After a huge success of PD 1560 and 1561, Gaomon has stepped up their game and have come with their next generation of tablets with newer features and vastly improved drawing experience.
If you are looking for a good drawing tablet at the moment, the new Gamon PD 156 is amongst some of the best drawing tablets in the market right now.
But the competition is fierce and there are a number of tablets in the market that are seemingly just as good as this one.
So what makes the Gaomon PD 156 stand out from the competition, and should you get this tablet as your next drawing device?
In this Gaomon PD 156 Pro review, we will closely look at all the features this tablet has to offer. We will also compare this tablet to some of the other popular tablets in the market.
In the end, you would know whether you should buy the Gaomon PD 156 Pro tablet or not.
Gaomon PD 156 Pro Features
Here is the list of all the main features of Gaomon Pd 156 Pro.
| Gaomon PD 156 pro | |
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| Tablet Dimension | 442 x 274 x 12.5 mm |
| Display Size | 15.6 inch |
| Active Drawing Area | 344.16 × 193.59 mm |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 (16:9) |
| Color Accuracy | 88% NTSC |
| Display Type | Lamianted, Anti-glare |
| Brightness | 220cd/m2 |
| Pen Pressure | 8192 levles |
| Pen Tilt Support | Yes, Up to 60 degrees |
| Shortcut Buttons | 10 + one Dial |
| Tablet Stand | Included in the Box |
| Weight | 2.8 lbs (1.3 Kg) |
| Price | Check on Amazon |
Design and Build quality
Compared to the previous models of Gaomon tablets, the Gaomon Pd 156 Pro comes with some substantial design upgrades.
The tablet is super thin and compact measuring just 12.5 mm in thickness with an overall dimension of 442 x 274 x 12.5 mm, making it easier to carry in your backpack.
Talking of backpacks, the tablet comes with a free tablet sleeve that has a soft interior that protects it from getting scratched.
The body of the tablet is made of plastic which not only helps in cost reduction but also keeps the tablet fairly lightweight.
On the left edge of the tablet, you will find a small power switch along with dedicated buttons for brightness control. The rear portion is relatively simple with 4 large rubber pads to stop the tablet from slipping on smooth surfaces.
Display and drawing surface – Gaomon PD 156 Pro
A display is one of the most important parts of a tablet because that is where all the action happens. In order to have a good drawing experience, it is crucial that the table has a high resolution and color-accurate screen.
Resolution and color accuracy
Resolution determines sharpness. A screen with a higher resolution will produce sharper images.
The reason why the resolution is important for the artist is – Drawing tablets are generally used at a very close distance from our eyes. If the screen is not sharp enough, you will experience eye strain.
The Gaomon PD 156 Pro comes with a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, which is sufficient for a 16-inch screen.
Color accuracy
Color accuracy is another important feature to look for in a drawing tablet. A screen that displays inaccurate colors may trick you into selecting wrong color values or make your paintings look dull.
It is for that reason artist always look for color accuracy when getting a new display tablet.
Most of the tablets from competing brands come with displays that have a color coverage of around 72% NTSC color space. The Gaomon PD 156 Pro, on the other hand, has a better color accuracy measuring about 88% coverage of NTSC color space.
Along with good color accuracy, the IPS screen also ensures an excellent 178° viewing angle.
Screen lamination
Laminated screens are a fairly big deal. In some drawing tablets, you may have noticed the lines drawn by the stylus appears a few millimeters away from the point where the stylus is actually touching the screen.
This is what we call parallax and it happens due to a small air gap between the top glass and the screen underneath.
The Gaomon Pd 156 Pro comes with a laminated screen. In these displays, the top glass layer and the screen are laminated together with no air gap in between. This results in no parallax and better color output.
You can click here to learn more about laminated and non-laminated displays.
Surface texture
When you use a stylus with a plastic tip on a glass surface, it tends to slide too much. That is why Gaomon PD 156 Pro comes with a textured surface that provides light friction to the stylus and makes it easier to control.
The screen of the tablet also comes with anti-glare properties which reduce reflections off the screen. This can be useful if you work in a brightly lit room with or next to windows.
Brightness
The Gaomon PD 156 Pro comes with a max brightness of 220cd/m2 which is sufficient enough for use in a bright indoor environment.
The tablet comes with dedicated brightness control buttons which makes it easier to adjust your brightness without digging into the settings.
Stylus – Artpaint AP50
A stylus plays a massive role in the overall drawing experience of the tablet. A good stylus can be fun to work with and has a positive effect on the overall quality of your artwork.
At the same time, an inaccurate and unreliable stylus can be very annoying to use and you should stay away from them.
The Gaomon PD 156 Pro comes with the battery-free Gaomon Artpaint AP50 stylus, which is one of the most advanced Gaomon Stylus. Let’s have a look at what it brings to the table.
Design
The design of the Artpaint AP50 is fairly simple. You have a cylindrical body with Gaomon branding at the back and a rubbery grippy material towards the front. There are two buttons located on the side with no dedicated eraser on the back.
The Pen is battery-free and works on Electromagnetic resonance at that is why it does not needs to be charged. So you won’t find any charging points on the stylus.
Pressure and tilt
The change in the thickness of the strokes depending on how much pressure you apply on the stylus is determined by the pressure sensitivity of the stylus.
The Gaomon ArtPaint AP50 comes with 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity along with a tilt detection.
The tilt detection is a new feature that allows the pen to shade like a real pencil when it is tilted at an angle. It can also be useful in the digital spray painting style artwork.
Button on the stylus
There are two buttons located on the stylus. The buttons are programmable and can be assigned to any shortcut within a drawing application.
The button of the stylus is slightly raised above the surface of the pen to easily find them with your fingers without looking.
