boast about a wider pressure range but I feel like this is generally unnecessary having worked comfortably with older Wacom tablets that only have ~1000 levels. You also get tilt recognition up to 60 degrees.
The Wacom One pen is also battery-free and cordless, so there’s no need for charging. This is pretty standard for drawing tablets today. It’s powered by Wacom’s EMR (electro-magnetic resonance) technology. You’ll find this in Samsung’s S Pen as well.
There is no eraser on the back of the Wacom One pen but it’s not something you’ll really miss. If you erase a lot, you can set one of the pen buttons to switch tools.
There are two buttons along the side which are fully customizable to assign keyboard keys, modifiers, mouse clicks, or preset functions.
It’s normal for pen nibs to wear down, especially on tablets that have a bit of texture to the surface. You get five extra pen nibs and nib remover so that you can quickly switch out when you need to. Additional pen nibs can be purchased separately.
Wacom One Pen alternatives
There are a few alternatives to the standard Wacom One pen. Some of these are available on the Wacom e-store that you can select from during the order process.
The Samsung S Pen is also compatible. Out of the box, I prefer the response and feel of the S Pen on the Wacom One. The pressure levels are the same, but I feel like I have better control of light strokes with the S Pen.
Wacom One driver
Before you get started with drawing, you will need to download the appropriate driver for the tablet from Wacom website. It’s all really quick and straightforward. Simply go to http://Start.Wacom.One and follow all the instructions. Once installed, you’ll have two new applications on your system: Wacom Center and Wacom Tablet Properties.
The Wacom Center is a sort of hub where you can access some settings but also find resources to get you started and comfortable with your new device.
Your tablet settings
In the Wacom Tablet Properties application, you’ll be able to adjust a range of settings on the Wacom One. This includes things like what your pen buttons do, and the actions assigned with different touch gestures. When it comes to pen pressure, you only get a tip feel slider and not a full pressure curve.
If you want different settings for different applications, you can create a custom profile for each, which is always nifty.
While there aren’t any tablet buttons available to customize, you can create your own on-screen menus that can be activated by either touch gestures or your pen buttons.
The display settings
The middle button on the top right of the tablet opens a menu to adjust the actual display settings, like the brightness, colour mode, etc. You can also switch input sources if you have two devices connected to your tablet.
Wacom One Multitouch
The addition of the 10-finger multi-touch here is a welcome feature and it’s a big contributor to the higher price tag. It does make working on the Wacom One Touch 13 feel more intuitive, especially if you’re used to handling something like an iPad or Galaxy Tab. Even outside of drawing, being able to scroll through an article by swiping a finger rather than my mouse-wheel feels more normal to me.
As mentioned in the previous section, you can assign different actions to your touch gestures. For example, I was using four-finger slide up and down to adjust my brush size by setting the appropriate keystroke to the gesture.
The multi-touch is quite sensitive though in certain apps, and I had quite a few more accidental movements and marks than I’m used to with an iPad. So, occasionally I wondered if it is more of a nuisance and better left turned off, but what a pity to disable one of the main features of the tablet. Using a drawing glove with some extra padding along the side of the hand makes a SIGNIFICANT difference. I do still occasionally get some accidental taps, but overall, the tablet is much more enjoyable with the right glove.
It’s important to note that not all drawing gloves offer give improved palm rejection. Most don’t. You will have to look for this specifically. I use this glove which I picked up from Shopee in Malaysia and it works really well.
If you tend to draw without resting your hand on the tablet much and only the pen is making contact, you may not have much of an issue with this.
Customizing your touch gestures
In the Wacom Tablet Properties panel, there is a dedicated section to change your touch gesture settings. These can be set to activate keystrokes or bring up custom on-screen menus.
An important thing to note about Windows devices is that they do not support the Standard Gestures tab in the Wacom settings for customizing one- and two-finger gestures on display devices.
A missing feature – a stand
The Wacom One 13 Touch does not come with a stand. You can purchase one separately either from Wacom or a third party. I thought this was a bit of a strange design choice considering that the first gen Wacom One display had build-in fold-out legs.
What stand do I use?
Thankfully, the tablet fits perfectly in my SSKY X38 stand that I got from Shopee for my 12.9″ iPad Pro. It’s similar to the HoverBar Duo from Twelve. This type of stand works better in my opinion for two reasons:
- Better range of drawing angles;
- Can be adjusted to fully upright and elevated position for use as an extended display when tackling other, non-drawing tasks.
The downside with a stand like this is that it is heavy and adds a lot to my bag when traveling with my tablet. It is ideal for a more fixed desk setup though.
Drawing and Painting with the Wacom One
Line quality
Overall, the line quality and pressure response was acceptable. I did however find it difficult at first to get neat, controlled light lines. The initial activation and low-pressure response certainly isn’t as good as the Pro Pen 2 with the Intuos Pro, but that is a device in their Pro range and would expect better quality from it.
I personally found it better to adjust the pen tip feel a notch toward the Firm side. Doing this improves the my control of the line weight and reduces any sudden and dramatic changes in the thickness of my lines.
I didn’t notice any wobble when using a ruler to draw a slow diagonal line and with my stabilizer setting disabled.
Something to keep in mind is that some apps will have a specific pressure curve set for their different brushes which you can customize in the brush settings. So while the Wacom Tablet Properties gives you a much simpler pressure setting, you may be able to make more tweaks in your app of choice to suit your preferences.
Apps used during the Wacom One Review
Bundled in with Your Wacom One will be some pretty neat software to try out. I worked with two of these options primarily: Magma and Clip Studio Paint.
Magma
Magma is a collaborative, browser-based drawing app that lets you draw with your friends and colleagues on the same canvas. The app has seen a lot of new features added since it’s launch in 2021, making it easier for teams to work together. You’ll get 3 months free Blaze subscription when registering your Wacom One.
I did find that the touch sensitivity was a bit too strong in Magma at times. This caused a lot of accidental marks and movements on my canvas. But with some tweaks to Magma’s settings, I could reduce that a bit.
Clip Studio Paint
Clip Studio Paint is another popular software option for both computer and mobile, and for good reason. It’s great for people drawing comics and also has animation capabilities. You’ll also get a six-month Pro license to give you a proper test of it.
Accessories to consider for the Wacom One 13 Touch
A stand – like the TwelveSouth HoverBar Duo2 to get that tablet up at a more comfortable drawing angle;
A shortcut remote – a small wireless keyboard next to or in front of your tablet should do the trick, but perhaps you want something more compact like the Wacom ExpressKeys (review incoming);
a drawing glove – for smother movement across your drawing tablet, get a palm-rejection one;
A pen stand – if your tablet stand blocks your pen strap along the top of the tablet.
Who is it for?
I’d recommend the Wacom One 13 Touch for the beginner where there’s a little bit more of a budget to play with. An artist that travels a fair amount and needs a compact option to take with them could also put this to good use.
Considering the price and the size, you could pick up a fairly decent standalone device. So, it really depends on your needs. The Galaxy Tab S9FE Plus offers a 12.4″ display, but can be far more practical for someone on the move who is only doing drawing or painting. And it can be used as a drawing tablet with your PC too.
But…
Screen real estate is valuable, and Wacom makes a solid product. So for someone who doesn’t necessarily need the portability, but still wants the touch features in a compact device while editing photos, painting, animating or sculpting, then the Wacom One 13 Touch is a great option.
If you like what you see…
