Want to get serious about digital art? The 24-inch pen display monitor is a great tool for professional and mid-level artists who want to take painting to the next level.

Two of the most popular affordable models in this size are Wacom Cintiq 24 (2025) and XPPen Artist 24 Pro (Gen 2).

What's the difference between them? Which one is worth buying? Is Wacom Cintiq 24 really better than XPPen Artist 24 Pro (Gen 2)?

In this article, I will discuss the key differences between them and help you decide which one will fit your needs better.

Wacom Cintiq 24 (2025) vs XPPen Artist 24 Pro (Gen 2) In-depth Comparison

Below is a more in-depth analysis, These will help us better understand the pros and cons in each case.

Design & Build Quality

Both massive 23.8-inch display tablets are robustly built and features a clean “minimalist” design with just a screen at the front and no shortcut buttons.

The difference is that the Wacom Cintiq 24 features narrow bezels, while the XPPen Artist Pro 24 Gen 2 comes with big bezels!

This leads to the XPPen tablet taking a lot more space on your table. But it's also incredibly comfortable to lay your arm on, and you can travel the full surface of the display without interrupting your pen stroke.

Note that 24-inch display tablets are big and heavy, less portable. If you're going to invest into a graphics tablet this size, make sure you have sufficient desk space to accommodate it.

Screen Quality

The two drawing tablets come with same 23.8-inch IPS LCD screen and a 2.5KQHD (2560 x 1440 pixels) resolution.

A 2.5K QHD screen on a 23.8-inch screen is adequate and will display sharp images and provide a good drawing experience.

The screen of XPPen artist pro 24 gen 2 has 99% Adobe RGB color coverage, Where the Wacom Cintiq 24 has 94% Adobe RGB (based on my test) color accuracy.

Therefore, the Artist Pro 24 Gen 2 offers a wider color range than the Cintiq 24. This is not to mean that the Cintiq 24 has a poor color accuracy – the Artist Pro 24 Gen 2 is simply better.

XPPen takes the lead in terms of refresh rate on the screen. XPPen artist pro 24 gen 2 support impressive 165HZ refresh rate while the Cintiq 24 has standard 60Hz.

A 165hz refresh rate display updates its image nearly three time as frequently as a 60hz display, appearing to cutting pen latency in half and more so you can work with minimal lag. Drawing Experience feel incredibly smooth and responsive.

Screen Lamination

A display on a drawing table is made of multiple layers. In traditional non-laminated displays, there is a small gap between the display layer and the top glass, causing parallax issue.

Both tablets comes with a s fully laminated screen, the LCD display layer and top glass are integrated (laminated) together, which reduces parallax.

That means an improved display quality, reduced glare, wider viewer angle, more accuracy (no cursor offset/parallax from the pen tip), and better overall drawing experience.

Drawing Surface

Tablet screen surface makes a huge difference in your drawing experience.

When drawing on a glossy glass screen, you will notice the stylus starts to slide too much, very difficult to control stylus movements.

Both tablets have an etched glass surface with a paper-like texture that provide resistance to the stylus giving you more control over them.

This textured screen also comes with a matte effect which reduces reflections and glares off the screen and makes it easier to see in a bright indoor environment.

Wacom Pro Pen 3 vs XPPen X3 Pro Stylus

XPPen includes Two X3 pro pens in the package, each with customizable buttons. The main difference between the two styli is that one is slightly slimmer than the other.

The thicker XPPen X3 pro pencil has an eraser at the top end, and a soft rubber gripat the front body for a comfortable hold.

Wacom only offers one slim pro pen 3 - lastest and the most advanced stylus from wacom, with 3 side buttons and a soft rubber grip, no digital eraser built-in.

Both the stylus are battery-free passive pens which means they do not need to be charged. They work and transfer data using EMR Tech.

Pressure Sensitivity

Pressure sensitivity changes the width or/and opacity of the strokes depending on how much pressure you apply on the pen. This is a very useful feature that is used all the time whether you are sketching, creating illustrations, or blending colors.

Wacom stylus has a total of 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity, whereas the XPPen X3 Pro stylus has 16,384 levels of pressure sensitivity.

It would seem that, in this case, the XPPen is a clear winner. After all, more pressure is better, right?

Well, not exactly. While 16,384 pressure levels are twice as many as 8192, the difference is barely noticeable in practice. Unless you’re looking very closely, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll notice a pressure difference between a Wacom Stylus and an XP-Pen stylus.

Most artists are quite comfortable with 4,096 pressure levels, 8,192 and 16,384 can feel like overkill. Of course, if your line of work absolutely demands that you have 16,384 pressure levels, then the XPPen Artist Pro 24 (Gen 2) might be better for you.

Initial Activation Force

IAF (Initial Activation Force) matter more than pressure levels when buying a pen display.