Performance and response rate
A stylus with a fast response rate makes the tablet feel quick and snappy. The PD 156 Pro comes with a report rate of 266 reports per second with a response time of 25 ms which is very good.
In terms of the real-life performance of the stylus, the tracking is on point, pressure sensitivity works great, along with tilt recognition.
You get very accurate and consistent strokes with no weird pressure bumps or wavy lines (jitter) that you may find in some other tablets in the market.
The laminated display helps with reducing parallax and a battery-free stylus makes sure you don’t have to worry about recharging the pen.
The only thing that is missing is the eraser at the back, but most artists don’t use it anyway. Plus you can program one of the buttons on the stylus to work as an eraser.
In a nutshell – You get an excellent stylus that will meet your expectations.
Pen Holder and extra pen-nibs
The Gaomon PD 156 Pro comes with a very handy conical pen stand. The pen stand allows you to safely store the stylus while it is not in use. You can place your stylus on the pen holder in both vertical and horizontal orientation.
Other than holding the pen, the pen holder also functions as a storage compartment for the extra pen nibs and the nib remover tool.
Simply rotate the base plate of the stand where you will find 8 extra pen nibs safely stored in padded compartments.
Gaomon PD 156 Pro shortcut buttons
Shortcut buttons can be very useful. They are convenient to use and saves time by aggregating frequently used buttons in one place.
If you are someone who uses or likes to use shortcut buttons, you would be happy to know that the Gaomon PD 156 Pro comes with ample of shortcut options.
Programmable shortcut buttons
The tablet comes with a total of 9 buttons. All these buttons are programmable and can be assigned to any shortcut of your choice in the tablet settings. These buttons work with both drawings as well as non-drawing-related applications.
The buttons are arranged in two groups and have raised dots and dashed in order to identify them with fingers without looking.
There is also a 10th button that the Gaomon calls an OSD switch. The OSD switch helps with changing display settings like – brightness, color, contrast, and other aspects of the tablet.
Multishortcut Dial
The multi-shortcut Dial is one of the new features on the Pd 156 pro. It is a circular dial that rotates to perform actions and has a button at the center to change modes.
The Dial allows you to perform complex shortcut operations with ease. You can do stuff like zoom, scroll, and change the size of the brush and eraser by simply rotating the dial.
Adjustable Tablet Stand (Gaomon GMS01)
Drawing on a tablet that is sitting flat on the tablet is not only un-ergonomic but also leads to fatigue and discomfort on longer drawing sessions. It is therefore always recommended to use these tablets at a comfortable angle.
The Gaomon PD 156 Pro comes with a free tablet stand. The stand provides you six different drawing positions to choose from.
What is really interesting about the stand is, once you are done using it – you can simply fold it into a thin sheet of metal. This makes it easy to store and convenient to carry with you.
Now before we get too excited, it is important to note that the tablet has no mounting options at the back for attaching any third-party-VESA mount.
Connectivity
The tablet connects to the computer with the help of a 2 in 1 cable and a USB Y cable.
On one end of the connector, you have a USB-C plug that connects to the drawing tablet. The other end has an HDMI and a USB-A power connector. The HDMI connector connects to the computer and the USB-A power connector connects to the USB-Y cable.
Now one end of the USB Y cable connects to the USB-A port of the computer and the other end connects to the power adapter.
Alternative connection method
Alternatively, if your computer or laptop has a powered USB outlet you can connect the USB power connector directly into the computer instead of connecting it to the power adapter.
Driver and tablet settings
Our computers do not necessarily understand pen pressure, pen tilt, and stylus location. A driver helps the computer to understand these and establish better communication with the tablet.
In order for the tablet to work properly, the driver needs to be installed. The driver is free is download and once installed, it gives you a number of customizations and settings.
The driver allows you to change the display settings, customize your stylus, change the pressure sensitivity as well as the two-button on the pen. In addition to that, it also allows you to change the default shortcut button to any other shortcut of your choice.
If you are a left-handed artist, this is where you will change the tablet from the right hand to left-hand mode.
What’s included in the Box
Here is the list of everything included in the box.
- Gaomon PD 156 Pro drawing tablet
- ArtPaint PD 50 stylus
- Pen Holder
- 8 Extra Pen Nibs
- Tablet stand
- Drawing Glove
- 2-in-1 cable
- USB-Y cable
- Power Adapter
- Quick Start Guide
- Warranty Card
If you are using a newer laptop with USB-C port – that does not have an HDMI port or a USB-A port, you can get a USB hub (Amazon) in order to connect your tablet.
Summary – Is Gaomon Pd 156 Pro the right tablet for you?
In this article, we have discussed various aspects of the tablet. The Gaomon Pd 156 Pro has a better display than most of the other tablets in the market with its full HD resolution and its superior 88% NTSC color coverage.
Other than that, the stylus has a good performance with fast, accurate, and reliable performance. You get a number of accessories such as tablet stand, pen holder, drawing glove, and more. It comes with a self-contained package that has everything you need to get started.
The laminated display, shortcut buttons, the multi-shortcut dial all these features make the Gaomon Pd 156 Pro an excellent tablet.
The best thing is, these features come at a reasonable price, and for all these reasons we highly recommend Gaomon PD 156 Pro to anyone who is serious and ready to take their skills to the next level.
PROs – Gaomon PD 156 Pro
- FullHD display with 88% NTSC color accuracy
- Great stylus with 8192 pressure levels and tilt support
- Multiple shortcut buttons
- Multishortcut dial
- Matte, anti-glare display with a textured finish
- Tablet stand included in the box
CONs – Gaomon PD 156 Pro
- No eraser at the back of the stylus
- No holes at the back for VESA stands
- Confusing OSD menu button
- Average Driver
