Intuos Pro vs Intuos Drawing Tablet: Picking out the Right Tablet For You:

Wacom is essentially the uncrowned king of the drawing tablet world. And with it, the debate between Intuos Pro vs Intuos has begun.

While other excellent brands like Huion, XP-Pen, and even iPads and Microsoft Surface are trying to push it over the edge, there is no doubt that there is a lot of reliability attached to this name. So in this article, we compare a beginner Wacom Tablet with a professional quality Wacom tablet.

Intuos vs Intuos Pro

Wacom Intuos CTL4100 is a wonderful but inexpensive drawing tablet that is perfect for beginner artists and students. The Intuos Pro, on the other hand, is the best that the Intuos line has to offer in terms of a professional graphic tablet.

Pitting them against each other, we see how steep the difference is between both price points.

Overview

The Wacom Intuos CTL4100 graphic tablet is a budgeted release by Wacom which offers the excellence of a common Intuos tablet at a very affordable price. You can use this tablet for anything you can use other tablets to be it animating, editing photos, and drawing and painting digitally. In fact, you can also use this tablet for taking notes on-screen or annotating during a group study call or if you are taking a class.

The Tablet:

The tablet has 4096 pen pressure levels that can be used to make detailed drawings without breaking a sweat. Remember, this is not a screen tablet so you will have to coordinate between your computer’s screen and your tablet accordingly while using this tablet.

The active work area is only 6 x 3.7 inches though, which can be quite small for those of you who are used to working on a larger surface.

However, if you are looking for a tab that you can carry with you anywhere, this can easily be your go-to product. It is also very slim and can easily fit inside your bag without being a burden.

There are four customizable express buttons on this tablet which you can assign any function you will. These buttons are added convenience and are a huge advantage on a small, budgeted drawing tablet.

The surface of the Wacom Intuos CTL4100 is very smooth which can make it very slippery, which might be a bit of a nuisance to use.

One way to combat this slipperiness is by sliding a sheet of paper atop the tablet’s surface, which will give it a textured feel and make the drawing or writing process feel more organic. However, this might make the nibs of the pen wear off fairly quickly.

If you cannot use this tablet to make meticulous artwork, you can still use it to take notes and organize them efficiently.

The Pen:

The pen of the Wacom Intuos CTL4100 graphic tablet is a battery-free and charging-free pen that uses electromagnetic radiation to function. This makes it a very efficient yet low-maintenance pen.

The pen is easy to grip and functions just like a normal pen, causing no lag between the software and the pen. It causes much less strain on your wrist as compared to a common computer mouse, even after you have used it for extended periods.

It also consists of buttons that you can use to switch to an eraser or customize to your liking.

This pen comes with only three backup nibs which can wear off especially easily if you are going to be drawing with a paper on the surface so you need to be quite careful.

Combined, you can use this tablet and this pen whether you are a right-handed or a left-handed individual.

Connectivity:

The Wacom Intuos CTL4100 is not a standalone product and will have to be connected to a system for it to function. You can connect it to a Mac OS, a Windows PC, or an Android device. You can do so with the help of a standard USB cable (not type C) or via a Bluetooth connection.

Compatibility:

The Wacom Intuos CTL4100 is compatible with Windows 7, 8, and 10. It is also compatible with Mac OSX 10.11 or after. You can also easily connect this tablet to an Android device.

Software:

This device can function flawlessly with all common digital drawing software, including all software on Adobe Creative Cloud, Clip Studio Paint, Krita, and Paint Tool Sai.

If you register this tablet after purchase, you can get a free two-year license to Clip Studio Paint Pro and trial versions of Corel Painter Essentials 7 and Corel Aftershot Pro. All in all, this one tablet packs in a very good deal.

Overall, the Wacom Intuos CTL4100 is a budgeted tablet that is extremely affordable but still packs a punch with all of its amazing features.

Pros

Contains Express Keys
No lag between pen and screen
Comes with free software
Very affordable

Cons

The surface is too smooth
Only three backup nibs available

Why choose the Intuos?

Pick the Wacom Intuos CTL4100 if:

You want a good tablet on a tight budget
You want to carry the tablet wherever you go
You trust the Wacom brand name
You prefer having express on the tablet
You want a 2-year license to Clip Studio Paint pro
You don’t mind working on a very smooth surface
You are just starting digital art and want a basic, cheap, beginner’s tab
You don’t mind a smooth surface
You want to take notes on the screen

Intuos Pro Drawing Tablet

Intuos Pro vs Intuos

Overview

The Wacom Intuos Pro is professional quality and expensive drawing tablet that you can use for very detailed, professional-grade artwork.

The Tablet:

The surface of the Wacom Intuos Pro Drawing Tablet is non-display. You will have to stare into your computer’s screen while working on it which requires good hand-to-eye coordination. The tablet itself is 13.2 x 8.5 inches with an 8.7 x 5.8-inch active working area. It is much larger than the surface size offered by the Intuos CTL4100.

