While most “popular” tablet products on the market these days lean towards all-in-one entertainment and media consumption purposes, there’s still a market for dedicated hardware which is designed with creatives in mind. Take for example the new Xencelabs Pen Display 16, a massive slate which is specially-engineered to serve as your digital canvas. The device was announced earlier today, and does come with quite a number of useful features.
Designed by Xencelabs to serve as a pen-on-screen solution for creative professionals, it’s clear that the Pen Display 16 is more suited towards creators working with media and entertainment, graphic design, and animation.
Design and Display
Despite its wide appearance, the Pen Display 16 is actually quite portable with a slim and lightweight profile, making it easy to take with you on-the-go. The included Mobile Easel provides two comfortable working angles, while an optional Desktop Easel – which will be available later on – offers a wider range of tilt and rotation options. Users can connect the display to any compatible PC, Mac, or Linux device with a single USB-C cable. Additionally, there’s also a 10-bit hub which is bundled for HDMI or DisplayPort connections, as well as an included carry case.
The Xencelabs Pen Display 16 features a good-looking OLED display that delivers vibrant colors, deep blacks and contrast. Interestingly, there’s an etched glass surface that minimizes glare and according to Xencelabs, feels just like drawing on paper. The display comes with support for up to 1.07 billion colors and features five factory-calibrated color spaces, for added colour accuracy. The aluminium back housing keeps the display cool without noisy fans.
Accessories
The Pen Display 16 comes with two pens to choose from – there’s a 3-Button pen with customizable shortcuts, and the Thin Pen that provides a more traditional feel during use. Both pens offer built-in pressure sensitivity for natural-feeling strokes, and users can also fine-tune the pen pressure response to match their drawing style using the Xencelabs driver.
In addition, the Xencelabs Pen Display 16 Bundle also includes a “Quick Keys” remote. The remote allows users to create custom application shortcuts for faster workflows, with five customizable groups of eight keys. Users can create a total of 40 shortcuts per application, and each key features an OLED display showing the assigned shortcut, as well as a color-coded dial that provides access to up to four additional application-specific tasks like zoom and brush size.
Availability and Pricing
The Xencelabs Pen Display 16 comes in two options, with a bundle configuration that includes everything you need to get started, including the Mobile Easel, Quick Keys, pens, case, and more. Meanwhile, the Essentials option is ideal for on-the-go artists and includes the display, pens, case, cable, and cleaning cloth. As for pricing, the Xencelabs Pen Display 16 Bundle starts at £1199 and is available now. The Xencelabs Pen Display 16 Essentials on the other hand is more affordable at £969, and will be available at the end of May.
