PROS
- Full HD display with good color reproduction and brightness
- Lowest price Wacom Cintiq of that size
- Minimal parallax
- Textured surface provides natural resistance to the stylus
- Same pen technology as the Pro tablets with 8,192 pressure levels and 60 degrees tilt
- Built-in adjustable stand
CONS
- No built-in ExpressKeys
- No touch-based input capability
- Relatively heavy (12.4 lb / 5.6 kg without stand)
Is the Wacom Cintiq 22 worth it?
The Wacom Cintiq 22 Creative Pen Tablet is a 21.5-inch drawing tablet with built-in display. Allowing you to draw directly on-screen, the Cintiq 22 offers you the most natural creative experience an artist or photographer can expect from a digital tablet.
The Cintiq 22 is similar to the Cintiq 16 – just larger. In fact, the Cintiq 22 is the cheapest drawing tablet of this size Wacom has ever offered.
The Cintiq 16 and 22 have long been considered Wacom’s best entry-level tablets, until they’ve been replaced by the newer (and less expensive) Wacom One. The Wacom One now is Wacom’s low-budget 13-inch pen display for beginners, which was released at the beginning of 2020.
→ Wacom For Beginners: Which Wacom Tablet Is Best For Beginners?
However, compared to the Wacom One, the Cintiq 22 is equipped with a much better set of features.
If you’re looking for ample screen size and a top-grade drawing experience, then the Cintiq 22 offers great value for money.
Compared to the Cintiq Pro models, the Cintiq 22 is much more affordable and still has the high-quality build we know from Wacom.
Is the Wacom Cintiq 22 a Touch Screen?
Due to the similar size, the Cintiq 22 is often seen as the budget alternative to the Cintiq Pro 24.
While the Cintiq 22 comes with a decent screen, good color reproduction, and even an included stand, it lacks the high resolution, brightness, wider color gamut, and multi-touch functionality of the Pro 24.
If you like to use gesture-based input, check out Wacom’s Cintiq Pro lineup. The Wacom Cintiq Pro 13 and Cintiq Pro 16 are smaller but available at an equally attractive price point. Other multi-touch options are the Cintiq 27QHD Touch and Cintiq 22HD Touch.
What pens work with the Cintiq 22?
Most importantly, however, the Cintiq 22 uses the same pen technology as the Pros.
It comes with the Pro Pen 2, Wacom’s market-leading digital stylus. This endows the Cintiq 22 with the same 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity and 60 degrees of tilt recognition as the professional tablets.
Other pens that work with the Cintiq 22 are the Wacom Pro Pen 3D, Pro Pen Slim, Art Pen, and Airbrush Pen.
Have a look at our Wacom Pen Compatibility List for a full list of possible replacement pens.
The Cintiq 22 with Pro Pen 2 gives you a drawing experience very similar to that of the Pros, while retailing for half the price of a Wacom Pro tablet.
This makes the Cintiq 22 a great option for art students and serious hobbyists who want an immersive drawing experience on ample screen size without spending a fortune.
Wacom Cintiq 22 Creative Pen Display Review
Unboxing
The first thing you’ll notice when taking the Cintiq 22 out of its box is that it’s huge and heavy.
The tablet measures 22.4 inches in width, 14.1 inches in height, and 1.6 inches in thickness (570 x 359 x 40 mm). It weighs a remarkable 12.4 pounds (5.6 kg) – and that is without stand.
You’ll quickly notice that you’ll need to free up some real estate on your desk to make the Cintiq 22 fit in. Needless to say that you don’t want to move the tablet around a lot.
The Cintiq 22 is a stationary device that needs its own place somewhere near your computer – and near your keyboard, if you decide against getting the optional ExpressKey Remote (more on that later in this Wacom Cintiq 22 Creative Pen Display Review).
How to set up the Wacom Cintiq 22?
Setting up the Cintiq 22 is fairly easy. The tablet needs two cables to connect to a computer: HDMI and USB 2.0. Plus, a power cord for electricity supply.
Once all cables are connected, things work plug & play. Just download the drivers for Mac or Windows from Wacom’s Desktop Center, and then you can start configuring your Cintiq 22.
Can I use my Cintiq as a monitor?
Yes, you can. The Cintiq functions as an additional monitor that you can set up in your system preferences.
