Graphire4 Classic XL White Edition

When we reviewed Wacom’s regular Graphire4 in December’s Group Test (Computer Arts issue 130), we came to two conclusions: it is exceptional value for money; and it only lost out to its competitor, Wacom’s Intuos, because of the latter’s extra bells, whistles and size. This release, however, not only includes a neat white styling, but also has the added whistles, bells and, importantly, size of the Intuos.

The pen has undergone a severe restyling and now looks, feels and performs as well as – if not better than – the Intuos. And while the pressure levels remain the same at 512 (half that of the Intuos’), it’s still battery-less.

The tablet’s new A5 sizing makes some concessions to design professionals, while not forgetting its consumer-orientated roots. For instance, the ExpressKeys have more space at the top of the tablet, while the build seems much sturdier than the A6 version. Thankfully, some old familiars, such as the handy transparent placeholder that enables you to trace around images, remain.

Given Wacom’s near-monopoly of the graphics tablet market, we think this Graphire re-modelling is an astute move. It has the build-quality, size, pen and typical specs of the pro-aimed Intuos, and only falls short on the truest of professional features: higher levels of pressure sensitivity, which, for anything less than detailed free-hand painting, isn’t much to do without.