Earlier last year we declared that Wacom and their then-expensive Intuos4 graphic tablet was the best, if not only, real choice for the serious designer. Even though it feels like ages since our testing of the PTK-640, it’s been a staple in my workspace and an artistic tool that I can’t believe I lived without. Obviously, this revelation means that I'd make a beeline to try out its next iteration and see what new creative goodies it had in store for me. With little fanfare and an intimate debut, the Intuos5 series continues where its forerunner left off, bringing outstanding performance with a more sophisticated emphasis on streamlining the creative process.

Some might be surprised that Wacom would even bother updating an already well-rounded tablet - apart from the obvious financial incentive. But just about everything in the company’s portfolio is rapidly expanding, too, from the criminally hard-to-find Inkling to the hyper-premium Cintiq 24HD professional display tablet. For this review we went hands-on with the ‘Medium’ model of the Intuos5 Touch Medium Pen Tablet (PTH650), which proves that perhaps change is necessary after all.

And change is what the Intuos5 is about, and it begins with the looks of this tablet, which is almost a complete turnaround compared to the previous iteration. The matte bezel is literally transformed from a smooth flat black surface to a softer (but still firm) rubberized grey surround of the non-working area, with Mini-USB and wireless option inserts on the side and bottom. The top side area also surrenders the polished gloss décor for the same no-nonsense treatment eliminating the individual LED displays (except for the four lights around the touch ring). The always functional and fully customizable ExpressKeys are now recessed within the tablet and accented for tactile feedback, while the working area itself is better depicted with illuminated borders.

Overall, the outward presentation is greatly purpose-oriented and certainly feels more durable than ever before.

The intuitive Touch Ring returns and still resides on the mid-side for program-specific functions. Essentially, it continues the familiar job of being a circular trackpad with a middle button that allows you to choose four different and adjustable actions like auto Zoom/Scroll, cycling between layers, Brush sizes and Canvas rotation, all by moving your finger in either clockwise or counter-clockwise directions. Switching between functions is done by pressing the center button with an onscreen dialog window that displays each task, this not only includes the options for the Touch Ring but the ExpressKeys as well.

The small (PTH450), medium (PTH650), or large (PTH850) models each comes packing identical features (save for six ExpressKeys on the small, compared to eight on the bigger sizes) that apply equally to all the sizes, including extra accessories.

If you've experienced an Intuos4 then you shouldn't have a problem getting acquainted with the standard features and performance of this tablet. Nearly all of the essential specifications have been carried over, the same cordless EMR (electro magnetic resonance) pen technology along the still-amazing 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity are standard, and that's a good thing. Even the accuracy (±0.01 in.), stroke angle (± 60°), and 5080 lpi (lines per inch) resolution have also made the transition intact. For the majority of artists out there these indistinguishable figures will be more than enough (since they were basically class-leading to begin with) for nearly any project.

Speaking of precision, our tests with the Intuos5 proved that even with the same performance benchmarks the results was on-point no matter what the objective. There were little-to-no differences or abrupt drops during our long-term all-nighters that had popped up under processing stress, an astonishing feat considering my personal style is brisk and fairly loose for nearly all degrees of work. This really isn’t surprising since only a single gram of pressure is required to put anything on canvas. It’s refined, silky smooth, and is fairly difficult to push this tablet to its absolute limits on most PC/Mac configurations.

Last but not least, Wacom appears to have solved backward compatibility issues by keeping the Stylus and mouse accessories unchanged and working without a hitch, though you'll have to purchase the laser clicker yourself as it’s not included this time around.

Wacom is intent on including touch and gestures wherever possible, and there is clearly no exception to the rule considering every one of their other graphic tablets contains this specific ability. Apparently magic (or voodoo) has been applied to the Intuos5 with gestures such as pinch/zoom, swipes, and finger tap commands being moderately improved that work with quick response, and certain actions can be assigned to favorite programs. The fresh implementation also benefits from the wider working area and feels less like a gimmick and actually helpful compared to the smaller Bamboo. Frankly, it’s now been proven (to me) that gesture controls definitely can work if the device is wide enough.

Wacom has no intention of letting their recently released (and optional) Wireless Accessory Kit (ACK40401) go to waste, as all models are able to take advantage of this neat addition. A USB receiver transmits RF signals up to 33’ and a rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery fits underneath and inside, easily providing at least 36-48 hours of consistent operation without any noticeable issues during our testing. This effectively replaces the former wireless Bluetooth version of the Intuos4 which in my opinion and experience is an excellent tablet on its own. From a technical standpoint it’s a little disappointing because the Bluetooth model worked just as well, if not better than the current setup, doubly hampering when you realize you have to give up some coin ($39.99 MSRP) for this cords-free attachment.

It didn’t take long to realize that Wacom has engineered yet another supreme graphic tablet with their refreshed Intuos5 Touch Medium Pen Tablet lineup, and I'm confident this is another device that belongs in any serious designers' workspace. While the improvements are limited mostly to modified bezel, newly-introduced touch controls and reworked inclusion of RF wireless connectivity, considering how great its predecessor was that's not a bad thing. Those current owners hoping for a drastic refresh may be somewhat disappointed by the lack of 'new' features, performance trumps all and in that department the Intuos5 delivers.