Drawing tablet without laptop

[TheCrow]

My DS14 has asked for a drawing tablet for Christmas, does anyone have any recommendations please?
We don't have a laptop so has to be one that doesn't need to connect to an external computer. Just a basic type for beginners, they currently use their phone for drawing. What else do I need to buy for it? Drawing pen etc. Budget under £200, what would be the best value for that price? Thanks!

if it has to be standalone, you are looking at either general tablets, that have reasonable pens/art features, or the budget end of standalone art-specific tablets.

For general tablets, maybe consider Mi - they are hugely popular where I live (outside of the UK). I've seen plenty of my students use them for illustration/art. IPads are still slightly better as an art experience, but likely out of your budget (unless you would consider second hand?)

Here is the sort of Mi tablet i've seen being used:
https://www.mi.com/uk/product/redmi-pad-2-pro/

Then the other option is dedicated tablets from companies specifically designing for artists. Wacom are the leading brand, but likely out of budget.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/PicassoTab-A12-Computer-Tutorials-Standalone/dp/B0F8BC1GN9/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=23VAPC92U6K81&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.03JJzIbUX-DCVrfUe9WNe9FPydJr1Sval6D7Jq5AA1uUu0AKg3QOYJFIrfXanDuAoGlDJMW5IPGzIPtD6DDrlpwPmEWiaWaoeesEwepXXXNkAlXHcSIQJq2Qkso4q3QmxiLK1MuiiiAq6-8tWHy6cXc4Nx-G3EH3jf4uPvH2k0NsAM6XfBrIHNU6K7s0UgnMc2ed_CZfk9I37D9ol98grFeGEzZq3mW0gJogYfRwFyI.uGauS79k4QRIN-760RawYpsM2dI69XAu0vorxUtuaZU&dib_tag=se&keywords=Simbans+PicassoTab+10%E2%80%B3&qid=1761182755&sprefix=%2Caps%2C643&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

That is a budget option that gets good reviews.

The consideration is: Tablets like the Mi are better overall tablets, more advanced, better features, better screen etc. But the art tablet will be set up and ready to do for art, and in theory should have a better pen/art specific experience. But it is at the budget end.

Personally, I would probably go with the art-specific option for now, I think that would suit a teenage artist out of the box. And then I'd have it in mind that if they are serious about this, in a few years they might want to upgrade to one of the better Ipads or a Wacom tablet.

I've got an Acer Chromebook with a digital pen. It's better than I expected - but the Redmi pad's designed specifically for visuals, so I'd go for that in your case.
Lucky boy!

Thank you both, that's very helpful! I'm open to the idea of second hand or refurbished and will also keep an eye out for any good deals on black Friday so it's useful to have an idea what to look out for

Presumably he's going to need a computer some point soon anyway to do his schoolwork, so why not combine the two? You can probably get both a basic drawing pad and a refurbished laptop for a cheaper price than you could get a drawing pad that is capable of functioning standalone without a laptop.

mmh , well if you could find a second hand iPad you can then buy an app called Procreate . It’s a one off buy . Was 10£ back when I got it . It’s really really good for digital art . You need a pen too though . If he is really into drawing it’ll be worth spending the money for an iPad .

For that budget, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite or the Apple iPad (9th gen) with an Apple Pencil are solid picks. Both work without a laptop and have plenty of good drawing apps like Ibis Paint or Sketchbook. You’ll just need a screen protector made for stylus use to make it feel more natural.