With very few conventional smartphones and tablets
unveiled at CES 2019 thus far, our attention has turned to various accessories,
groundbreaking smartwatches, quirky smart home devices, and all sorts of other
niche products showcased in Las Vegas this week.
The Wacom Cintiq 16 also addresses a very specific
target audience, including young creative professionals, creative enthusiasts,
art students, and “passionate hobbyists.” Billed as a “creative pen display”,
this is basically a huge 15.6-inch tablet with a Full HD display that you can
draw and sketch on by using an integrated stylus supporting 8,192 levels of
pressure sensitivity and tilt response.
The Wacom Pro Pen 2 is thus pretty much unrivaled in
terms of precision and accuracy, but the Wacom Cintiq 16 will only cost US$ 649
when it hits stores later this month. That wouldn’t sound so affordable were
this a traditional Android tablet, but you have to keep in mind the company’s
Cintiq Pro 16 model starts at a whopping US$ 1,500.
“Emerging”
professionals are getting a lower-res screen and an inferior 72 percent NTSC
color gamut compared to the up to 4K quality and 99 percent Adobe RGB accuracy
of the Cintiq Pro family. Still, Wacom thinks the non-Pro Cintiq 16 is good enough even for
“established creative professionals” as a second device for their home office
or studio. Whatever category you fall into, if you decide to purchase this
thing, it’s important to mention the screen is an anti-glare affair promising
to prevent “distracting reflections”, while the Wacom Pro Pen 2 uses EMR
(Electro Magnetic Resonance) technology that eliminates the need for a
conventional battery.
At almost 4.2 pounds, the “creative pen display” is
no featherweight, also measuring a whopping 24.5 mm in thickness. Integrated
foldable legs allow the tablet to create a work-friendly 19-degree angle, while
a 3-in-1 cable includes HDMI and USB connectors for your Windows PC or Mac.
