There are tons of dedicated drawing tablets that artists use for their work, letting you doodle, take notes, or draw digital graphics. But these tablets frequently give you tools for drawing and nothing else. What more casual and amateur artists may want instead is an Android tablet with a stylus that works for drawing, as well as other tasks like streaming, gaming, and homework.
You can check our guide on the best drawing tablets if you don't need a proper operating system and apps. But different tablet makers have improved their offerings to the point where you can ditch the idea of a traditional drawing tablet in favor of one of the best Android tablets for drawing, instead.
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What makes the Galaxy Tab S8 Plus stand out amongst the best Android tablets is its versatility. Since the Galaxy Tab S4, Samsung has continued to include an S Pen in the box, which removes the need for you to try and find a compatible stylus if you just want to get down to business.
Thanks to the 12.4-inch display, the Tab S8 Plus is more portable than the iPad Pro or Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra. You'll still enjoy the same great power under the hood, with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 paired with up to 12GB RAM and even a microSD card slot for great processing power and storage for all your artwork.
The biggest reason why the Tab S8 Plus is our pick if you're looking at the best Android tablet for drawing is because of the display and price. Samsung is using its beautiful Super AMOLED display, complete with a 120Hz refresh rate and 2800 x 1752 resolution. Plus, the S Pen is the newer version sporting just 2.8ms of latency, as opposed to the 9ms of latency found with the smaller Tab S8.
In practice, our Galaxy Tab S8 reviewer found that the "S Pen and software felt much more responsive than on the iPad Pro" with its popular Apple Pencil.
There's no denying that the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is a beast in almost every sense of the word. From its massive 14.6-inch display to the same power found in the best Android phones, Samsung hits all the right marks. As you would expect, this display is also using a Super AMOLED panel complete with a 120Hz refresh rate. And the excellent S Pen with 2.8ms of latency is included, offering a massive canvas for you to draw and doodle away to your heart's content.
Samsung also offers a wide variety of tools and customizable options that you can use with the S Pen. It all starts with the Air Command menu, providing shortcuts to your favorite apps or just letting you quickly jot down a note or two. And thanks to the Play Store, you can access the best drawing apps Android has to offer, giving you plenty of options to try out.
In our Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra review, our tablets editor noted that "writing and drawing feel as fluid as writing on a piece of paper with a gel pen. I can jot down quick notes, or use the S Pen to play my ongoing Slay The Spire addiction. It also ends up being my preferred method for interacting with the Tab S8 Ultra." In other words, it's a great tablet for drawing or working at your desk.
For as wonderful and amazing as the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is, it's also quite expensive. It rivals the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2021) in terms of price while gaining an edge in size and form factor. But not everyone has enough desk space to comfortably take advantage of what you'll get with this tablet, which is another reason why the Tab S8 Plus is the one you should buy for tasks beyond drawing. The Ultra is just too heavy to lug around, otherwise.
You might not think about Lenovo when it comes to the best Android tablets for drawing, but the Tab P12 Pro might change your mind. With its 12-inch 2K display, this falls right between the Tab S8 and Tab S8 Plus, making it a very intriguing option if you're worried about having a tablet that's too big.
Lenovo also includes its excellent Precision Pen 3 stylus, which is not only included in the box but magnetically attaches to the back of the P12 Pro. This new stylus supports up to 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity and is quite a bit more comfortable than what you might find with Samsung's S Pen since it has a thicker design, making it feel more like a regular pen compared to other options.
Our reviewer was concerned that switching from the Tab S8 Ultra to the Tab P12 Pro might not work, since the Precision Pen 3 doesn't hit the same level of low latency, but he "didn't have any of those problems" in practice.
Something that might change your mind about potentially picking up the Tab P12 Pro is software support. Lenovo has only promised one major OS update for this tablet, which is disappointing compared to the four years of major updates coming to the Galaxy Tab S8 lineup. It's also odd considering that you can install the Android 13 Beta, but Lenovo is planning to provide security updates until at least September 2024.
What do you get when you pair Android with an E Ink display and an included stylus? The Onyx Boox Nova Air C! This is one of the most unique tablet implementations we've seen; it's like a digital notebook, e-reader, and Android tablet all in one.
