Inspiration can strike when you least expect it, but there are often places and events that can help get the creative juices flowing. The chatter of a lightly crowded cafe, the pause after attending a convention, or even simply moving from your desk to the couch can sometimes make you want to reach out for a sketchbook or even a digital canvas. The latter is fine if you have a tablet like an iPad, but if you prefer doing your designs on a computer, you’re a bit out of luck. Designers and artists these days need a certain degree of freedom and mobility, and Wacom is attempting to fill that need with a new product that isn’t just a screen you can draw on but also a beautiful computer monitor you can take anywhere you go.
Designer: Wacom
Wacom is like the Apple of the digital creative world, making products that let artists, designers, and engineers bring their ideas to life. Its Cintiq brand, in particular, has been the household name for years when it came to “pen displays” or screens you can draw on with a stylus. These have traditionally been as large as computer monitors, though there are now smaller options within the 13 to 16-inch range. While you can definitely shove the smallest Wacom Cintiq or One 12 inside a bag, their designs clearly shout that they’re really meant to be drawing tools more than anything else.
Wacom Movink’s biggest change might be technical, but it’s a technology that is allowing the brand to move in a slightly different direction from the rest of its pen displays. In a nutshell, it is Wacom’s first-ever OLED pen display, immediately setting itself apart from the LCDs of the rest of its portfolio. This gives it the advantage of being able to display richer and deeper blacks as well as a wider range of colors, which will help designs pop out better and be more color-accurate.
This OLED technology, however, also brings the advantage of making the Movink the thinnest and lightest of Wacom’s pen displays. It also has a sleeker design that looks more in line with portable monitors in the market today. Given that it does perform exactly like a portable OLED touch display, that’s not an inaccurate assessment. It still has thick bezels, but not as wide and egregious as on the Cintiq line. There’s also no rubber “bumper” around the edges, resulting in a simpler and more minimalist appearance.
Aside from the display upgrade, the Wacom Movink is functionally on par with the company’s other products. Where it really shines, however, is the newer and more modern design that makes it not only more portable but also more presentable. It’s not only a design tool made for designers but also one that designers will be proud to pull out of their bag and show off in public, empowering them to work on the go, whenever and wherever their muse calls.
