Verdict
The Xencelabs Pen Show 24 is a pointy 4K pen show that provides pro-level color accuracy and comes with every part that you must get began creating digital artwork. It’s additionally higher worth than its greatest competitors, the Wacom Cintiq Professional 24.
Professionals
- Sharp, glare-free display
- Skilled-level color accuracy
- Quiet, fan-less design
- Cheaper than the competitors
Cons
- The distinction could possibly be increased
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24-inch show4K decision and glare-free end -
1.07 billion colors99% Adobe RGB and 93% DCI-P3 -
Silent designMetallic again dissipates warmth with out followers -
Two pens includedTogether with the Fast Keys distant -
VESA mount preparedAnd tilt stand included
Introduction
The pen show market has lengthy been dominated by Wacom, with manufacturers like Huion and XP-Pen providing some wholesome competitors all through the years. This 12 months, newcomer Xencelabs is shaking issues up with the Pen Show 24.
The Pen Show 24 is Xencelabs’ (pronounced “Sense Labs”) first pen show and the gadget has already garnered loads of consideration within the digital artwork and design world for its aggressive options and glorious worth value.
Hold studying to find our ideas on the Pen Show 24 after spending a number of weeks with the gadget.
Design
- The Pen Show 24 has a 4K decision and a 60Hz refresh price
- The show is VESA-compliant so that you don’t must pay additional for a VESA mount
- The show comes with two pens
The Pen Show 24 marks a serious step-up from Xencelabs’ typical drawing gadgets. The model has beforehand launched its Pen Pill graphics tablets in sizes small and medium however, as its title suggests, the Pen Show 24 is Xencelabs’ first gadget that totes a display.
The place the Pen Pill plugs right into a PC or laptop computer, permitting their person to sketch on the pill and watch their drawings come to life on an current show, the Pen Show features extra like an exterior monitor. This implies artists and designers can sketch immediately on the 24-inch display, providing a extra pure drawing expertise and a extra spacious workspace best for skilled artists and enthusiastic hobbyists alike.
The show itself has a 4K decision with a 60Hz refresh price and an etched glass texture, although I’ll contact extra on that within the efficiency part of this assessment.
The Pen Show 24 attracts speedy comparisons to Wacom’s Cintiq Professional 24. The 2 gadgets share plenty of similarities from their 24-inch 4K shows to the 1.07 billion colors they every assist and even the matching strain ranges on the pens. Nonetheless, there are some bodily design variations that set the 2 aside.
One distinction I instantly seen was the angles at which the Xencelabs pill is ready to stand out of the field (that’s to say with out the addition of a separate stand or articulating arm). The Pen Show 24 might be adjusted to face anyplace between 16 and 72 levels, permitting customers to make use of the show at a flatter angle or tilt it simply shy of upright. The Cintiq Professional 24, in the meantime, might be positioned at both a 5-degree angle or a 20-degree angle.
This implies you gained’t want to purchase one other stand for the Xencelabs to work at extra vertical angles which I appreciated because it meant I wasn’t hunched over as I used to be when testing one other Wacom product, the Wacom One. In fact, the Wacom One is less expensive than the Pen Show 24 and is directed extra towards hobbyists, however comparable restrictions apply to the extra high-end Cintiq Professional 24.
The Xencelabs additionally comes VESA-compliant, which means you don’t must pay additional for a VESA mount to stay the show on a wall or connect it to an articulating arm as you’d with the Cintiq.
One of the thrilling options for me is the area for customisation.
Xencelabs has constructed eight accent slots into the perimeter of the show, permitting customers to put their pen holders and Fast Keys distant inside straightforward attain. These slots can be used to connect customized 3D-printed equipment, akin to personalised pen holders.
A consultant for Xencelabs advised me about an artist who used the modular design to create a pink body and toes to match her desk setup and I believe this can be a actually neat thought for a product constructed with creatives in thoughts.
The Xencelabs comes with two pens – the chunky 3 Button Pen v2 and the Skinny Pen v2, which incorporates two buttons and a thinner profile for these extra acquainted with utilizing an Apple Pencil. Each pens might be customised with completely different settings and each embody erasers built-in to their ends.
I appreciated the addition of an additional pen as this meant I might program one with the settings I exploit for sketching and the opposite with the buttons I attain for extra when modifying pictures, although I’m not satisfied that everybody will get sufficient use out of each pens to make them each price together with within the field.
Final on the design entrance, the Pen Show 24 has a fan-less design with the gadget as an alternative counting on the steel again to offer ample warmth dissipation. I favored how quiet the show was and, whereas the gadget might get somewhat toasty, it by no means felt sizzling to the contact throughout my time testing it.
Efficiency
- The show contains glare discount and an anti-fingerprint coating
- The display helps a number of color profiles
- The Digital Pill Mode allows you to drag apps, home windows and information from one show to a different
The Pen Show 24 is suitable with numerous working programs, together with MacOS, Home windows and Linux. It additionally works with a spread of software program together with packages from Adobe, Autodesk, Affinity and extra.
I totally loved engaged on the Pen Show 24. The floor provides a little bit of resistance, making drawing really feel extra pure and paper-like than common glass, although not overly so. The feel additionally prevents the pen from sliding in every single place and ensures you keep in management when drawing.
