ART – Wacom Cintiq Hybrid Review

I recently picked up a Wacom Cintiq Companion Hybrid. NOT to be confused with the Wacom Cintiq Companion, which is a different device.

I was in need of a Cintiq.  I use one at work and it’s kinda become a tool that, as an artist, it’s tough to live without.

The problem is, Cintiqs are not only expensive, but they’re big, bulky, and force you to only work in one spot for long stretches at a time.

Sometimes, I like drawing in different places and I wanted something that was a little bit more versatile, like an iPod or an Android Tablet.  But those things where never as good as Cintiqs.  I kinda needed both.

Well, turns out Wacom made a Cintiq that IS both.  Here’s what I think of it.

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The Good

It’s a Cintiq and an Android Tablet

THE number one best thing about the Wacom Cintiq Companion Hybrid is that it’s both a Cintiq AND an Android Tablet.  This means you get two devices for the price of one.

If you want a portable sketch book you can draw on with the same accuracy as a Wacom Cintiq, this is it. Download an inexpensive drawing App like Skechbook Pro, or better yet, Layer Paint HD, and you can draw anywhere.

Layer Paint HD creates artwork at 600 dpi. You can pretty much do professional drawing on that program alone.

Put if you have Photoshop or Manga Studio on your computer and want to work on one of those programs instead, simply hook up your Hybrid to your computer and the Hybrid become a regular Cintiq like any other one.

Not to mention it’s an Android Tablet so you can read comics and play games on it too. But that’s not REALLY why you get this.

It’s SO handy.

Which leads me to the next great thing about it…

It’s Portable

No more having to wait til you get home to work on the Cintiq, you can take it with you.

Sit on the couch and draw, take it to the park. the Zoo, the mall, a story meeting…etc.  Pretty much anywhere you can take a sketchbook.

Get some sun as you work.  It’s great.

And it comes with a stand that props it up.

Good Battery Life

The best way to work with this tablet is to obviously have it plugged in.  That said, you don’t have to.  It’s got a remarkably long battery life.

So far, I worked on it for about four  hours and barely saw it taxed at all.  It’s suppose to have a 12 hour battery life.  That’s pretty awesome.

Especially since I don’t plan to draw on it for that long without ever being somewhere I can plug it in.

The Bad

Not Enough Apps

I think the most annoying problem with the Hybrid is the very fact it’s an Android Tablet.  It doesn’t have nearly the amount of quality Apps you would find in an iOS device.

I have an iPod and an iPhone, there are drawing Apps I own in those devices that I would LOVE to use with my Hybrid but they aren’t available for Android.

That said, Layer Paint HD works well enough for my purposes.

It’s Got a Small Screen

If you’re used to working on a large screen Cintiq, this is going to take some getting used to.

You’re going to have to get used to either working on less drawing real estate or simply turning the menus on the screen on and off a lot.

The screen’s width is not as wide as a regular piece of paper but it’s a tad longer.  If you don’t mind this and can work around it, that’s not a big deal.

Otherwise, it might very well be a deal breaker, all the other pros aside.

Who Should Get This?

This was a great purchase for me.  I tend to do a lot of my drawing on the couch or on the go.  I find it annoying to always have to be attached to a computer to do my work. Especially if my computer is a desktop located in one place.

The Hybrid let’s me draw anywhere I want and if I need to attach it to a computer, there’s always my Laptop.

I love it.

If this sounds like something you’d benefit from as well, I highly recommend picking this device up.  It’s a great investment.

You get two devices as once.