This post is about 2 different writing tablets. The Wacom One and XP Pen G430S. Both are very small drawing tablets.
I bought both of these recently to help me with note taking on my computer. For my $dayJob I do a lot of implementation work and I regularly receive PDF specifications that I need to annotate. I’m also a remote worker (work from home) so I can’t just print the files and use a pen to annotate. I also can’t ‘break the glass’ in terms of moving data between my $dayJob environment and personal environment so I need some kind of drawing tablet so I can annotate PDFs as part of my job duties. I also need competent note taking software with a focus on handwritten notes as well as a tablet that has enough precision to allow me to write in cursive or printing within my chosen note taking application.
Adding to the list of requirements is the fact I don’t want a giant drawing tablet on my desk. I want something that’s sized to match A5, B6, or A6 paper sizes. Ideally close to A5 as that’s my preferred note taking paper size.
With the above in mind I dug into the XP Pen, Huion and Wacom offerings and came up with the Wacom One (linked above) and XP Pen G430S (linked above) as the best options based on size alone. There is a Huion option that’s similar but the cost and features compared to the Wacom weren’t compelling enough to look at it closer or test.
Once I had the tablet options identified, I looked for different note taking software I might be able to use at my job. Unfortunately the IT Team broke OneNote’s PDF printing features and I ended up using Saber for my note taking. Saber is open source, cross platform and does a really great job of being a straight forward and useful note taking software package. It also can import PDF’s allowing me to annotate them. I almost prefer OneNote but I’ve found Saber’s simplicity and straight forward nature keeps my AuDHD ’tinkerer’ tendencies in check so I can stay focused on the actual work, not farting around with formatting. That said: OneNote is really, really, really good for handwritten notes. I strongly recommend trying it as well as Saber if you need handwritten notes on your computer.
After some time with both the Wacom One and XP Pen G430S, I can say with certainty: both are exactly what I wanted in a drawing tablet for hand written notes. They have the necessary precision for my handwriting, have very competent drivers on Windows and Just Worked when I tested with OneNote on my local pc, Saber on my local pc and Sabre run through Remote Desktop on my $dayJob pc. I didn’t need to buy both, however, there are a couple subtle differences that pushed me towards the Wacom One for long-term daily use. Specifically the fact the Wacom One has a detachable USB wire. This is not the difference I expected to make/break the utility of a drawing tablet but here we are. The only reason I prefer the Wacom One over the XP Pen G430S is the simple fact I can disconnect the USB wire from the Wacom One and set it aside when I need to free desk space.
With the Wacom One my needs are met, I’m happy and can move on with life without additional thought.
Despite my preference for the Wacom One, I strongly recommend reviewing the below before making a choice between the two. The below are the key differences I found between the Wacom One and XP Pen G430S. Both are great tablets and I’d recommend both, just pick the one that best fits your individual need(s).
- Wacom One
- Slightly closer to A5 sized
- Pen loop for holding the pen
- Bluetooth for wireless operation
- Detachable USB Type-C wire
- Competent drivers
- Ability to set a ‘zone’ for the tablet to be active so you can avoid the ‘small tablet, big monitor’ precision problem
- Quality construction (doesn’t feel cheap, feels durable)
- XP Pen G340S
- Slightly closer to B6 sized
- Nice pen, on par with Wacom
- Competent Drivers
- Ability to set a ‘zone’ for the tablet to be active so you can avoid the ‘small tablet, big monitor’ precision problem
- Significantly lower price than other options
- Quality construction (doesn’t feel cheap, feels durable)