Wacom Cintiq 22 Creative Pen Display Review: Screen Technology
Resolution & Brightness
The Cintiq 22’s screen offers you ample drawing space with an active area of 18.7 x 10.5 in (476 x 268 mm ) and a full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution with 16.7 million colors.
The Cintiq 16 comes with the same resolution, but has a smaller 15.6-inch display. That means the Cintiq 22 has factually less resolution than the Cintiq 16, because the same amount of pixels is spread over a larger area.
However, the Cintiq 22 is still comfortable to work on and the difference is hardly noticeable in real life – if at all, then only with the smaller Cintiq 16 right next to it.
The Cintiq 22 and 16 also share the same screen brightness of 210 cd/m2. This is surely not top standard but acceptable. Most likely, you will only experience problems with unwanted reflections, if you’re working under a direct headlight. Under normal lighting conditions, it shouldn’t be an issue.
After all, the Cintiq 22’s glass surface has an anti-glare coating, which also adds a nice texture to the screen for more natural resistance to the stylus.
Color performance
Apart from resolution and brightness, another potential drawback might be color gamut. Both the Cintiq 16 and 22 are capable of displaying 72% of NTSC colors, which is as much as the Wacom One.
The pro models, however, have a much better color performance. The Cintiq Pro 24 and Pro 32 have color gamuts of as high as 99% Adobe RGB, while the smaller Cintiq Pro 13 and Cintiq Pro 16 both display 87% of Adobe RGB.
That means the more expensive pro models are able to show more colors more accurately. But again, this is rather something only noticeable if you have the tablets side-by-side.
Additionally, the 24-inch and 32-inch pro models have much sharper 4K resolution screens.
What’s more important, though, is that the Cintiq 22 can display 96% of colors in the sRGB spectrum. sRGB is a color profile that many illustrators apply to their images by default.
Parallax
Another thing we need to address in this Wacom Cintiq 22 Creative Pen Display Review is parallax. Parallax is the little gap between the pen tip on the glass surface and the position of the cursor on the actual display.
The display of the Cintiq 22 is not bonded, as it is the case with higher-end devices. That means you might notice a tiny distance between the pen and the brushstroke you’re drawing. However, the difference is so small that it won’t get into your way.
Wacom Cintiq 22 Key Specs
- Screen: 21.5 in, 1920 x 1080 px, Full HD IPS
- Color gamut & brightness: 72% NTSC, 96% sRGB, 210 cd/m2
- Active area: 18.7 x 10.5 in (476 x 268 mm)
- Pen technology: 8,192 pressure levels, ±60 levels tilt recognition, 5080 lpi resolution
- Buttons & Touch: No
- Size: 22.4 x 14.1 x 1.6 in (570 x 359 x 40 mm)
- Weight: 12.4 lb (5.6 kg)
So what’s the takeaway? Even though the image on the Cintiq 22 is not as crisp and vibrant as on professional Cintiq tablets, the generous drawing area and top-notch pen technology will provide excellent drawing comfort for all artists who like work with large-format pictures directly on-screen.
Wacom Cintiq 22 Creative Pen Display Review: Pen Technology
It’s time to have a look at the pen.
The Cintiq 22 uses the Wacom Pro Pen 2, the best stylus you can currently find on the market. It’s the exact same stylus that the most professional Wacom tablets use, including the Wacom Cintiq Pro line, the MobileStudio Pro, and the Intuos Pro line.
The Pro Pen 2 is lightweight and ergonomic. It doesn’t need a battery or cable, because it draws its power from the tablet’s screen. This is possible thanks to Wacom’s patented electro-magnetic resonance (EMR) technology.
For you, that means you never need to charge the pen, replace the battery, or deal with any cable tangle.
The pen’s grip is made of silicone-free rubber. It’s a bit thicker than a regular pencil, which makes it comfortable to hold even during longer editing sessions. It also helps reduce strain on the hand.
Pressure sensitivity & tilt recognition
The Pro Pen 2 is super-sensitive. It boasts an amazing 8,192 levels of pressure and up to 60 degrees of tilt recognition.
The pressure sensitivity lets you control the thickness of the lines. Pressing harder results in thicker and more opaque brushstrokes. Applying less pressure, on the other hand, reduces the ‘ink flow’ and makes your strokes thinner and softer.
If you’re using a graphics program that is able to recognize tilt, e.g. Photoshop, then moving the pen over the screen feels like working with traditional media.
