Painting on the go and connected to a PC: Magic Pro 13 reviewed
The new standalone graphics tablet from XPPen has clearly better hardware than its predecessor. Furthermore, it looks stylish and has an extremely practical slider built in.
The Magic Pro 13 from XPPen is designed for digital art on the go and at home. I use Android painting apps to scribble down my ideas at the nearest café. At home, I can connect the device to my PC via USB-C if needed, allowing me to use it as an extended display for painting.
Design and display are impressive
The Magic Pro 13 is about the size of an A4 sheet, 0.7 centimeters thin, and weighs 655 grams. Its size and weight make it ideal for light travel. I like the matte white back, which feels pleasant to the touch. The rubberized nubs on the corners are also practical, preventing the tablet from sliding too much on smooth surfaces. The small camera bump doesn't cause it to wobble either; it lies flat on level surfaces.
The IPS display of the Magic Pro is just under 13 inches and offers a resolution of 3096 × 2064 pixels, ensuring a sharp image. Thanks to the 120-hertz refresh rate, I also have a smooth experience when scrolling. Furthermore, with 650 nits of peak brightness and the matte display, I get a tablet that I can use well outdoors even in sunshine. The screen is bright enough for this, and its matte coating keeps reflections at bay. Resolution, refresh rate, and brightness were significantly lower on the predecessor, the Magic Drawing Pad.
Depending on the area of application, color space coverage is important for artists. The tablet covers 100 percent of the sRGB color space and 96 percent of the DCI-P3. The former is a good value for digital works. The latter is relevant for film production and is also in a good range. Unfortunately, the manufacturer does not specify the Adobe RGB color space (for printing).
Hardware: Slider for the touchscreen
XPPen uses a Mediatek Dimensity 8300. It performs well in benchmarks compared to other art-focused Android tablets, such as the Huawei Matepad Air (Kirin T93B) or the Wacom Movinkpad 11 (Snapdragon 8s Gen 3). The chip from the previous tablet (Mediatek MT8771) was still in the lower to mid-range category. The 8300 – an upper mid-range chip – brings significantly more performance.
The eight gigabytes of RAM are okay, but not outstanding. The more RAM I have, the larger and higher-resolution canvases I can create. For context: I noticed limitations with the predecessor when using "Clip Studio Paint". The cursor lagged extremely when erasing on an A4-sized canvas at 350 dpi. I have the same problem here, but only starting from A3 size. The stuttering disappears at A4, and I don't notice any problems at all with the less resource-hungry painting app "Infinite Painter".
There are 256 GB of internal storage available. A microSD slot is located on the side for storage expansion of up to 2 terabytes.
XPPen includes a 10,200 mAh battery. It lasts about eight to ten hours while painting. That's good, but in the same range as the predecessor with a smaller battery (8,000 mAh). I can charge it with up to 45 watts. The manufacturer offers a suitable power adapter separately.
An exciting hardware feature is the slider on the top side. I use it to directly lock the tablet's touch function. I will explain how useful it is in practice below in the painting section.
If I want to take a photo with the tablet for reference images, I can do that too. There are two cameras available for this: 8 megapixels on the front and 13 on the back. The quality is not outstanding, but perfectly sufficient for the purpose.
XPPen includes practical accessories
The most important accessory for a graphics tablet is, of course, the pen. XPPen includes the new X4 Smart Chip Stylus. Its white design matches the tablet, and it feels pleasantly light in my hand. The pen also recognizes over 16,000 pressure levels.
I cannot freely assign the two buttons on the front, but I still have a selection for them. However, it only includes options like switching between apps, going to quick settings, or returning directly to the home screen. I don't find that particularly useful. I usually use such buttons for shortcuts while drawing to switch between two tools or to undo a step.
Practically, I can calibrate the pen. While not necessary for me, I can use other XPPen pens with the tablet. In that case, I have to shift the cursor minimally so that it appears in the right place on the screen.
As further accessories, I find two different types of replacement nibs for the stylus, four made of plastic and four made of felt. A glove is also included so that I can glide better over the display. In addition to the touchscreen lock, it can also prevent me from accidentally painting with my hand instead of the pen.
