Tracing Tannenbaum: the best cheap tablets for artists this Christmas

There are but a few days ahead of Christmas, and one of the few people remaining on your shopping list is a digital artist of sorts. With little more to go on than that, and a spending limit to consider, we have a few ideas for you.

Specifically, we've found three of the latest tablets that strike a fantastic balance between power and price. These below tablets are all priced below $500, some narrowly touching the $400 mark with the additional stylus purchase, one of which even includes a digital pen in the box.

And, since you have no idea exactly which operating system the artist in your life would prefer, we've included one pick for each of the big three: Windows, iOS and Android.

With that, here are three cheap tablets for artists we confidently recommend – all for less than $500 – for gifting to your friends and family this season.