The actual drawing experience on the XP-Pen Deco 01 was quite enjoyable despite the “Fail” mark in the Short Release Taper Test in the Drawing tests section. So for example if you wanted to use the tablet in portrait mode only on the left side of your screen you are more than capable of doing so. Although primarily targeted at artists, graphics tablets can be used as a mouse replacement allowing the user to interact with content on their computer in a different way. There’s no power button you need to press, you only need to connect one cable, and the stylus doesn’t need to be charged or powered up.

Just go download the latest version directly from XP-Pen’s site and remove all other tablet drivers you have on your computer before installing it.

In the stylus settings, you can change the functions of the buttons on the stylus and the pressure settings for it. For certain types of games and emulation it’s a no brainer and honestly the best way to interact with pointer focused games. With the shortcut buttons it also allows you to speed up the process of changing tools or the functions of those tools quickly. I bought this tablet mostly because I couldn’t believe it was a good as my Wacom and have it connected to my backup/alternate laptop… I did initial testing and it seemed to perform well, but admittedly not used it extensively. However, on a screen-less tablet like the XP-Pen Deco 01, it’s something you can get used to because of the disconnect of pen and screen.

You also get a protective film cover for the tablet which changes how the using the stylus on its surfaces feels. In After Effects I can use it to give more natural movement to a graphic or allow for a pen stroke like effect for text or photo reveals.

At the end of the day the Deco 01 V2 by XP-PEN is a graphics tablet primarily targeted at artists creating art digitally. If you are looking to “upgrade” to a new tablet, then personally I think the XP-Pen Deco Pro is the only XP-Pen tablet worth upgrading to from the XP-Pen Star 03 V2. I personally thought that the pen on the XP-Pen Star 03 was slightly more comfortable to use than the pen on the XP-Pen Deco 01, but both tablets should perform roughly the same (although it should be noted that the XP-Pen Star 03 is an older tablet than the XP-Pen Deco 01). The XP-Pen Deco 01 has a pretty rough surface texture, which is completely expected from XP-Pen as they have always been using rough textures as long as I’ve known them.

I don’t regret recommending it to people who were looking for a budget tablet before I’d gotten the chance to test it. This test is meant to see the smoothness of the pen pressure taper when going from max to min pressure quickly. I have notified XP-Pen about this and they told me they will work on fixing it, but as it is a complex issue, they are still working on it. If you work in any creative programs or are looking to explore getting started a graphics tablet can be a great tool.Tom started out writing in tech, gaming and entertainment alongside putting in the hours in bars as a mixologist.