Don't Buy A Drawing Tablet Before Seeing What Your Android Tablet Can Do

It's easy to end up with a desk drawer full of old tech, outdated gadgets, and random devices that you don't use all that often, creating lots of clutter and potentially wasting a lot of money. One way you can try to avoid that is by making the most of each device you already own. The best way of making that happen is by gaining a strong understanding of exactly what your devices can and can't do.

Android tablets in particular are surprisingly multipurpose devices. Depending on exactly what hardware and software you're working with, you can use your tablet for browsing the internet, reading e-books, listening to music, or even enjoying a bit of handheld gaming. With the right apps and software, you can also use your tablet to try out digital art or take digital notes by hand. All you need is a tablet, a reasonable stylus pen, and an art app like Krita, MediBang Paint, or Clip Studio Paint. You're in an even better situation for drawing if you have a tablet that offers top-notch stylus support.

Generally speaking, the easiest way to use your Android tablet for art is by drawing directly on it using a stylus and the right app. But with the right software, you can also run it through your laptop to use it like a dedicated drawing tablet. There are still a few key differences between drawing tablets and regular Android tablets though, and as a result, you can miss out on some features that could be important for professional artists by skipping a drawing tablet. However, if you're only planning on dabbling a little, then your tablet just might do the trick.

The exact differences you can expect to see between Android tablets and drawing tablets really depend on the specific make and model of your device. For example, Android tablets always have a display, and while many drawing tablets don't — you just look at your computer screen while drawing instead — some of the best drawing tablets do come with screens. However, there's one difference that's always there: the specific purpose each type of tablet is designed for. Android tablets are designed to be multipurpose, smartphone-like devices, while drawing tablets are typically designed as an alternative to mouse inputs for your computer. More specifically, drawing tablets exist to make it feel like you're drawing or writing on your computer with a physical pen, complete with pressure sensitivity.

Drawing tablets can only be used with compatible, specialist stylus pens. These pens work together with your tablet to detect how hard you're pressing while drawing. In turn, this determines how thick or thin your brush stroke looks on the digital canvas. On the other hand, you can control Android tablets with your finger or any old capacitive stylus. Some Android tablets can detect pressure sensitivity with the right type of stylus — for instance, Samsung tablets when paired with an S Pen — but they don't tend to be as sensitive as drawing tablets are.

Drawing realistically without good pressure sensitivity is extremely difficult. In real life, how hard you press a pencil or paintbrush will decide how your picture looks, and it shapes a lot about your technique and art style. So, pressure sensitivity is important for drawing, and that's the main thing you need to look out for when checking if your Android tablet is ideal for creating digital art.

While the easiest way of making art on your Android tablet is by drawing directly on it using your app of choice, there is another way of doing things. If you're smart about how you set up your Android tablet and use the right software, you can also connect it to your computer like you would a regular drawing tablet. Mirroring software and apps like Duet Display, SuperDisplay, and Weylus all make it possible for you to draw on your computer via your Android tablet. Depending on which software or app you pick, this setup can work over a wireless connection, USB, or both. 

There's a catch to some of these apps. With the exception of Weylus, which you can grab from GitHub, they tend to cost money to use, either as a one-time purchase or as a subscription. Between that and the general pitfalls of using a basic Android tablet instead of something built with art in mind, you might still be better off picking up a cheap, refurbished, or second-hand drawing tablet — especially if you're planning on producing tons of digital art or creating work professionally. Small drawing tablets from reputable brands like Huion and Wacom can run for less than $40, so assuming you don't need a top-of-the-line model for professional purposes, you don't have to drop a lot on one, and it's an amount you could easily end up paying over time for an app subscription.