New Wacom MobileStudio Pro 16 offers familiar strokes for professional folks

The MobileStudio Pro (MSP) has a UHD display and the same types of ExpressKey controls as the company's Intuos Pro tablets.

In September 2019, Wacom unveiled a refreshed version of the 16-inch Windows tablet with a new CPU and GPU that made it noticeably faster, and USB-C connectors that now support Thunderbolt 3. The latter greatly simplifies connecting to an external monitor, which previously required the Wacom Link dongle, as well as supporting much faster file transfers. In all other respects, it's identical to the 2017 model.

With the 2019 update, Wacom decided to throw in the stand gratis. It supports three different angles. The steepest angle is good for when you're using it with a keyboard and mouse connected as a computer.

It's certainly one of the oddest I've seen, and frankly, it's annoying because changing angles is a production and it's not as stable as you'd like for moving around.

The RealSense camera is on the top of the back, along with the slots for  attaching the stand and rubber feet.

The 16-inch model is big, but still fits comfortably on your lap -- or at least my big lap.

On the Intuos tablets, the buttons and radial control are black and don't stand out on the bezel. I really wish Wacom would provide some sort of context-sensitive LED text to tell you what the current mappings are because the memory-learning curve is steep when you use a lot of applications.

To use this control, you press one of the buttons and then slide your finger around.

In conjunction with the tablet, the stylus supports 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity.

The tablet has an 8-megapixel front camera/webcam on the right side (assuming you're a righty and the tablet's in landscape orientation).

Only the center one works with the Wacom Link.

The 16-inch model weighs about 5 pounds/2.2 kilograms, which isn't light if you have to hold it for a long period of time.

It supports both standard Windows multitouch and Wacom-programmable gestures.

Don't look at my cuticles.

See the stylus switch? I find the pen always rotates in my hand until I'm pressing on it.

This programmable onscreen menu isn't new, but on the MSP 16's 4K display, it's tiny.

On the left are a volume rocker switch, orientation lock, power slider, headphone jack and SD card slot.

Three USB-C connectors and a Kensington lock slot are on the right.

This optional adapter lets you connect the MobileStudio Pro to a desktop system to use it as a touch display and pen tablet.

The Wacom Link connects to your system via both USB-A and DisplayPort cables.

The adapter combines the USB and DisplayPort signals into a single USB-C connection to the tablet.