XP-Pen Deco Pro Gen2 XL - Review

[@desadesa]

I use an acetate sheet over my deco pro for nib wear and the smooth surface makes it easier for me to draw.

[@iarik-chan]

great analysis! do you, by any chance, have an opinion on how XP Pen Deco Pro Gen 2 compares to the latest Huion tablets? For instance, Inspiroy Dial 2 or Inspiroy 2? Or how are Huion pens PW110 / PW517 / PW550 compared to XP Pen X3 Pro Smart Pen in terms of overall performance and, especially, nib "looseness" (since I hate the latter)?

[@SirDella]

Thank you for such an in depth review, I appreciate all these details as they are things I tend to notice after spending a lot of time with tablets and reviews barely mention them. Note: The 16k are pure marketing, 4k is more than enough. Just think how screens work with 8 bit color (256 brightness levels), and look at how much they can do with that. The big deal with the pen is the low activation force, because it is useless to have 16k if you have to slam it to the tablet before it starts drawing

[@AlphaSnowLion]

Really detailed review! Do you know how the tablet handles being plugged in all the time? Do they have some battery charge limit setting to not degrate it by keeping it at 100% all the time? In case where someone doesn't have Bluetooth for example, you'd have it plugged in non-stop

[@serianaa]

Just a question, are the wacom standard nibs compatible / useable for the XP Pen X3 Pro Pen (just like how the wacom standard nibs works with xencelabs)?

[@Fr13s]

I got this as my Intuos Medium is not allowing me to do gestural drawings the way I want, and I enjoyed it until I tried doing precise lines. Unfortunately the hover cursor seems to be incredibly choppy at certain heights and I'm constantly fighting it. It's like the cursor only jumps between set points on a 'grid' on my screen, and it has no idea where the pen is in between those points. I never know where I'm going to make a mark until my pen actually touches the tablet, which is horrible for a screenless tablet since you NEED the cursor to know where your mark is going to go. Since my mark is always at least 1 centimeter off on my screen, I have to zoom in enough to where 1cm offshoot is not a big deal. But that defeats the purpose of having a bigger tablet to allow more arm movement at the same zoom level. Such a terrible implementation of hover is making me return this one, even though I love the look, size, and feel.

[@andrewdillow999]

If you want a slim pen the X3 Pro Slim Stylus 16K description says it will work with the Deco Gen 2

[@Eagerrr08]

Thank you. I used to draw on wacom intuos 3, later I changed on inspiroy by huion and I noticed how nib is wobbling. I thought it's only this model issue. So I want to change the tablet now and I choose between wacom intuos Pro L or XP-Pen Deco Pro XLW. I see from review that 16k is not game changer, but you say that experience with new pen is much better when before. Maybe you have some thoughts about it? Thank you for review anyway.

[@pacifist8852]

It's been a year, can you still recommend it? I'm struggling to choose whether to buy this or find something else.

[@joseph-montanez]

Yes, I did review the Inspiroy Frego M which I loved too, if you do not need an XL or keypad accessory, and want to save some money.

[@mook3312]

Thanks for the review. As for getting lost on which bank of keys / scroll function you're on - doesn't the pop up help you with that?

[@kei_kurono1]

Thank you for this great review ! I own a Wacom Intuos Medium tablet and I love the texture it has for drawing and recently I decided to try an XP-PEN Deco 01 V2 and unfortunately I never managed to get used to its texture, I personally find it too slippery and I much prefer the texture of the Wacom intuos. However I've recently found that the Wacom Intuos Medium was too small for my use and I'd like to upgrade to a larger model but I find the price for a Wacom Intuos Pro Large too expensive for me and I would like to know how the texture of this new Deco Pro L Gen 2 was compared to a Wacom Intuos ? You mentioned that this tablet had less grip than the Deco 01 v2 (which I personally find too slippery) but do you think that with the felt nibs the grip is closer to a Wacom talbet ? Thank you in advance. (sorry for my english)

[@joseph-montanez]

Yes, the Deco 01 V2 is a better textured feel (without the protection sheet) than the Deco Pro Gen2, but only if you are using the non-felt nibs. If you use the felt nibs, then its much more friction on the Deco Pro Gen2. There are no felt nibs for the Deco 01 V2. However the Deco Pro Gen2 has the same texture as the Deco M/MW/L/LW which also can use felt tips (separate purchase). Hand oils and cleaning liquids can alter the feel and make it more slippier than what it should, so kept that in mind. You can always overlay something like colored construction paper on the Deco 01 V2 and that can be a cheap alternative to just buying a new pen tablet. I use this method on my Deco Fun L and while not as good as a felt nib, it decent enough.

[@kei_kurono1]

@@joseph-montanez Thank you very much for this detailed answer! The texture isn't the only thing that pushed me to get a new tablet, it's mainly the size that I now find too small for me. I'd like to upgrade and get a bigger tablet. And now that I know felts nibs improve the texture of the tablet, I think I'll go for this one. By any chance, do you know if the coating on this tablet can be replaced if it gets scratched or damaged? Thanks in advance!

