LogInHow does the world's first 4K Calman-verified 24-inch drawing display perform in 3D tools, and do you need one?
What could Canon or Fujifilm add to a digital camera to surprise consumers in 2024? A better lens? Higher resolution? The ability to download additional filters for in-camera processing? The problem is that there's hardly anything left to surprise people with – it has even reached the point where Leica, for example, is removing displays and leaving only black-and-white colors, bringing photography back to its roots and reminding users of the pleasure of hunting for the perfect shot with just a couple of buttons and nothing else.
A similar situation is happening in the market for displays and tablets for artists. They've been offered 8K resolution, 16K pressure sensitivity levels, various screen sizes, and stands for extra convenience – what else can be offered at this point?
XPPen, for instance, has decided to explore whether it can become the market leader in color accuracy.
The Artist Pro 24 (Gen2) Series is XPPen's latest flagship product for professional artists who need premium performance. To provide the required quality, the company collaborated with Calman, renowned experts in display color solutions, who helped them tweak the display's color accuracy and color gamut.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves and start with the fun part, which is… Unboxing. The box is huge, and I mean huge. Here it is lying on the table we use for puzzles:
The new display weighs 7.3kg (stand included). XPPen is not aiming for portability with this one – this is heavy professional artillery (you can mix all kinds of meanings into this one).
Inside, you'll find a lot of things you expect to find in a box containing a display for artists, including the drawing display itself and different accessories:
- X3 Pro Smart Chip Stylus
- X3 Pro Slim Stylus
- X3 Pro Slim Stylus nibs x10
- X3 Pro Stylus Standard nibs*10
- Pen case with nibs (X3 Pro Slim Stylus nibs x4, X3 Pro Stylus felt nibs x4)
- Wireless Shortcut Remote and Bluetooth receiver
- Power adapter and power cord
- DisplayPort cable
- HDMI cable
- USB-C to USB-C cable
- USB-C to USB-A cable
- Glove
- Cleaning Cloth
- Pen Clip x2
- Pen Case
- ACS02 Stand
The first thing I noticed is the small box with the premium touch containing two styli – the team decided you shouldn't be limited to only one standard, so you have a choice this time.
The pens are powered by the X3 Pro chip, supporting 60° tilt recognition and ultra-sensitive 16K pressure levels with a starting pressure of just 3g. The team claims they delivered a world-first 16,384 pressure levels.
The pair also offers ID recognition, the ability to customize individual pen shortcut keys for a personalized experience, and a report rate of ≥200RPS for maximum smoothness and control.
What are the differences between those two? The extra pen is called the X3 Pro Slim Stylus, and it has a lightweight, slim design that reminds you of Apple Pencils when you hold it. Actually, it feels even lighter and still offers 16K pressure levels. The thin pen comes with a thinner nib, a smaller magnetic core, and replaceable keys.
Now, the display offers a 4K Ultra HD resolution (3840 x 2160) on a 23.8-inch display with a 16:9 aspect ratio. It is a Calman-verified display, meaning it features professional-grade color accuracy, Delta E<1 in sRGB, 99% sRGB and Adobe RGB color gamut area ratio, and 300 cd/m² brightness. The display can showcase 1.07 billion colors, so you can expect accuracy when working on professional projects.
Each display is said to be factory-calibrated with 3D LUT for color accuracy and uniformity, “achieving an industry top-tier level, Delta E<1 in sRGB.”
Using the app, you can easily switch between sRGB, Adobe RGB, and Display P3 for true-to-life colors.
Speaking about the app, I guess I didn't mean to clarify that, but the drivers are easy to install and set up. Inside the app, you have different options to customize the dual styli, parameters to optimize the display, and more. The software is minimalistic and easy to use – basically, it just took me a couple of minutes to plug in everything and make it work.
I started with the X3 Pro Smart Chip Stylus to see how it performs against similar pens from rivals. There is nothing peculiar to note here – great accuracy, balanced design, comfortable use, and good button placement.
Then, I quickly switched to the new thin X3 Pro Slim Stylus – that one was interesting to test as it felt different from the pens I usually use. I'll get back to that later.
The display has the AG Nano Etched and AF Coating glass, which offers a paper-like drawing experience with its anti-glare and anti-fingerprint properties. There are no gaps between the pen nib and cursor – well, at least you don’t notice any.
I’ve been testing the display in ZBrush and Blender, mainly with some Photoshop, work, and videos in between, to check out how comfortable it is for different tasks.
Regarding ZBrush, the pens' 16K of pressure and the display clarity will let you quickly deal with any level of detail. I've been sculpting this knight based on a concept by Scott Higginbotham during the review.
Sculpting folds, adding metal details, working on ropes or small details – the display worked like a charm. I usually work on my Wacom Intuos Pro, which is not a display, but it didn't take much time to get used to the new one and get back to the same speed.
The display shines the brightest when you start adding colors to your work – polypainting in ZBrush in this case. The display lets you quickly notice where you picked the wrong color or where you need a smoother transition.
Artists creating materials in Substance 3D tools and setting up complex shaders would certainly benefit more from such a display. All details are crisp, so there is little room for error.
The standard package has an ACS02 Stand, which supports single-handed angle adjustment from 16° to 72°. It’s easy to set up and use, but I'll be honest – it would benefit from a wider choice of angles and some rotation options. It's all individual, of course, but my neck felt slightly tired after 3-4 hours of sculpting in ZBrush.
Optionally, you can get an ACS15 Stand with height adjustment, angle adjustment, under-desk creation, and rotation. I recommend sticking with that, especially considering you're getting a professional setup. There's no sense in saving money on the stand; think about your neck and spine.
Rendering in Blender and transferring polypainting data from ZBrush was a smooth experience too – Artist Pro 24 helps you study different setups in detail, add tones to highlight details, and fix colors with warm/cold lights if you don't like something.
Another small thing I didn't like is its ports. The display has the following ports on the back: USB-C, DisplayPort, HDMI, and 3.5mm audio output (these can all be hidden by a cable cover from the box). What I don't like is that there's no USB Type-A port – a small thing, but I like to plug in my mouse and use it when I switch back and forth between ZBrush, Blender, or doing work.
The team also implemented a self-cooling system that regulates the display's temperature for optimal comfort. I can only say that I didn't hear any sounds or notice any heat during the review.
As I've previously mentioned, I've been testing the the X3 Pro Slim Stylus a lot to see how comfortable is this thinner stylus. I loved it – it is balanced, it provides the the needed precision, and it's a great alternative to the other brother. My hand wasn't tired after several hours of sculpting so I would call that a success.
Here goes the bottom line: XPPen's Artist Pro 24 is an excellent device for professional artists. The question is whether it's right for you as its price is set at $1299.99. I'm not a pro artist, so spending that much money would not be rational, but if you're working in a studio, on films, creating art for demanding clients, or if you spend years mastering your craft and want to get to the next level, that might be a great decision in your case.
To wrap up the review, here are a couple of additional details: you can connect the display via USB-C, Display Port, or HDMI cables. The display also has multi-functional buttons to adjust brightness and switch signals. The device works with Windows 7 (or later), macOS10.13 (or later), Android (USB3.1 DP1.2), ChromeOS 88 (or later), and Linux.