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Simply final month, Xencelabs introduced a brand new “trade first” $1,249 4K OLED Pen Show focused at skilled digital creatives requiring high quality and portability. The pill has compelling options and large ambitions. Can it stay as much as these lofty objectives?
With every development in display screen know-how, not solely do these tablets get extra helpful for design, illustration, and photograph retouching, however additionally they achieve performance as a helpful second display screen for workstations. I’ve a small show pill that I typically journey with simply to have entry to a second display screen to work with whereas on the highway. So, once I examine this specific Xencelabs pill, I needed to get my palms on it.
The system presents customers a single level of reference to USB-C, or utilizing a supplied hub that may present extra energy and allow the display screen get even brighter, making it all of the extra helpful for the touring photographer.
Following the very profitable launch of the Pen Show 24 geared toward hardcore professionals, the Pen Show 16 is a good various alternative for the skilled who needs the identical stage of display screen high quality and pen accuracy whereas away from their regular workstation, or just somebody who needs to save lots of a bit of cash and house on their desk.
Boasting a 16-inch 4K (3,840 x 2,160 decision) OLED display screen, the brand new Pen Show presents customers an interesting system that’s correct, customizable, has a ton of energy, and might nonetheless match of their digicam bag to go on the highway with them.
What’s within the Field
Usually, I wouldn’t actually deep dive into this however Xencelabs, with the bundle model at the least, has ensured {that a} new person of their product may have all the things they want for virtually any connection kind and scenario they encounter.
The Xencelabs Pen Show 16 is on the market in two variations; the Necessities, which features a USB-C cable, cleansing material, two pens with spare nibs and equipment with a protecting case, a glove, and the carrying case, and the “Bundle.” This latter alternative contains all the things talked about above, plus the short keys distant, a hub, a Wi-Fi dongle, a dual-angle stand, and a plethora of extra cables (together with HDMI and an influence adapter). The bundle alternative provides loads of additional accessibility and performance for customers.
The multi-angle easel is able to laying the pill flat, or at 18.3 and 32-degree inclines, making it straightforward to regulate for many customers posture and favourite positioning. The easel itself is comprised of a sturdy plastic and has rubber toes to assist forestall any slipping when positioned on most surfaces. It’s straightforward to arrange and is impressively robust.
Lastly, there are two pen clips that mount on to the pill by merely popping in to the built-in grooves alongside the again of the pill so customers can have a spot to connect their pen(s) on to the display screen ought to they select that as a substitute of retaining them within the supplied case.
Design and Construct High quality
This new pill options the biggest OLED 4K show available on the market, at the least up to now, making it not solely an important pen show pill but additionally a really viable second display screen to make use of as only a monitor. The system weighs about 2.7 kilos (1.2 kilograms) and measures 16.25 x 10.25 x 0.47 inches (413 x 260 x 11.9 millimeters) with an “lively space” of 13.5 x 7.75 inches (342.9 x 196.9 millimeters). The display screen options one of many highest resolutions amongst its opponents and has a pixel density of 275 ppi (pixels per inch). The panel can show as much as 1.07 billion colours and has a most brightness of as much as 300 nits.
The pill incorporates a properly sized bezel encompassing all the periphery, and the display screen itself is vibrant, clear, easy to the contact, and simple to see, even in some direct mild conditions. What’s even higher is the display screen will get brighter in case you use the supplied hub with an exterior energy supply, bringing the max as much as 300 nits. I nonetheless wouldn’t advocate utilizing this in direct daylight, nevertheless it’s nonetheless quite a bit cleaner and simpler to see in vibrant conditions than many different tablets I’ve examined.
There’s a single USB-C port alongside the highest left of the pill, which is why they supply the hub for an HDMI connection and exterior energy, with the ability button positioned on the highest proper.
One thing I notably loved is the small 12mm thick physique, making it notably straightforward to pack up in a bag and journey with, do you have to determine to not use the supplied protecting sleeve and bag. The system is small and light-weight sufficient that you may doubtlessly maintain it in a single hand. It’s not as light-weight as an iPad, nevertheless it’s nonetheless straightforward to carry.