The obvious benefit here is that the Nova Air C doesn't need a beefy processor to keep a power-hungry display rolling along. Onyx also includes a pressure-sensitive stylus and case in the box, giving you everything you need to start taking notes or creating drawings right away. Plus, you aren't limited to the built-in applications, as you can just hop over to the Play Store and download your favorite drawing app.
Not everything is perfect. It's difficult for Onyx to overcome the limitations of Android on larger form factors. We're hoping things can change with the release of Android 13, but as noted in our Nova Air C review, there are some hardware limitations. Onyx also limits your storage options, with only 32GB onboard and no way to expand it further. The Nova Air C truly is something special, but the compromises paired with a high price tag might drive you to look elsewhere.
Samsung's Galaxy Tab S6 Lite could seem like a weird addition to this list, and you would probably be right. But the truth is that there aren't very many great tablet options if you're looking for a cheap option for drawing. However, you'll still get Samsung's excellent software experience with One UI, paired with an included S Pen.
You won't find the ultra-low latency found in the S Pen included with the Tab S8 series, but it's still more than sufficient for most people. Chances are, you might not even be able to tell the difference between something like the Tab S6 Lite or Tab S8 unless you look pretty closely.
This design and form factor is so popular that Samsung even went so far as to release a revamped version of the Tab S6 Lite in select markets. Unfortunately, it has yet to arrive here in the U.S. but is available in the likes of Italy or India. Maybe that will change, but even the 2020 version is a great tablet if you can't afford the newer options.
There are two "cheating" additions on this list and the first is Lenovo's Chromebook Duet 3. It's easy to see why this would be cheating as soon as you look at the name — this is a Chromebook tablet and not an Android one. However, because you still get access to a wide variety of applications from the Play Store, the Duet 3 gets a nod, especially when it comes to drawing.
Recently, Google Cursive left its beta program and is now coming to pretty much any Chromebook that includes stylus support. The Chromebook Duet 3 is on this list, and with it, you'll be able to take notes or sketch ideas with Google Cursive and your favorite stylus. You can also consider the Chromebook Duet 5 if you want a slightly larger OLED display for drawing, but the Duet 3 is more portable and has more pixels per inch.
Speaking of the stylus, the Chromebook Duet 3 supports the USI 2.0 standard, which wasn't widely available at launch — hence the "no stylus here" warning in the picture above. But since then, Lenovo has released its Digital Pen 2 for just $35; even if you have to buy it separately, the Duet 3 will still save you hundreds compared to these other premium options with a stylus in the box. Plus, you get a detachable keyboard cover and case in the box.
We've come to our second "cheating" addition to the list, and that's the Wacom One. This dedicated drawing tablet provides a plug-and-play experience across pretty much any device you can think of. It's even possible to use with many of the best Android phones, let alone Windows, macOS, Android tablets, and Chromebooks.
With the Wacom One, you get a 13.3-inch display that makes it feel like you're actually writing or drawing on paper. It's one of the reasons why many opt for a screen protector with a matte finish on tablets like the Tab S8 or iPad Pro. The pressure-sensitive pen is included in the box and is designed in such a way that you shouldn't get fatigued as easily as using other stylus options.
It's easy to understand why the Wacom One is our pick for the best drawing tablet overall, especially since the brand has been making some of the best in that market for years. With support for a multitude of devices across various platforms, the Wacom One may not run Android, but it's an extremely compelling option if you're serious about drawing and have other Android devices.
These are the best Android tablets for drawing
While the list of best Android tablets for drawing is dominated by Samsung's tablets, it's for a good reason. With tablets like the Galaxy Tab S8 Plus and Tab S8 Ultra, you not only have a stylus in the box, but Samsung continues innovating. Having a latency as low as 2.8ms is absolutely incredible, and when paired with the best drawing apps, these tablets are just second to none.
But the truth is that outside of the stylus-specific features, the gap between Samsung and other Android tablets is slightly getting smaller. Lenovo's Tab P12 Pro is an excellent alternative if you want something a bit less expensive, but still more than capable of handling your various needs. And Lenovo includes its new Precision Pen 3 stylus in the box, so you won't need to go out and pick one up after the fact.