[@joseph-montanez]

@@kei_kurono1 XP-Pen historically has not provided this, maybe contact customer support to confirm. Huion does but not for any new pen tablets, such as the Giano, Dial 2 or Inspiroy 2. Maybe those need to be older than 2 years before Huion will provide replacement surfaces. May want to reach out of with to confirm. The Giano is another alternative, which also has felt nibs. I don't have experience with that or its 3.0 Pen tech.

[@kei_kurono1]

@@joseph-montanez Ok, well thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions ! :)

[@MrReactric]

anyone does encounter problems " When you lift the pen up, the mouse gets stuck. step by step ..as if the cursor goes low res page pixel pixel.

[@shehroz295]

Hey Joseph, In my country I can get a used intous pro large for 240$ and Deco gen 2 medium for 220$ which one should i go for?do you think the wacom is still superior? driver and experience wise.

[@carlo_montie]

Hi! I've been using a pen display for the past 4 years and I'm considering switching back to using a pen tablet(because I think they're just overall superior to pen displays when it comes to professional work). I got my eye on this specific product but my concern is if the surface of the tablet will get scratched or damaged by the nib. The last time I used a pen tablet which was until 4 years ago, I've drawn with it extensively for years and the surface got worn out by just drawing for so long, though it was an entry-level Huion h640p which costed around $40 many years ago. So how is the XP-Pen Deco Pro Gen2's surface area holding up after more than half a year?

[@joseph-montanez]

I don't draw hard so none of the tablets I've ever owned have scratched on them.

[@carlo_montie]

@@joseph-montanez Good to know. I consider myself to not draw hard as well, so I'm very hopeful now that you mentioned your experience.

[@YOGA-ol7zk]

Real nice work on the review, I teach (painting [;-] ) love your voice

[@GoSuLeGioN]

great review, thanks so much!

[@srijanmoitra3852]

I recently bought a deco 01 v2 and noticed the same wobble and nib retraction as you mentioned here.Should i return the product and buy the deco MW with bluetooth although it has a slightly smaller active area(8*5 inches in the MW vs 10*6inches in deco 01 v2)?Is the stylus and nib wobble that much better?I am a beginner but i can still find my straight lines getting a bit wonky no matter what.

[@joseph-montanez]

The X3 Elite pen that comes with the Deco MW is not a major upgrade. If this is your first pen tablet then it won't really care. The only thing that stands out in terms of pen performance is it (X3 Elite) hold pressure better, and tilt works on far edges of device. I have a separate video on this specific topic. The X3 Elite Pro pen for the Deco Pro Gen2 is far superior and really worth an upgrade. The PN05 that comes with the Deco 01 v2 is fine, I personally do not like the design of the pen, but its performance isn't that far off from the Deco M/L/MW/LW. The Deco 01 v2 also has about the best textured surfaces to date, unless their updated version has changed the texture. Overall keep it unless you need wireless support, the X3 Elite pen while I really love its lightweight all plastic design ins't add that much more value.

[@ShubhamRaj-zv8id]

it is use for make a notes or not

[@ShubhamRaj-zv8id]

its helpful to make a class notes or not

[@joseph-montanez]

This would be completely overkill for just note taking. You might be better off with the Deco L or Deco LW and then purchase felt tips if you need the extra pen friction. The only concern is the felt nibs do ware down fast, especially for writing versus drawing as you're normally applying a lot more pressure.

[@amenbreak4290]

Excellent Review! I have one question. Is cursor jump when pressing side button still as bad as in Deco with X3? I switched from wacom to Deco L and I use it a lot in 3D applications for navigation, but every time I press a side button (binded to mmb) to move in a viewport it has a jarring noticable delay and a cursor jump. Granted, wacom has it too, but about twice as short and feels much smoother.

[@joseph-montanez]

In terms of "undo" such a button on the Pen. For me its the same issue with the X3 Elite and X3 Elite Pro in Clip Studio Paint. However I tried in Blender 3D, that undo action works flawlessly without having the pen stutter using the X3 Elite Pro. When I tried on my Deco M and X3 Elite it stuttered like in Clip Studio Paint. So I would so its improved, but would depend on the Application. I tried with Bluetooth 5.0 and wired mode. Lastly I tried setting a pen button to middle click in Blender 3D for rotating the viewport, the X3 Elite/Deco M had a little bit of a delay before it would start to rotate, where the Deco Pro Gen2/ X3 Elite Pro had no delay.

[@amenbreak4290]

@@joseph-montanez That's a great news, I didn't expect for xppen to actually improve that. Thanks for testing! I can buy it now without worrying about that isssue

[@zypher4838]

this review was good for me and i apreciate it was too usefull and my opinion is very close to you

[@stand-up4851]

can u use it as a touchpad for mouse ?