Unlike the Intuos CTL4100, the surface of the Intuos Pro has a textured, matte finish. While drawing on it, you will get the feel of actually drawing on paper especially with the kind of nibs that its pen has.

The Intuos Pro also has 10 utility buttons that offer a very convenience-oriented experience when you are drawing. They make it much faster to create detailed artworks since you don’t have to reach for the keyboard for everything.

It also consists of 8192 pen pressure levels and an excellent palm rejection feature as well.

The Pen:

The Wacom Intuos Pro consists of a charging-free and a battery-free stylus that uses EMI technology to work on the surface. There is no lag between the screen and the pen and the entire pen-using experience is perfect.

It is ergonomic as well since the pen adds no strain to your wrist even after you have been using it for a long time.

The pen comes with 4 nibs in total, all of which behave like graphite pencils.

The nibs of this pen offer a very organic drawing experience with the paper-like texture of the tablet’s surface and the graphite-like quality of the nibs. However, since there are only three backups, it is not worth it since the nibs wear off fairly easily and need to be replaced every few weeks.

There is also a pen eraser included in the pen so you can customize the utility buttons to your liking.

Connectivity:

The Wacom Intuos Pro is also not a standalone device. It needs to be connected to a Windows system or a Macbook to function. You can connect it to either device using a Type-C USB cable or via a Bluetooth connection, both of which show how high-tech this tablet is.

Compatibility:

The Wacom Intuos Pro is compatible with Windows 7, 8, and 10, and Mac OS 10.12 or after. You can use the Type-C USB cable or the Bluetooth function to connect to either device.

Software:

Upon registering the tablet, you get a free subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan, which contains Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom.

All in all, the Wacom Intuos Pro is an excellent, professional-grade tablet that is among the more economical tablets in the market but is still at a much higher price point as compared to a Wacom Intuos CTL4100.

Pros

10 Utility buttons
Palm rejection
Paper-like feel
No lag between pen and screen
Free Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan subscription

Cons

Pen nibs wear off very quickly

Why Choose Intuos Pro?

You trust the Wacom brand name
You want to create professional-grade artwork
You prefer having a lot of utility buttons
You are okay without a screen on your tablet
You want the feel of drawing on paper
You are not on a very tight budget
You would like a free subscription to Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom
You want to work on a larger drawing surface

Differences between the Intuos and the Intuos Pro

Following are the Differences between the Intuos CTL4100 and the Intuos Pro:

Specifications	Wacom Intuos CTL4100	Wacom Intuos Pro
Active Work Area	6 x 3.7 inches	8.7 x 5.8 inches
Pen Pressure Levels	4096 pen pressure levels	8192 pen pressure levels
Express Keys	4 keys	10 utility buttons
Surface Texture	Very smooth	Matte and paper-like
Free Software	Free 2 year license to Clip Studio Paint Pro, trial versions of Corel Painter Essentials 7, Corel Aftershot Pro 3	Free subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan with Photoshop and Lightroom
Connectivity	Bluetooth and standard USB cable	Bluetooth and Type-C USB cable
Palm Rejection	No	Yes
Price Point	Very inexpensive	Economic but much more expensive

Similarities between Intuos and Intuos Pro

Following are the similarities between Wacom Intuos CTL4100 and Wacom Intuos Pro:

Both tablets come without a screen
Both pens do not require charging or a battery
Both can be connected via Bluetooth
Both tablets are compatible with Windows 7, 8, and 10 along with Mac OS 10.
Both work with all common drawing software like Adobe software, Clip Studio Paint, Krita, and Paint Tool Sai

Verdict:

Wacom Intuos Pro vs Intuos CTL4100, two very different drawing tablets by the Intuos line released by Wacom. One is a professional drawing tablet that can be used for detailed artwork while the other is a budgeted tablet that you can easily carry with you for quick drawings or taking notes on the screen.

There is no doubt that out of the two the Intuos Pro is more superior in every way. It has more pen pressure levels, a matte textured surface, updated connectivity methods, and more utility keys. However, it is at a much higher price point than the CTL4100, which offers quite a few similarities even at this range.

For example, the CTL4100 also has a Bluetooth connectivity option, it also comes with a free software subscription, both have similar compatibility and the CTL4100 also does not require charging or a battery.

FAQs

Is Wacom Intuos Pro worth it?

The Wacom Intuos Pro is a superior quality professional tablet and it is worth it if you are buying it for serious artwork. If you are a hobbyist or a beginner artist, you will be satisfied with cheaper alternatives.

Similarly, if you want a screen tablet, the Intuos Pro is not for you.

Is Wacom still the best?

Wacom is still undoubtedly the best and most reliable drawing tablet manufacturer. Most people prefer to buy a Wacom tablet at a higher price than a Huion or an XP-Pen because of its reliable brand name and perfected design.

Is Cintiq better than Intuos?

The Wacom Cintiq series is undoubtedly better than the Intuos line. This is because the Cintiq tablets are display tablets, unlike the Intuos, which give them the edge of being able to add a lot more detail conveniently. However, both tablets are still excellent for all kinds of drawings.