Like each different Xencelabs pill, the brand new one comes with two battery free pens able to 8,192 ranges of strain sensitivity. One is a “regular” three button model pen, whereas the opposite is a thinner two button “pencil” model instrument. The pens slot in an included protecting case that additionally homes a USB-A to USB-C adapter, the aforementioned Wi-Fi dongle, and a group of additional nibs.
The hub options connections for energy, USB-C for the pill and host laptop, HDMI, and DisplayPort. Moreover, each the hub and pill have a safety slot connection that’s appropriate with Kensington NanoSaver locks.
The underside of the machine features a collection of eight rubber toes for gripping when positioned onto flat surfaces (just like the easel). General, the construct of the Xencelabs Pen Show 16 feels very sturdy, and I believe the pill will survive the bumps of life on the highway with out concern.
Setup and Customization
Getting began is extremely simple, and the corporate even features a big sheet of paper with directions on how all the things is supposed to be linked and arrange, plus a QR code that may mechanically hyperlink customers to the motive force obtain location and any extra help documentation they might want.
After having used a number of Xencelabs tablets, they’re just about able to go straight out of the field, save for driver updates.
Just like the earlier Xencelabs tablets, the system will show a sequence of fast hyperlinks for the assorted detected units together with the 2 pens, fast keys, and pill itself. From right here, you possibly can alter the settings on the pens and tablets, together with the colour house, tilt and strain sensitivity for the pens, and customized fast keys. You may also run a fast calibration to make sure the accuracy of the pen. I’ve by no means encountered a difficulty with the accuracy of the pens, however I’d nonetheless advocate working the calibration each time you alter the decision and orientation of your tablets, simply to be protected. The general setup, even going deep into customization, is intuitive and easy.
Switching the pill from horizontal to vertical (portrait or panorama) modes may be executed both by way of the pc’s system settings for the show, and even simpler, by way of the Xencelabs software program utilizing a drop-down menu. This makes it straightforward for customers to rapidly swap between working modes and letting customers see extra of their screens within the path they want it.
Out of the field, it has 5 pre-calibrated coloration areas which can be able to one-click-select, and so they have a reported Adobe RGB (98%), P3 (98%), sRGB (99%), Rec 2020 (82%) and Rec 709 (99%) protection. Testing these with a correct calibration instrument, the Datacolor Spyder X2 Elite, I truly received outcomes that have been much more spectacular, exhibiting that the corporate truly gave themselves a bit respiration room for his or her coloration accuracy since my outcomes have been about 1-2 proportion factors higher than promised.
Like all the earlier Xencelabs tablets we’ve examined, the Fast Keys Controller distant helps as much as 40 shortcuts per utility with context-sensitive labels and might final over 50 hours per cost when used wirelessly. It’s all fairly straightforward to setup and customise by way of the Xencelabs software program.
At the moment, the system helps macOS, Home windows, and Linux. It’s price noting that it doesn’t presently help Chrome OS or Android, and it doesn’t help or have any contact capabilities. Actually, the contact options I solely actually like for fast rotations/pinch/zooms of initiatives I’m engaged on, so their omission isn’t a deal breaker for my workflow. Nonetheless, some opponents embrace contact performance, which some customers could worth.
There’s one thing else price noting for customers who’ve a number of Xencelabs tablets. Not less than presently, the pens appear to be particular to the pill itself. This implies I can’t use the pen from my regular small pill on the 16″ Pen Show or vice versa.
In all probability the Nicest Show Pill I’ve Ever Used
When retouching, it was superb to have the ability to get a lot element on such a conveyable pill, however as bizarre because it sounds, I virtually needed to cut back the 4K display screen decision when utilizing the pill as only a common, secondary display screen. It’s lovely, however virtually an excessive amount of decision for its measurement.
As for the precise performance, the machine is improbable. It’s completely silent in use, and the colours and distinction of the 4K OLED display screen are attractive. I may solely think about it could be much more helpful and engaging for digital artists, painters, and illustrators. Utilizing the pill instantly from the USB-C connection on my Mac Mini and MacBook Professional was easy and simple to work with and supplied respectable brightness.
