The 2025 iteration of the Wacom Cintiq 16 ($699) represents a significant upgrade from the long-in-market 2019 version. The latest version of this 16-inch creative pen display boosts the resolution, delivering a brighter screen with better contrast. It also offers a simplified input and cable setup—gone is the proprietary three-headed connector, replaced by USB-C supporting DisplayPort over USB Alternate Mode and adding power delivery. Like on many lower-priced interactive artistic displays, you get pen input but not finger-based multi-touch. (For the latter, look to Cintiq Pro models such as the Wacom Cintiq Pro 22.) Our Editors' Choice for a pen display sans multi-touch is the Xencelabs Pen Display 16, but that panel, which packs a 4K OLED display, costs a bit over $400 more than the new Cintiq 16, which earns our Editors' Choice as a sub-$1,000 creative pen display.

Design: An Interactive Pen Display for Art Students, Sketchers, and Cash-Strapped Pros

The Cintiq 16 comes in a matte-black frame with rounded corners, and is reasonably thin, even if it isn't the skinniest such panel we've seen. At 4.5 pounds, it's also a little on the heavy side for its peer group. The IPS screen—measuring 16 inches diagonally—delivers WQXGA (2,560-by-1,600-pixel) resolution, with a 16:10 aspect ratio that provides more vertical space than -widescreen 16:9 panels. The Cintiq 16's display stands out in its size, too: While most displays sold as "16-inch" actually have 15.6-inch screens, Wacom's panel measures the full 16.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

A panel with the Cintiq 16's screen size and resolution has a pixel density of approximately 189 pixels per inch (ppi), which is more than sufficient for detailed graphic arts work. Still, the screen can't compare with the Editors' Choice Xencelabs Pen Display 16, an interactive display featuring a 4K (3,840-by-2,160-pixel) OLED display and an impressive 282ppi pixel density. Of course, the Xencelabs 16 sells for about $550 more than the Cintiq 16, putting it squarely in the professional category. The Cintiq 16 is clearly priced for art students and pros on a budget.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

For connectivity, the Cintiq 16 gives you three USB-C ports: one on the left, and two on the bottom flanking a mini HDMI port. One of the USB-C ports, marked with a lightning icon, is strictly for powering the Cintiq, using an included (and small) power brick. In my tests, I got a bright screen without the adapter: I simply connected the device to my laptop using one of the other USB-C ports, which supports DisplayPort over USB Alt Mode. The port situation marks an improvement over the 2019 Cintiq 16, which required separate inputs for the pen and display and used a three-headed "Cerberus" cable for connecting to other devices. The latest Cintiq 16 provides two USB-C-to-USB-C cables, one specifically for use with the power adapter, but doesn't include a mini HDMI-to-HDMI cable.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

The Cintiq 16 features two fold-out legs on the bottom, which prop up the back of the screen at a 28-degree angle. (The 2019 Cintiq 16 also has fold-out legs, but they only tilt the back of the monitor upward at a shallower—19-to-20-degree—angle.) In addition, the new model has a square grid of VESA mounting holes for those who want to arm- or wall-mount the display. (It doesn't include mounting hardware.)

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

A couple of notes about nomenclature: Wacom sometimes calls the Cintiq 16 a pen tablet or graphics tablet, but it isn't a true tablet—a self-contained computer with its own operating system. Instead, it's basically a monitor, so you need to hook it up to a computer to use it. Also note that to distinguish it from earlier models, the 2025 version of the Cintiq 16 that I review here has the Wacom model identification code of DTK168.

The Wacom Center Utility: Easily Modify Settings

Using Wacom's handy Wacom Center app, you can tinker with the pen settings and set up shortcuts on the display for various tasks. The app will also provide info about how to use the on-screen display (OSD). Simply plug the Cintiq 16 into your computer, launch the app, and you're ready to go.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

Drawing With the Pro Pen 3 Stylus: Smooth and Precise

The key input device for the Cintiq 16 is the Wacom Pro Pen 3 stylus. The pen, which comes bundled with the display, offers a big improvement over the previous version, delivering support for 8,192 pressure levels and up to 60-degree tilt. The Pro Pen 3 doesn't require charging—indeed, it doesn't have a battery—as it draws power from the Cintiq 16 through Wacom's electro-magnetic resonance (EMR) technology.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

The Cintiq comes with a pen holder that attaches to the side of the display and holds the pen vertically; there's also a compartment that holds two extra nibs.

I found the Cintiq 16 to be responsive to the Pro Pen 3 stylus, offering a smooth and comfortable drawing experience. Shading and hatching, which have sometimes given me problems, were easy; I didn't notice any lag between my pen stroke and the result appearing on screen, like we had seen with the 2019 Cintiq (which was probably a parallax effect).

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

Color, Luminance, and Contrast Testing: Good Brightness and Contrast, Full sRGB Coverage

I tested the Cintiq 16 using our standard luminance and color-fidelity testing for monitors, employing a Klein K10-A colorimeter and Portrait Displays' Calman for Business calibration software. The luminance (brightness per unit area) registered at 333 nits (candelas per meter squared), exceeding its rated brightness of 290 nits. I calculated the contrast ratio at 1,259:1, a bit under its 1,400:1 rating, but much better than the 867:1 ratio that the 2019 Cintiq 16 turned in.

(Credit: Portrait Displays)

Wacom rates the Cintiq 16's color coverage at 100% of the sRGB space and 99% of DCI-P3. I tested it at 99.9% sRGB (see the chromaticity chart above), 91.9% of DCI-P3, and 94% of Adobe RGB. (Wacom doesn't give a rating for that last one.) In case the lower DCI-P3 coverage seems like a potential red flag, consider this: DCI-P3 is a space optimized for digital video, but the Cintiq 16 is aimed at web and print artists, not video editors. Therefore, the lower DCI-P3 coverage should be sufficient for most intended users, who will likely prioritize sRGB and Adobe RGB.

In testing, the screen appeared bright, and colors were well-saturated but not overly so. The panel did reasonably well in showing detail in both bright and dark areas.