Wacom Intuos Pro 2025 Medium, Preliminary Review

The brand new Wacom Intuos Pro 2025 Medium with the Wacom Pro Pen 3, next to a Tourbox NEO.

I just recently purchased the brand new Wacom Intuos Pro 2025 Medium and have been using it extensively the past few days. I hadn't originally intended to upgrade from the venerable 2017 model of the same size (I also have the 2017 large version), but I began to seriously consider an upgrade for the following reasons:

1. Smaller physical footprint I had originally owned just the medium for years until I got curious earlier this year about the extra space and acquired a large 2017 Intuos Pro off eBay, and had intended to keep both: the large for my desktop and the medium for my laptop bag when on the go. While the large's extra space is nice, I never really felt a drop-off whenever I switched back to the medium, and even for my desktop a device with a smaller footprint is desirable.

   

   Size comparison of the 2025 Wacom Intuos Pro Medium with the 2017 Wacom Intuos Pro Medium. The right edges of both devices are lined up, revealing the space saved by placing the shortcut keys at the top instead of the side.

   But the medium 2017, while it travels well and can be used at, say, a coffee shop, at a physical size of 13.14" x 8.54" it can get very crampt with little breathing room, especially if your laptop is a 16" MacBook Pro. The narrower size of the 2025, at 11.51" x 8.11", makes it much easier to fit next to your laptop when out and about.

   
   

   One somewhat minor drawback to this reduction in size is that the tablet loses its bevels, which do take some getting used to, when you are used to the extra bevel space on the previous generation. It was dicey enough for me at first that I wondered if I was going to have to return it, but over time it became less of a distraction, and since the tablet is also a lot thinner than the 2017, the drop-off for the side of your hand off the edge isn't severe. I'm guessing some third party manufacturers will develop some kind of bezel frame to fit the tablet into to get that bevel back.

Outlines showing the active area height between the 2025 and 2017 Wacom Intuos Pro Mediums. The active area of both are roughly the same.

2. Larger Active Area

   Everyone is probably already familiar with this upgrade, but despite the smaller physical size, the active area has increased...significantly. While this eliminates the bevels as mentioned above, it is definitely a huge improvement and worth it...especially if you used Force Proportions on the 2017 to fit it to a 16:9 monitor. In fact, the amount of active area (already at a 16:9 ratio in the 2025) increases from 42.57 square inches on the 2017 (when Force Proportion is activated) to 60.32 square inches on the 2025, a 41% increase. That's very nice!

Active area width comparison of both the 2025 and 2017 Wacom Intuos Pro Mediums. Here is where you see just how much extra width you get compared to the previous generation. Plus, if you used Force Proportion on the 2017 to match a 16:9 monitor, the real size difference is even more pronounced.

Thickness comparison between the two models. Harder to quantify with this photo considering the shadow, but the 2025 is significantly thinner. Plus the weight is much lighter now too.

3. The Extra Button on the Wacom Pro Pen 3

   This is another big motivator for me. I had the Wacom Movink briefly late last year and got to use the Pro Pen 3 then, but it was just the barebones pen without the grip, so I didn't enjoy it and mainly used my Pro Pen 2 when working on the Movink. Having the grip and other pen accessories included here really makes a huge difference in usage. While I hate to let go of the Pro Pen 2 because I love the colored rings you could switch out (heh), that extra button on the Pro Pen 3 is a game changer.

   
   

   

   Wacom Intuos Pro Pen 3 next to the Wacom Intuos Pro Pen 2. The extra button on the 3 is a game changer.

   I was wary of the pen losing the eraser, but since I don't draw or paint often, it's not a huge loss. But gaining the extra button has allowed me to use it as a display toggle for when I'm at home using two monitors. The ability to seamlessly toggle between screens (I keep my finder windows and web browsers on my laptop monitor while working on projects on my external monitor) is a huge improvement when it comes to increased efficiency. Before this, I'd use the 2017 Intuos Pro's tablet buttons to do that, but every time I'd have to stop and look or feel around for the correct button. Seriously, it's a total first world problem, but not having to do that now is a major upgrade.

   I've also noted the longer nibs on the Pro Pen 3 may make both the nibs and the tablet surface last longer. We shall see. Speaking of the 2025's surface, it feels much smoother than the 2017 and is a joy to use. And while I preferred the rocker buttons on the Pro Pen 2, I'm fine with the separated buttons that the 3 has.

4. Improved Bluetooth

   This one is definitely down the list of priorities, but it's not insignificant. While the Bluetooth 4.2 on the 2017 was generally reliable, I'd frequently encounter connectively issues even when plugged in and it was not exactly rare that I'd have to reboot my computer now and then in order to get everything copacetic again, not to mention the occasional lag with the Pro Pen 2 (not much, but not unheard of). My expectation with the Bluetooth 5.3 on the 2025 model is for improved stability when connecting wirelessly and no lag, and so far that's been the case, even though I'm still only a few days in. I find that when sitting down at my computer, it's a matter of simply pressing the power button on the tablet for a few seconds and it will start right up with no problem, which wasn't always the case with the 2017.

   
   
   
   

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So in the end is the 2025 a necessary upgrade? Well, I wouldn't exactly say "necessary" because the 2017s remain fantastic devices in their own right, and now that the 2025s are out the eBay marketplace for the 2017s are showing great deals that are amazing values, especially if you can't afford the new models. In fact, I'd almost recommend getting a used Wacom 2017 over getting any brand new ones from third party manufacturers; the 2017s are still that good.

In all honesty, the improvements on the 2025 Intuos Pros are more quality of life than anything, and I detailed them all above. Is that worth the $379 retail price tag of the medium? For me, I'd say yes; I obviously am thrilled with the new tablet and enjoy working on it immensely, and the third button on the pen is enough of a gamechanger for me that I'm not going back. The extra flexibility that enables is awesome. And since I'm planning on selling both my large and medium 2017s, I'm hoping I'll be able to make up at least half the cost of the new tablet, depending on what I can get for them.

Are there drawbacks? Sure. I've mentioned the lack of bevels already, but while there's an adjustment period, you do get used to it. And I was one of the (apparently rare) people who used the touch feature on the previous model regularly, if only to move the mouse curser with my fingers when I set the pen down to type something. Since I have my laptop as my second monitor opened up, it's only a slight distance from the keyboard to the laptop's trackpad for that purpose, so it's not a huge loss.

And by the way, the buttons having been moved to the top of the tablet are neither here nor there for me, except for enabling a narrower footprint, which is a net benefit for my use case. I do have one of the buttons set for Precision Mode for the rare times I may need that, but I really don't plan on using the others since I have a Tourbox NEO for my shortcut device, not to mention a Wacom ExpressKey Remote for my laptop bag if I don't feel like taking the Tourbox with me (even though it's small enough to fit in my bag).

One final note, a lot of online haters have lamented the supposed "low end" look of the new tablet and have compared it unfavorably to a cheaper off brand...I too was wary at first looking at the press photos, but I can tell you, photos don't do this device justice; it is a premium device that feels solid and totally professional. It's similar in profile to the Movink as both have the same wedge shape profile on the side, and it's super lightweight to the point that holding the 2017 Medium—itself pretty light—now feels like holding a brick.

So my ultimate recommendation is that this is a definite YES if you are looking to upgrade, but also if you can afford it, especially these days. And the beauty of it is, if that price tag is too high, you can get a great deal on a used 2017, and for less than half the price. You just have to decide for yourself if those quality of life improvements are worth it for you.