If that's not enough for you, XPPen offers a suitable keyboard, a stand, a magnetic protective cover, and the aforementioned 45-watt adapter separately. I especially recommend a stand if you want to paint comfortably with the tablet on a table.
The app selection is only partially convincing
The Magic Pro 13 comes with Android 16 and XPPen's user interface. This keeps the tablet up to date, even as Android 17 is being rolled out. The previous model was still equipped with Android 12 while Android 15 was already being rolled out. I had criticized that heavily back then; now I am satisfied. I also like XPPen's tidy user interface.
The manufacturer includes all Google services and a few practical painting and note-taking programs. However, the painting programs can only be used for free to a limited extent. I find that a pity – although it's no different with other graphics tablets. Of the manufacturers I know, only Huawei's tablets offer a full-featured and good art program for free.
The new Canvas app from XPPen is completely free, but with very minimal capabilities, as are a note-taking and a math app. For more options, you have to download other apps from the Play Store.
In return, XPPen adds practical software functions. For example, I can open an app as a floating window. This allows me to display a reference image from the gallery directly over my canvas. This works because the floating window is always displayed on top of the other app, and I can also move and resize it. Also practical: I can open Word this way and take notes while watching a YouTube tutorial. In Word, I can switch between pen and keyboard input.
I only recommend the pre-installed "Clip Studio Paint" if you paint on a larger scale. You have an enormous number of options with it and can even adjust things like the pressure levels of the stylus, various canvas specifications, and so on. However, it is quite expensive overall. I can scribble with it for free, but as soon as I want to save an image, I have to take out a subscription. That costs me at least 24 Swiss francs or euros per year. I really like the program, but subscription prices are annoying.
Alternatively, I therefore recommend Infinite Painter. You can use the program for free in a stripped-down version and pay a one-time fee of 20 Swiss francs or euros for a larger range of functions.
You can find further painting program candidates that are worth trying out in the following overview:
Painting with the Magic Pro 13
I can really let off steam with Infinite Painter. Thanks to the fine surface, the matte display gives me the necessary grip without feeling scratchy. The latency is very low. This means that I notice it if I pay attention to it, but it doesn't bother me while drawing.
I use the slider every now and then so that I don't accidentally draw lines with the heel of my hand. However, I then miss being able to zoom in on my canvas with my finger. That's why I don't use it for quick sketching, but only for coloring when I have the same canvas view for a long time. It would be practical to have a zoom shortcut on the stylus.
The pen itself feels super comfortable when painting. It is light and easy to grip, and the buttons are placed far back so that I don't press them by accident. XPPen has chosen its shape practically. It is pleasantly round at the front and slightly flattened at the back. This way, it doesn't roll away when I put it on the table. The displayed cursor is practical for detail work.
After I finished my test image, I only noticed how quickly a few hours had passed. I am fully in the flow, and the hardware keeps up well with multiple layers. It still reaches its limits, though. I don't recommend an image larger than A3 or several dozen layers with it; that's when my program and the cursor start to stutter and hang. For smaller works, however, the Magic Pro 13 is perfectly sufficient. It meets my requirements for painting on the go.
Connecting the tablet to the PC is also very easy
A small, exciting addition: The tablet has two USB-C ports. I use one to connect the tablet to my PC (or Mac). The Magic Pro 13 then automatically enters tablet mode. This allows me to use any of the computer's programs and use the tablet as a drawing surface. This is pretty cool and not complicated at all. For this, I only need to install a driver from XPPen. Afterward, I can also adjust the pressure sensitivity of the stylus and the appropriate display resolution on the PC.
In a nutshell
The Magic Pro 13 is a powerful upgrade for painting on the go
Pro
- good display with sharp resolution and matte panel
- strong performance
- useful PC mode via second USB-C port
- Slider for touchscreen mode
- well-thought-out stylus (does not roll away thanks to the flattened back)
Contra
- Performance limit for large formats (it often stutters from A3 upwards)
- restricted stylus buttons
- Free software is only partially useful
Ever since I learned how to hold a pen, I've been doodling away in bright colours. Thanks to my iPad, digital art has also become part of my life. That's why I love testing tablets – from the graphic design range to the regular kind. When I feel the urge to express my creativity without lugging lots of equipment, I go for the latest smartphones and start snapping away.
