XP-PEN sent me their Artist 22 (2nd Gen) display monitor for review, and I said "okay", so here it is. 

 

Rating: 4.9/5

 

Pen: It’s a slim and lightweight pen, which isn’t my typical preference (my Wacom pen is just a bit thicker and maybe a gram heavier, but it’s whatever; it’s not like I’m going to weigh it) but I found that I didn’t mind the lightness at all. You get used to it. The grip is rubber, which I love. Pens that are all plastic are just too prone to slipping, and they look and feel cheap, so I really liked seeing the rubber on this pen’s grip. The pen has two side buttons, which I would always use on my main tablet, so I’m glad to see this pen with them, too. The tip is perfectly aligned with the cursor on-screen, which is great. You’d think it’s basically standard for a display monitor, but I’ve used some display monitors that had pens that didn’t align with what was on the screen. The Artist 22 thankfully didn’t have any issues with that. There isn’t an eraser end, which I see as a plus. It also comes with a handy case, which on one end has a cap that when unscrewed, functions as a pen holder. The other end holds replacement nibs. The case is ingenious. 5/5

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Screen: The resolution is 1920 x 1080. Can’t go wrong with that, I mean, before I started reviewing this tablet as an actual pen tablet, I’ve been using it as my second monitor. For connections, you’ve got options for a display port, HDMI cable, or USB-C. 5/5

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Colors: I find them to be fairly accurate to my main monitor. Color temperature calibration on the tablet has a pretty wide range, which is great--if I somehow needed to calibrate the colors to a degree, the display monitor will let me do that. They have an RGB slider, color temperature choices, brightness and contrast options, gamma, and more. 4.5/5

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Responsiveness: The cursor or pen speed was a bit different than what I was used to. Once I got used to it, it felt natural and really fluid. For those of you who use programs that have a drawing stabilizer, it's like it's set to a more stable setting. 5/5

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Size/Active Area: 538 x 332 x 25.8mm/476.064 x 267.786mm. There’s definitely plenty of space to work! 5/5

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Pressure Levels: 8,192. Sensitivity is just right. 5/5

 

The tablet itself had plenty of angles that I could set it at. The driver was easy to install; I had pressure sensitivity from the get-go so I didn’t have to mess with any more settings. That was a nice surprise. With the tablet I’d been using prior, (a 6+ y/o Wacom Intuous Pro M) pressure sensitivity can get finicky and just will not work unless I restart the driver. This display monitor tablet felt great, and I think it’s really well worth the price. It could even be a steal at the price it’s at and with the high quality that the tablet holds, but I suppose, in the end, value is relative anyway. It depends on what one might have used in the past; as for me, it’s the best display monitor I’ve reviewed so far. It comes with other useful accessories, such as a glove, a microfiber cloth, and best of all, the back is set up so all the cables can be easily organized and hidden by a cover. Personally, the best part is that it didn’t have those hotkeys on the side of the tablet like other display monitors might have, which leaves more room for the screen and less for buttons that I never use anyway, as well as lends itself to a sleeker appearance. Overall, it’s a really well-designed and innovative tablet, both in appearance and functionality.