To say the market for drawing tablets is competitive would be an understatement. With big names like Apple, Microsoft, and Wacom fighting for the top spots, there is very little room for anything less than exceptional, nor very many other companies who can survive against the competition.
Xencelabs have proven themselves different. Within just a matter of three years, they have produced a product capable of performing at the highest level, fulfilling all the needs of the creative professional, perhaps more. With the help of industry-leading artists, they’ve created the Pen Tablet and Quick Keys, which focus on a minimal design prioritizing comfort and functionality.
The product comes in a medium bundle available on Amazon in the US or Canada, which includes the Quick Keys (normally sold separately), as well as other accessories to enhance the drawing experience. The basic products in this package are the Medium Pen Tablet, the Quick Keys, two pens, and charging cables. The aforementioned accessories include a pen case, tablet sleeve, dongle, adaptor, and drawing glove.
“Right now, from October 14th to October 30th, you can get the Small Bundle which includes the Xencelabs Pen Tablet Small and Quick Keys for only $199 (regular price: $299.98 USD).”
Right now, from October 14th to October 30th, you can get the Small Bundle which includes the Xencelabs Pen Tablet Small and Quick Keys for only $199 (regular price: $299.98 USD). This tablet has a smaller footprint, making it great for travel, but still has all the important, customizable features of the regular tablet.
From a preliminary perspective, the Pen Tablet is where much of the magic takes place. A smooth, responsive drawing surface allows the pen to seamlessly glide within a 10.33” by 5.8” space. This space retains a true 16:9 aspect ratio to match most common displays.
The incorporation of Xencelabs’ pressure-sensitive technology allows you to exercise unprecedented control over even the lightest of marks, allowing you to draw with absolute precision. Those who enjoy precision may also enjoy the LED lights that mark the active area, whose brightness and colour can be adjusted through the settings panel.
Should you ever need a break from their artistic activities, a curved palm rest waits below the drawing area, with no cracks or gaps to break the natural transition into a more idle, recuperative position. It’s safe to say that comfort is maximized.
Convenience and ease-of-use are also strong focal points. The three buttons located just above the drawing area can be assigned and customized to the user’s preferred functions through the software settings panel at any time. Other functions can then be accessed through Xencelabs’ Quick Keys, which we’ll highlight later.
The sliding power-switch is located near the top-right bevel of the device, alongside the charging indicator and connection indicator. Device longevity is communicated clearly; a solid green light on the charging indicator indicates full charge, a breathing green indicates charging, and solid amber indicates a low charge. Similarly, a blinking blue light on the connection indicator indicates searching for a connection, solid blue indicates successful wireless connection, and breathing blue indicates a connection via USB cable.
Those who often leave their devices about, in public or private spaces, will not have to worry about losing their tablet; a Kensington NANO security slot is built into the top-left bevel of the tablet. Of the two pens, one is a 3-button pen with an eraser. Functions can also be assigned to these three buttons using the Xencelabs software for the user’s convenience. The other pen is a thin pen with only drawing and erasing capabilities.
Small, inconspicuous, but genius is the Quick Keys device. Working in tandem with Xencelabs’ Pen Tablet, the Quick Keys features 5 customizable groups of 8 keys per application, for a total of 40 shortcuts. Most of the buttons are located here instead of the tablet in order to minimize the risk of accidentally activating any one of them while drawing.
Artists can customize their workflow activities into sets (groups) using the Xencelabs software, then switch between them using the Set Button at the bottom of the device. For even greater functionality, a dial-mode button is located at the top of the device, allowing artists to swap between 4 different modes per application (i.e. zoom, brush size, etc.).
Information is once again, communicated clearly and succinctly on the Quick Keys. An OLED display is built in between the shortcut keys (4 on each side) displaying each specific key assignment for the set in use. For such a small device, the Quick Keys houses a powerful battery capable of up to 50 hours of continuous use. When the battery does run out, the device can be charged through the USB-C port located at the very top of the device.
Xencelabs has made sure that their products are accessible to anyone outside their English-speaking customers. The Quick Keys software supports 11 different languages, all interchangeable with the installation of a free, modern and easy-to-use driver. All of Xencelabs’ downloadable drivers are available on their website’s support section.
It’s evident that Xencelabs have designed their products with only the best performance in mind, and we’re quite excited to see what they have in store for the future. You can find their entire array of products and accessories on Amazon; the Xencelabs Medium Bundle is available in both the US and in Canada. For more information about Xencelabs or their products, you can visit their website here.