Nonetheless, connecting the machine by way of the supplied USB-C Hub that permits for an extra energy supply permits the display screen to rise up to 300 nits of brightness, which was completely improbable to work on and really a really seen distinction to the bare eye. Whereas I’m not a fan of the additional muddle from utilizing the hub and the additional cables wanted, the additional brightness that you simply get from it made me rapidly neglect about these quibbles.
I had the pill sitting below my window, and had all of my lights turned on, together with a instantly overhead LED 5,500K lamp, and the anti-glare floor labored like a attraction, offering me with a really comfy and clear view in each day or night time settings. I ran a Datacolor Spyder X2 Elite (newest launch) calibration to get much more correct outcomes for the colour in my workspace and was not let down.
The battery-free EMR pens labored seamlessly swapping forwards and backwards between them, and I lastly took benefit of the digital desktop to have the ability to use the pen to navigate to my desktop/laptop computer display screen to seize information or home windows and drag them over to my pill display screen to work with. That half took a bit bit to get used to at first, however I’ve actually grown to find it irresistible.
Each pens are fully customizable to your person choice together with pen strain, tilt angles and button actions. Each supply customers the now trade customary of 8,192 ranges of pen strain, a “decision” of 5,080 LPI, and as much as 60-degree tilt. Additionally, each pens have the eraser-nib on the highest of them! Actually, as easy a characteristic as that is, many tablets surprisingly don’t embrace this characteristic on loads of the pens.
The Fast Keys controller is rather like you’d count on from utilizing some other of the Xencelabs lineup. The pill’s operation and responsiveness are nice. The one factor I’d say that this pill is lacking is the flexibility to clip the controller to the aspect or high of the pill like you possibly can with the Show 24″. Positively not a deal breaker however once you get in a move, it’s straightforward to seek out your self along with your free hand holding onto the aspect of the pill such as you would a drafting e book or paper pad, so having the Fast Keys already there would simply make the workflow a lot extra immersive.
The easel was a little bit of a welcome shock to seek out within the bundle. It’s a lot sturdier than I’d count on, contemplating how light-weight it’s. It may be laid flat or positioned at two completely different angles (18 and 32 levels) to swimsuit most customers’ vary of movement and posture positions. The corporate provides that the pill is appropriate with its “Desktop Easel,” which is able to help a wide range of viewing angles and even a regular VESA mount and fast launch, which must be obtainable quickly.
Like I’ve mentioned earlier than, Xencelabs’ tablets routinely present a easy and dependable expertise. I’ve by no means as soon as had any points with their drivers, pens, or Fast Keys Controller. Whereas there are different “cell” tablets on the market, this one is presently the one one that may present me with the utmost decision and display screen brightness that I really need out of a show pill both on the transfer or at residence at my very own desk. The colours are vivid and correct, the pill itself is silent and responsive, and the pens each really feel nice within the hand. The one draw back is that the 16″ display screen is a tad small when utilizing the complete 4K decision, because the menus and textual content is usually a little bit of a ache to see, particularly in case you’re on the older aspect like me. However once more, you possibly can program your most-used instructions into the controller and simply change the decision to one thing simpler on the eyes when wanted.
Are There Options?
There was no scarcity of competitors within the pen and show pill market just lately, so the excellent news is there are loads of options ranging in measurement, options, and show high quality for customers to select from primarily based on their wants. Staying close to the 16″ vary, there’s the reasonably priced $599 XP Pen Artist Professional 16 (Gen 2) and $899 XP Pen Artist Professional 16TP, the $829 Huion Kamvas Professional 16 (4K), the above talked about $1,599 Wacom Cintiq Professional 16 and the $649 Wacom Cintiq 16 Full HD
If mobility is an important concern, there’s the $399 Wacom One 12 Show Pill, the $299 Wacom One 13.3″ Inventive Show (with out contact), and the $599.95 Wacom One 13 Contact Show
If one thing bigger is extra your velocity, there’s the $1,099 Huion Kamvas Professional 19, the $3,500 Wacom Cintiq Professional 27 and the $1,899 Xence Labs Pen Show 24.
Ought to You Purchase It?
Sure. Whereas the value tag isn’t precisely low-cost, this pill is geared toward cell professionals and the OLED display screen is well worth the $999 to $1,249 funding.
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