When comparing Wacom Intuos Pro Medium vs Wacom Cintiq 13HD, the Slant community recommends Wacom Cintiq 13HD for most people. In the question“What are the best graphics tablets?” Wacom Cintiq 13HD is ranked 2nd while Wacom Intuos Pro Medium is ranked 4th. The most important reason people chose Wacom Cintiq 13HD is:
The Cintiq 13HD's 16.7m color screen is capable of rendering vivid life-like images. This combines with an excellent resolution of 1920 x 1080 to make it a tool more than capable of handling the delicate and precise needs of illustrative work.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Good build quality
This tablet feels like a truly solid premium item that won't break anytime soon.
Pro Enjoyable user experience
The Wacom Intuos Pro feels very natural when drawing. It takes no time in detecting everything that's drawn and it really makes users feel as if they are drawing on a physical medium. In fact, sketchers have the option of covering the tablet with a sheet of paper and drawing directly on it, while the tablet simultaneously takes the digital input, thus enabling the tablet to be used without a computer or screen. The whole philosophy of this tablet is to emulate drawing on paper. For example, it is capable of making different layers or changing to the next page by the simple push of a button or switching between ink mode and stylus mode by bringing the tip of the respective pens close to the paper surface.
Pro Enough space to store all your work
The Intuos Pro has a good amount of storage space in it. It stores up to 200 pages at once. This means you don't have to constantly worry about transferring your work to the computer before running out of space.
Pro Easy to set up
The Intuos Pro is simple to set up. Just install a few drivers on your computer and you're ready to start using the tablet.
Pro Beginner-friendly
The fact that the user is able to place a sheet of paper to draw on, on top of the screen, without interfering with the tablet's functionality is a great help for beginners not used to this sort of tablet.
Pro High accuracy
The Intuos Pro has more than 8000 units of pressure sensitivity, making it capable of very accurately detecting every small stroke. The work area works perfectly with a paper sheet on it or even a thin book.
Pro Great graphics for illustrations and artwork
The Cintiq 13HD's 16.7m color screen is capable of rendering vivid life-like images. This combines with an excellent resolution of 1920 x 1080 to make it a tool more than capable of handling the delicate and precise needs of illustrative work.
Pro Suitable for precision work
This device's screen has 2048 levels of pressure and tilt sensitivity. The device comes with a tilt stand that snaps on to the back and gives you three different angles to work with. This makes precision work, on the smallest details, easy. The Cintiq 13HD is easy to use and intuitive. Its pen feels comfortable and using it is fluid. The 10 different nibs provided allow for a greater range of brush settings, along with colored rings to be able to customize your pen and differentiate it from everyone at work.
Pro Customizable shortcut keys
The Cintiq 13HD has the EasyKey feature located on the side of the tablet. It is a 9 key remote that can be customizable to whatever shortcuts you need so that working is made a lot faster.
Pro Adjustable stand for comfortable use
The Cintiq 13HD's adjustable stand makes it easy to find the best angle for working. Both the inclination angle and height are alterable, so users can position the device in the most comfortable way possible.
Pro Supports connection to a wide variety of different platforms
It's prepared to connect to all the standard primary platforms and to most computers. It's equipped with USB 2.0 and HDMI ports. It also supports DVI, VGA, and DisplayPort, if additional adapters are purchased.
Its cable divides into three separate slots; a charger, a USB port and a HDMI. This makes it easier to work with as you do not have to bother about the various wires dangling from your device.
Pro Draw and erase as you go, before transferring to computer
The Cintiq 13HD has screen feedback is built in. That makes it an even more pleasurable experience because you can actually see everything you draw and erase it if you aren't too pleased with it before transferring it to your computer files.
Cons
Con Not very portable
The Intuos Pro is heavy, making it a unsuitable option for those that want a tablet to carry around.
Con Very display dependent
The Intuos Pro lacks a display unit. It is solely an input device so there is no feedback of what you're sketching. This means that is easy to make mistakes. Also, a lot of practice is needed to be able to draw on one surface and view the result on another. The fact that users can draw on a sheet of paper placed on top of the screen, without interfering with the tablet's functionality, is a great help.
Con Can't be used on the go
The Wacom Cintiq 13HD is essentially an input screen. It will not work without connecting it to a computer and some sort of power source. This makes it really hard to use on the go and so other graphic tablets may be preferred.
Con Power cable is problematic and limits portability
Since the Cintiq 13HD is a display, not a true tablet, it does not come with an internal battery. During use, it needs to be hooked up to a power source, which is a portability limitation.
Your hand, additionally, ends up resting on the cable when drawing on that side of the screen. This may cause damage to the pins and will be a problem in the long run. Perhaps if they moved the port to the side with the EasyKeys or maybe widened the edge it would be less of a worry.
Con Stand can only be adjusted to fixed angles
This device's stand angle adjustment is not continuous, meaning users can only adjust it to fixed angles. This limits positioning and users may find this annoying: it's impossible to give it just a slight tweak of a few degrees to make it more comfortable.
Con Too few EasyKeys
Some users may find that the amount of EasyKeys is low, and that it would be useful to have some more, to avoid frequent keyboard reaching. However, this can easily be fixed by using multiple key functions.
Con Rubber stand is of low quality
The rubber stand provided feels cheap. It ends up snapping on with a very deceitful snap, as if something inside it broke, and tends to slip off on the greater angle. For the price this device costs, Wacom could've included something that was more sturdy and with better quality rubber.
Con Lagging issues on macOS
The Cintiq 13HD has a bit of a problem working on macOS. It begins lagging and, because of this, the experience isn't as fluid as it is on Windows.
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