I additionally appreciated the glare discount on the etched display, which prevented the solar from obstructing my imaginative and prescient. I wouldn’t advise taking this gadget outdoors as a result of it’s heavy and there are fairly a number of wires concerned. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t hesitate to settle in to sketch subsequent to a window on a sunny day.
Moreover, the show has an anti-fingerprint coating and isn’t disturbed by palms, which means you may lean on the display for higher stability with out worrying about it getting too grubby or by chance urgent one other button.
The show provides a number of color profiles, together with Adobe RGB, sRGB, REC 709, DCI P3, REC 2020 and Pantone, which means you may select which setting is finest for you based mostly on whether or not you make artwork for print, the online, video and extra.
I examined every of those modes and located that the Pen Show 24 coated 99% of the Adobe RGB and sRGB color areas and 94% of the DCI P3 area of their respective settings. This means that the show is barely higher fitted to working with photographs than video, although the entire above are implausible professional-grade scores. The Delta E outcomes additionally indicated excessive color accuracy.
I then examined the brightness and display uniformity and located the display to be barely much less vibrant within the higher and decrease proper corners. The distinction was additionally decrease than anticipated for an OLED show, although I wouldn’t name this a deal breaker as you in all probability gained’t be consuming a lot video content material on the monitor.
Lastly, it’s price mentioning the Digital Pill Mode. It is a setting that makes it straightforward to tug apps, home windows and information from one show to a different. I appreciated having the ability to open apps on my laptop computer and transfer them to the show simply. When you have one other contact show, you can even use your Xencelabs pen on that gadget utilizing this setting.
Equipment
- The Pen Show comes with the Fast Keys distant
- The distant contains an OLED show and eight buttons and with a dial for a complete of 40 presets
- The distant has an as much as 53-hour battery life
The Pen Show 24 comes bundled with a wide variety of equipment, together with two pens, a pen case, pen clips, an influence adapter and an array of cables to attach the gadget to your laptop computer or PC.
Probably the most distinguished device within the field is the Xencelabs Fast Keys, a distant management that may be stored in your desk or latched onto the facet of the show to supply fast entry to the buttons and presets you employ essentially the most.
The Fast Keys options an OLED show and a set of eight buttons you can customise with any shortcuts you want. You possibly can then use the massive dial to rotate by way of different units of eight shortcuts for a complete of 40 choices obtainable for every app you employ.
The textual content on the show also can rotate, which means you need to use the distant horizontally or vertically in addition to left or right-handed with out worrying about turning your head to learn the labels.
The Fast Keys distant works each wired and wirelessly with as much as 53-hours of battery life obtainable from a single cost. I used the distant for a number of hours a day through the few weeks I reviewed the show and by no means discovered I wanted to cease and recharge the distant through the testing interval.
Newest offers
Do you have to purchase it?
You need a terrific worth pen show: Should you’re on the lookout for an reasonably priced 24-inch pen show, the Xencelabs Pen Show 24 is sensible worth and comes with two pens, a wi-fi distant and a VESA-compliant design out of the field.
You principally need to edit or devour video content material: The Pen Show 24 can be utilized to edit video however is best fitted to artists, designers and photographers as a result of color areas and distinction on the show.
Ultimate Ideas
Should you’re on the lookout for a 24-inch pen show, you’ll battle to discover a higher worth providing than the Pen Show 24.
Xencelabs provides most of the similar specs and options as Wacom’s Cintiq Professional 24 for a lower cost and with extra equipment bundled within the field. I discovered the show to be a pleasure to attract on and was impressed by the excessive stage of color accuracy throughout color profiles in our benchmarking checks.
The Fast Keys distant is handy for setting shortcuts and having two pens is a bonus (although arguably a bit pointless relying on the person). I particularly get pleasure from how customisable the design is, permitting artists to put their pens and distant the place they need across the perimeter of the show and even connect third-party 3D-printed equipment within the additional slots.
Should you’re trying to spend money on a big pen show and aren’t afraid to take a threat on a more recent model, I’d completely suggest giving Xencelabs an opportunity.
How we take a look at
We use each monitor we take a look at for an prolonged interval, on this case round a month. Throughout that point, we’ll test it for ease of use and put it by way of its paces by utilizing it for each on a regular basis duties and extra specialist, colour-sensitive work.
We additionally test its colors and picture high quality with a colorimeter to check its protection and the show’s high quality.
Knowledge gathered with a colorimeter
Used the pens to attract and edit pictures
FAQs
The Pen Show 24 has a 24-inch 4K show with a glare-free and fingerprint-resistant end.
The Pen Show 24 comes with two styluses within the field, together with one 3 Button Pen v2 and one Skinny Pen v2.
The distant provides as much as 53 hours of battery from a single cost.
Jargon buster
USB-C
The trendy USB connector you’ll discover on most Android telephones, new laptops, cameras and video games consoles. It’s reversible and used for charging together with data-transfer.
Color Gamut
The vary of colors an output gadget is able to reproducing.
OLED
Natural Gentle Emitting Diode is panel expertise that permits every particular person pixel to supply mild relatively than counting on a backlight. This allows the display to precisely show blacks by turning off the pixel, leading to improved distinction in comparison with typical LCD panels.