→ How To Use A Graphic Tablet With Photoshop – MUST-KNOWS For Digital Artists!
The Pro Pen 2 includes an eraser on the back, which is as pressure-sensitive as the tip, and two side buttons.
The two buttons are customizable within the Wacom Desktop Center – just like pressure and tilt settings. You can program them to do functions like zooming, undo/redo, etc. This is very practical, because it allows you to have your most used actions right at your fingertip.
Pen holder & replacement nibs
Wacom supplies a fabric loop holder with the Cintiq 22, attachable to either side of the tablet. It keeps the pen tight and safe. This is where you would put the stylus when you don’t need it.
The pen holder also houses the three replacement nibs that come with the Cintiq 22. Pen nibs can wear down, so it’s good to have some new ones handy.
Even though Wacom’s Cintiq 22-inch Creative Pen Display comes with the same pen technology as the Pros, you cannot use felt nibs with it. Felt nibs feel more natural than the standard pen nibs, but can only be used on the Pro’s high-grade drawing surface.
Wacom Cintiq 22 Creative Pen Display Review: Creative Experience
How do you use a Wacom Cintiq 22?
If you’re used to working on a non-screen tablet, like one of Wacom’s Intuos or Intuos Pro line, you know that you’re looking at your computer monitor, while drawing on the tablet.
With a display tablet like the Cintiq 22, however, you can now look directly down to the canvas – exactly where you’re placing your brushstrokes.
While non-screen tablets require a bit of a learning curve to get used to the hand-eye-coordination, working on a display tablet is comparably easy and intuitive. It’s a much more natural way of digital editing – like working on a traditional painting.
The Cintiq 22 functions like a secondary monitor to your desktop computer or laptop. Once you’ve plugged in all the connections and installed the drivers, you can begin using the Cintiq 22.
Built-in adjustable stand
The Cintiq 22 comes with an adjustable stand that allows you to tilt the tablet through a wide range from 16 to 82 degrees. By raising the device to your preferred drawing angle, you can always work in the most comfortable position.
You can have your Cintiq rest almost flat on the desk or move it up to an almost vertical position like a monitor.
The Wacom Cintiq 22 Tilt Stand is a much better option than the foldable legs of the smaller Cintiq 16 that lift up the tablet to a fixed 19-degree angle.
The Tilt Stand is already factory built-in via a VESA Mount. You can remove it and use the VESA Arm instead, which is still more flexible and also frees up some space on your work desk.
Ergotron Vesa Arm for Cintiq 22
The Ergotron Vesa Arm offers the most flexible drawing angles for your Cintiq 22 and frees up desk space.
Contrary to the Cintiq Pro line, there’s no multi-touch functionality available on the Cintiq 22. Likewise, the Cintiq 22 doesn’t come with on-tablet hotkeys as you can find them on the Intuos and Intuos Pro tablets.
One way to work around that is to keep your keyboard near, so you can always reach over and quickly press some keyboard shortcuts.
Optional ExpressKey Remote
Another option is to get Wacom’s handy ExpressKey Remote. The little tool has altogether 17 customizable buttons that you can program to whatever function your heart desires.
Once fully charged via a USB cable, the remote lasts you for around 160 hours.
ExpressKey Remote
The Wacom ExpressKey Remote with 17 customizable buttons puts your favorite shortcuts right at your fingertips.
Compatibility & Connectivity
What’s still missing in our Wacom Cintiq 22 Drawing Tablet Review? Yes, the compatibility and connectivity check!
Just like its 16-inch sibling, the Cintiq 22 is compatible with Windows 7 or later and Mac OS X 10.12 or later.
The Cintiq 22 uses USB 2.0 and HDMI to connect to a desktop computer. So if your computer doesn’t have an HDMI port or only has USB-C ports, you’ll need an adapter to make things happen.
Like most screen tablets, the Cintiq 22 doesn’t have Bluetooth and cannot connect to your Mac or PC wireless.
Wacom Cintiq 22 Alternatives
Which Wacom Cintiq is best?
Wacom’s Cintiq drawing tablet range is vast. There are the older Cintiq 27QHD, Cintiq 13HD and Cintiq 22HD. Then you have the basic Cintiq line with the Cintiq 16 and Cintiq 22.
The Cintiq Pro line ranges from the smaller Cintiq Pro 13 and Cintiq Pro 16 up to the large-format Cintiq Pro 24 and Cintiq Pro 32.
