Wacom MobileStudio Pro Review by Stefan Petit

MobileStudio Pro 

The MobileStudio Pro has been a huge improvement to its predecessor, the Companion 2. Powered by a fully featured Windows 10 computer with hardware options including a 13” or 16” model, 16GB of RAM, an i7 Processor, NVIDIA Quadro GPU, and 512GB storage. The 13” offers HD Resolution in 2560x1440, and the 16” allows up to 4K.

In a successful attempt to branch out to a wider demographic, Wacom included an Intel RealSense Camera on the back of each high-end 13” and 16” models. And many of the higher models are great for doing any kind of 3D work in programs such as Maya, ZBrush, and AutoCad.

The change to USB-C can be a hassle if you need USB accessories, but does not make the machine unusable without a few adapters. Wacom also makes an affordable Bluetooth Keyboard that works great with the system. I wish the battery life could be improved upon, but I mainly use Photoshop, so more power-exhausting programs might be an issue to other users. One issue that is hard to excuse is the lack of stand included that was promised by Wacom. At the time of writing this review, one does not even exist!

Despite these hiccups, the color and brightness has been very pleasant and doesn’t strain my eyes at all. The Companion didn’t cause much of this either but I remember that many other users had issues with it. The Pro Pen 2 has also been amazing to use. More levels of sensitivity against the thinner glass improve on parallax issues that many artists have when drawing.

Overall, I think the MobileStudio Pro is a great product for any artist on the go. Personally Windows OS doesn’t bother me but I know many people will miss their Apple OS, and I don’t know of any OSX options in the future for the MobileStudio Pro. 3D artists might not get much travel use when using 3D programs and higher end models might be overkill for 2D artists, but considering you have the equivalent of an impressive laptop in your bag, I think the prices are reasonably set.

PURCHASE