[@joseph-montanez]

It’s pen only, there no touch features

[@Epiphone1978]

My nephiew is an artist at drawing and he's only 16!. He love's doing it and i was thinking about buying him this as a present. But I got a question, how they coordinate their eyes with the drawing??? Is it ok for a starter young man or should i get him those with the screen on?

[@joseph-montanez]

When I got started using a pen tablet it took months before I got use to sketching and even digitally inking my physically drawings. Painting on a pen tablet is much easier than it was to sketch or ink. I’d be a little worried given the age spending much on a pen display since those are much easier to break than a pen tablet. If you are looking around $200 USD you can look into a used iPad Pro 9.7 1st generation. Those go for $130 - $150 USD, and a used Apple Pen goes for $50 - $60. Coupled with a paper “feeling” screen protector and case, its a hard value to beat. I have a video slated for later today/tomorrow on this very topic. As there are a few downsides to going with an older iPad Pro.

[@TorikulIslam404]

Your review is great ( I mean it.) I bought this Deco Pro XL version after watching your review. Everything is great except one thing and that is lag. Bought two days ago. Facing lagging issues from the beginning. To solve the lag issue I've tried these: Stopped Windows ink; Stopped Pen and Touch features from Settings and Control Panel; Installed different drivers old and new; Installed Windows 10, and 11; Basically I did most of the things I've found online. Nothing solved the lagging issue. Non-mouse mode has lags but not as much as mouse mode. Although I think when I customize the working area size the lag issue is pretty much the same as mouse mode. I have also tried with a different wire. By the way, I've only tried with wire as my PC doesn't have Bluetooth. I will buy a Bluetooth adapter later. And yes I have also deleted the driver and reinstalled it. Still, after doing all of these things it is the same, lagging. I have also contacted local seller and they suggested me to try in another computer. I currently have only one PC. So, I couldn't test that yet. Any idea if I can solve this issue? I mean is it really a software issue or a hardware issue/bug? By the way, I was talking about the general lagging issue, not software-specific. In PS there was too much lag and pressure sensitivity wouldn't work. After watching one KZbin video I was able to solve that. But the general lagging issue is still there. Please share if you have any thoughts. Thank you.

[@joseph-montanez]

Lag could be a hardware not being good enough or possibly going through a USB hub. When I worked on a very low end computer I could only use Art Rage, as it performed the best. ArtRage 5 is free for Deco Pro users. XP-Pen has a blog post on how to claim it.

[@TorikulIslam404]

I am sorry for not mentioning those things too. I am not using a USB hub. I've tried front and motherboard USB and Type-C both connectors. And my hardware is also not too bad. I built my PC in 2020. I wouldn't say it is the best but decent. I am planning to upgrade my CPU and GPU in the coming months. If it was a hardware issue I will share then. Currently, my 5 USD mouse is performing better than this tablet (in terms of navigation). Also, I kept in mind that some suggested HDMI could be another reason. And thank you for that software suggestion although the problem wasn't to any software-specific. By the way, are pen tablets generally a bit laggy than a normal mouse? I have no previous experience. This is my first graphic tablet ever. I bought this mostly for multitasking/mouse alternative and retouching, drawing wasn't my first purpose. Thank you for your reply. Please share if you have any other thoughts. Thank you again.

[@joseph-montanez]

@@TorikulIslam404 If its limited to photoshop there is a smoothing option you might have turned on in Photoshop that will cause a delay. However in terms of a pen, versus mouse. The polling rate on this pen is well over 200 hz, where else a high end mouse will be 125hz (higher the number the better). XP-Pen does apply hardware smoothing in their pen tech but that's never enough to cause lag. Another thing I would try is reduce you're images resolution in Photoshop and see if that improved it. However I would also recommend giving ArtRage a try since its free for you.

[@TorikulIslam404]

Thank you. Yeah, I downloaded ArtRage after first you mentioned it. And no, the lag isn't any software-specific. I am facing a general lagging issue. That means I am using my pen tablet for everything. For example, to reply to you I used my pen and keyboard not mouse and key. So, when I use the pen it is a bit wobbly and laggy. Sometimes it just gets stuck. I still don't know what causing the problem but I've found another problem with my computer. When I connect my tablet to my PC using USB it gets electrified including the pen box if I put it on the tablet. I just noticed this issue a few hours ago using a tester. Now I feel XP-Pen didn't do a good job by not providing a USB dongle for the tablet. I should buy now a Bluetooth adapter. Maybe I should also fix the earthing system at home. Thank you for your reply. I will share my update if I can solve the issue.

[@joseph-montanez]

@@TorikulIslam404 Sorry one thing I forgot, if you place this on a surface like a laptop keyboard, or android / ipad tablet, there are magnets that will interfere with the detection system causing all sorts of issues. Since mine was the XL, even setting my cellphone on it caused problems since it has magnets on it. Doesn't matter if its above or below the pen tablet.

[@davestomper3428]

SO IS IT A GOOD PURCHASE OR?????

[@Lekser]

yes