So there’s something for every digital artist. It all depends on your preferred way of working (small-format or large-format, multi-touch or non-touch screen, built-in hotkeys or separate ExpressKey Remote), your artistic requirements (professional or non-professional), and – of course – on the money you want to spend!
Wacom Cintiq 22 vs 16
The Wacom Cintiq 22 and 16 are basically the same. They only differ in dimensions and weight.
With a 15.6-inch screen (39.6 cm) and 4.2 pounds (1.9 kg), the Cintiq 16 is smaller and lighter than its counterpart. With a diagonal of 21.5 inches (54.6 cm), the Cintiq 22 weighs 12.4 pounds (5.6 kg).
Both tablets come with the same screen specifications: 72% NTSC / 96% sRGB color gamut, 210 cd/m2 brightness, 16:9 aspect ratio, 22 ms response rate, and a 1920 x 1080 px full HD resolution.
Wacom Cintiq 16 or 22?
The question of whether Wacom Cintiq 16 or 22 really boils down to the size of drawing area you want.
Pressure sensitivity (8,192 levels) and tilt recognition (±60 degrees) are the same, as both tablet use Wacom’s industry-leading Pro Pen 2.
Neither of the drawing tablets has built-in hotkeys and a touch screen. If you like to work with a set of programmable buttons, you’ll need to purchase the optional ExpressKey Remote for both the Cintiq 16 and 22.
What is different in terms of Wacom Cintiq 22 vs 16 are the supplied stand and the type of cable connections.
The Cintiq 22 arrives with Wacom’s adjustable tilt stand that lets you choose a working angle between 16 and 82 degrees. The Cintiq 16, on the other hand, comes only with fold-out legs for a fixed 19-degree angle. If you want more flexibility, you have to purchase a separate stand.
That said, the Cintiq 16 has a more practical and less tangly 3-in-1 cable connection. That means you’ll only have one cable coming from the Cintiq 16’s top, which branches into HDMI 1.4, USB 2.0, and AC adapter.
The Cintiq 22, however, needs three individual cables plugged in: HDMI, USB 2.0, and AC adapter. This can be an advantage or disadvantage. An all-in-one connection surely causes less cable clutter on your desk, but if one of the cables breaks, you only need to replace the broken one on the Cintiq 22.
Wacom Cintiq 22 vs 22HD
The Cintiq 22HD graphic tablet comes with a swivel stand that can rotate and tilt the tablet. Plus, it still has 16 built-in shortcut keys – 8 on the right and 8 on the left.
There’s also a center button (similar to a touch ring) on each side, and two touch strips on the back.
That’s quite some more shortcut key luxury than the Cintiq 22 can offer. And, the Cintiq 22HD is also available with a touch screen, with the Cintiq 22HD Touch model.
The 22HD’s resolution is the same as the Cintiq 22, and its color gamut of 72% Adobe RGB and screen brightness of 230 cd/m2 are similar to the Cintiq 22.
However, what’s not as good on the Cintiq 22HD are pressure sensitivity and tilt recognition. The Cintiq 22HD uses the older Grip Pen, which has ‘only’ 2,048 levels of pressure and about 40 degrees of tilt.
So Wacom Cintiq 22 or 22HD? Well, in this case it’s rather a matter of on-tablet ExpressKeys and pen sensitivity. The Cintiq 22HD is still an excellent choice, even though it’s more than 10 years old by now.
Wacom Cintiq 22 vs 24 Pro
With a 23.6-inch screen diagonal, the Cintiq Pro 24 is the closest professional tablet in size to the Cintiq 22. It has double the resolution of the Cintiq 22 – 3,840 x 2,160 pixels, which is a 4K Ultra HD.
Adding a top-class color gamut of 99% Adobe RGB and a brightness of 350 cd/m2, the Cintiq Pro 24’s screen performance is miles away from the Cintiq 22.
As a high-end device, the Pro 24 is also available with multi-touch capabilities for gesture-based input.
It offers more connection choices, including USB-A, USB-C, DisplayPort and Mini-DisplayPort, as well as HDMI.
Of course, all these extra features come at a price. At around US$2,500, the Cintiq Pro 24 costs about twice as much as the Cintiq 22. This is, however, a well-spent investment for all artists who require top-performance.
Both the Cintiq 22 and Cintiq Pro 24 don’t have any built-in hotkeys. Contrary to the basic Cintiq, the ExpressKey Remote is included with the Pro 24 and can be attached to the Pro’s magnetized bezel when not in use.