High initial activation force (IAF) means that you have to press slightly harder for the tablet to register your pen strokes.

The wacom pro pen 3 come with lowest 1g of IAF, While the XPPen X3 pro stylus has an IAF of 3g.

The Wacom Pro Pen 3 performs slightly better in the initial activation force – where it better detects the lighter pressure.

With that said , the differences are almost negligible, you would honestly not even feel the difference in initial activation force unless you are paying very close attention and comparing the two stylus side by side.

Tilt Sensitivity

Just like pressure, these styluses can also detect and measure at what angle you have held the stylus.

“On paper, both Wacom Pro pen 3 and XPPen X3 Pro stylus can detect tilt sensitivity up to 60 degrees. But in practical uses, the tilt sensitivity on the Wacom stylus is more stable and works better.”

Compared to pressure sensitivity, tilt sensitivity is not that important and most artists rarely use this feature. But in case you make a certain type of artwork or heavily use brushes such as spray bruh then you should go with the Wacom Cintiq 24.

It is also important to note that, unlike pressure sensitivity, tilt sensitivity works with only certain types of brushes that are specially made to work with tilt sensing styluses.

Shortcut Buttons

Both the two tablets have no Express Keys on the body, But XPPen Artist Pro 24 Gen 3 includes a ACK05 Wireless Mini Keydial which can be connected via a USB cable, or wirelessly using bluetooth 5.0 connection.

This hand-held device provides 10 programmable shortcut function keys and 1 dial at the top that allows zooming in and out (or other customizable functions).

If you want an external device to access shortcuts, menus and commands on wacom cintiq 24, You need to buy Wacom wireless Express Key Remote separately.

Compatibility

Both the Wacom Cintiq 24 and XPPen Artist Pro 24 Gen 3 are compatible with the popular operating systems Windows, Mac as well as certain Android devices.

It seems Artist Pro 24 Gen 3 is compatible with linux while wacom not, in fact, you can also use cintiq 24 with your linux computer and find the driver from their site.

Connectivity

You can connect the Cintiq 24 to your computer via a handy Single USB-C cable, and another power cable connects to a power brick.

XPPen Artist pro 24 gen 2 , on the other hand, provides a complete array of connection options for all types of laptops and PCs, via either Single USB-C cable or HDMI cable.

Driver & Tablet Settings

Both units come with Windows, and MacOS drivers to communicate with your computer. You can download them from their official site.

The driver from Wacom is one of the most reliable options on the market. It comes with some advanced shortcut controls that are easy to understand and quick to setup.

The driver from XPPen may not be as advanced as the Wacom driver and may count more issues in some cases. but nothing you couldn't work around or just ignore.

XPPen driver software has plenty of customization options. You can customize physical shortcut buttons, calibrate the onslaught of the pen and screen, set the work area and export / import your settings.

Accessories

Wacom has always been known for providing a limited number of accessories: A stylus, AC Power Adapter, connection cables, Adjustable Stand, etc.

With XPPen you get a few extra accessories which is always appreciated. including two stylus pens, Wireless Shortcut Remote, Adjustable Stand, drawing glove, Pen case, 8 replacement nibs, etc.

Price

The XPPen Artist Pro 24 Gen 2 retails for about $899.99 USD while Wacom Cintiq 24 sells for $1,299.95! That's quite the price jump to account for - $400.

So let's just get this right out in the open. There are a lot of people who are looking for cheaper alternatives as Wacom Cintiqs are expensive.

Besides,The XPPen Artist Pro 24 Gen 2 (4K) with higher 4K UHD Resolution is also really excellent and almost as good as Wacom Cintiq Pro 24, but still very affordable - costs just $1099.99.

In Conclusion

While it may be bigger than you'd need, The 24-inch pen display is generous enough to feel the freedom of drawing and move your hand with the pen around the screen without any problem.

Both the Wacom Cintiq 24 and XPPen Artist Pro 24 (Gen 2) are very capable device and you cannot go wrong with either of them.

The screen and stylus of xppen Artist Pro 24 (Gen 2) performs just as good as Wacom Cintiq 24 and you would honestly not even feel the difference.

The Artist Pro 24 (Gen 2) comes with features like the Shortcut Buttons, higher refesh rate, and more connection options. On top of that, it costs lower than the Wacom Cintiq 24.

Wacom has the longest history with an established reputation, so they are vastly more expensive. If you're a serious artist, designer or 3D modeller, and money is no object, you'll struggle to do better than the Wacom Cintiq 24.

The XPPen Artist Pro 24 gen 3 offers amazing value for the money, with everything you'd need to take the next big step in their creative journey. And the price is more than acceptable for most artists.

Ultimately, It really depends on your budget, preference, needs and skill levels.