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Wacom One newbie pen display connects to Android as well as Mac and PC

It's Wacom's most affordable model at $400.

Lori Grunin Senior Editor / Advice
I've been reviewing hardware and software, devising testing methodology and handed out buying advice for what seems like forever; I'm currently absorbed by computers and gaming hardware, but previously spent many years concentrating on cameras. I've also volunteered with a cat rescue for over 15 years doing adoptions, designing marketing materials, managing volunteers and, of course, photographing cats.
Expertise Photography, PCs and laptops, gaming and gaming accessories
Lori Grunin
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The Wacom One shown here with the optional Staedtler stylus and the cartoon stylings of Jason Chatfield. It mirrors to your Android device.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Wacom 's known for its great -- and expensive -- pressure-sensitive drawing tablets and Cintiq pen displays. At CES, the company showed off the Wacom One, its new 13-inch entry-level pen display intended to appeal to artists and annotators who want to upgrade existing systems. The twist for the One is the ability to connect to Android devices for direct drawing on the bigger screen. That probably means it will work with Chromebooks as well.

It costs an "affordable" $400. I think that's still a lot of money. But you can buy it starting Monday.

Watch this: Dell shows off its dual- and folding display concepts at CES 2020

The One uses Wacom's battery-free EMR technology and therefore can work with any EMR-compatible stylus, like a Samsung S-Pen. It connects to your device via USB-C, though I don't believe it can charge it. The 1,920 x 1,080 screen is a bit dim and narrow gamut, but that's typical of Wacom's lowest-end displays.

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The single point of connection is a nice improvement over the Cintiq 16.

Sarah Tew/CNET

In order to use the pressure sensitivity on an Android device, that device's screen must support EMR as well. Otherwise, Android doesn't understand the pressure aspect of the input. But you don't need EMR in order to perform non-pressure-sensitive tasks like annotation.

You do get a stylus bundled with the Wacom One, and it has all the perks of a more expensive tablet, including interchangeable nibs -- one of my peeves about the Apple Pencil .

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