The Cintiq 22 and Pro 24 are not standalone tablets, like the MobileStudio Pro. However, with Wacom’s Cintiq Pro Engine you can turn the Cintiq Pro 24, as well as the larger Cintiq Pro 32, into a full-fledged standalone Windows PC. This isn’t possible with the Cintiq 22.
| Tablet | Screen specs | Response & Resolution | Approx. Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cintiq 13HD |
• 13.3 in, TFT LCD IPS • 75% Adobe RGB • 250 cd/m2 |
• 2048 pressure levels • 40 degrees tilt • 5080 lpi resolution |
US$600 |
| Cintiq 16 |
• 15.6 in, 1920 x 1080, Full HD IPS • 72% NTSC, 96% sRGB • 210 cd/m2 |
• 8,192 pressure levels • 60 degrees tilt • 5080 lpi resolution |
US$650 |
| Cintiq Pro 13 |
• 13.3 in, 1920 x 1080, Full HD IPS • 87% Adobe RGB • 250 cd/m2 |
• 8,192 pressure levels • 60 degrees tilt • 5080 lpi resolution |
US$800 |
| Cintiq 22 |
• 21.5 in, 1920 x 1080, Full HD • 72% NTSC, 96% sRGB • 210 cd/m2 |
• 8,192 pressure levels • 60 degrees tilt • 5080 lpi resolution |
US$1200 |
| Cintiq Pro 16 |
• 15.6 in, 3840 x 2160, IPS UHD • 94% Adobe RGB • 250 cd/m2 |
• 8,192 pressure levels • 60 degrees tilt • 5080 lpi resolution |
US$1500 |
| Cintiq 27QHD |
• 27 in, 2560 x 1440, LCD AHVA • 97% Adobe RGB • 330 cd/m2 |
• 2048 pressure levels • 40 degrees tilt • 5080 lpi resolution |
US$1900 |
| Cintiq 22HD |
• 21.5 in, 1920 x 1080, H-IPS LCD • 72% sRGB • 230 cd/m2 |
• 2,048 pressure levels • 40 degrees tilt • 5080 lpi resolution |
US$2000 |
| Cintiq Pro 24 |
• 23.6 in, 3840 x 2160, 4K: Ultra HD • 99% Adobe RGB • 350 cd/m2 |
• 8,192 pressure levels • 60 degrees tilt • 5080 lpi resolution |
US$2500 |
| Cintiq Pro 32 |
• 31.5 in, 3840 x 2160, 4K: Ultra HD • 98% Adobe RGB • 310 cd/m2 |
• 8,192 pressure levels • 60 degrees tilt • 5080 lpi resolution |
US$3300 |
Wacom Cintiq 22 Creative Pen Display Review:
Overall Rating
I hope this Wacom Cintiq 22 Creative Pen Display Review was able to provide you with an in-depth look of what you will get with the Cintiq 22. So let’s finish it off with an overall rating.
Retailing at a price way below Wacom’s pro series, the Cintiq 22 with Pro Pen 2 makes professional editing on ample drawing space affordable to most digital artists.
It’s an excellent entry option for all art students or semi-professional illustrators on a budget who want to work directly onscreen.
The large monitor along with the supplied adjustable stand make the Cintiq 22 an attractive asset for your studio or work desk at home.
PROS
- Full HD display with good color reproduction and brightness
- Lowest price Wacom Cintiq of that size
- Minimal parallax
- Textured surface provides natural resistance to the stylus
- Same pen technology as the Pro tablets with 8,192 pressure levels and 60 degrees tilt
- Built-in adjustable stand
CONS
- No built-in ExpressKeys
- No touch-based input capability
- Relatively heavy (12.4 lb / 5.6 kg without stand)
Frequently Asked Questions
How to clean the Wacom Cintiq screen?
You can clean the screen of your Wacom Cintiq like you would clean your laptop monitor. Wacom includes an anti-static cleaning cloth in the package that you can use. But you can also take any slightly damp cloth and move it over the screen with light pressure. What you should not use to clean your device are alcohol and detergents.
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My name is Angie and I’m a self-taught digital artist. On this blog, I am sharing my knowledge and discussing the best software and hardware for different artistic needs. My desire is to offer options for all creative stages and budgets so that everyone can follow their dream and create art!
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