Review: Wacom Mobilestudio Pro Stand

It seems silly to “review” something as basic as a stand for a graphics tablet, but if you use one of these you will understand how frustrating it can be to NOT have an good solution to hold said tablet at a comfortable and stable working angle. Wacom released it’s Mobilestudio Pro a little over a year ago, but they did not have a stand available for it until very recently, forcing users to find imperfect third part solutions. I got one of their new stands to test drive and with the public release can now post my thoughts on the hardware. BTW, you can find my review of the Mobilestudio Pro here.

The stand stows nicely away on the back of the MSP

The stand is made of thin but strong metal, and is very substantial feeling. The back of the MSP has “channel” slots near the top and bottom that allow you to “click” the corresponding metal rod hinges in to secure the stand to the back of the MSP. The idea is that the bottom hinge stays put while you pop out the top hinge to partly release the stand. Then you select one of three supporting risers from the stand and click your choice into place, holding your MSP at one of three angles.

The stand I received for testing was (I believe) the shipping version. It comes with the stand and a packet of replacement pieces for the channel slots on the back of the MSP. Why you get those is not immediately apparent, but I discovered when trying the stand out of the box that is was VERY hard to get those hinge rods to click into the channel slots that originally came with the MSP. I have one of the earliest production models of the MSP, so it’s possible later ones shipped with the updated slot pieces, but at least with mine I needed to replace them to get the stand to click in and out with ease. However I opted to only replace the top slots, since those are the ones you routinely click in and out to adjust or store the stand. The lower slots and hinges stay in place, unless you want to completely remove the stand, which I do not. So, I left those original slot pieces in place and had to use considerable force to get them to click in place. Once in, however, they stay in place and will definitely not be accidentally coming out.

Meanwhile the upper part of the stand, with the slot insert pieces replaced with the new ones, click in and out merrily. The stand stays nicely in place when stowed, and to release you simply press on the inside edge of the upper hinge. You hear the “click”, and the stand opens up.

To release upper hinge, press here…

Click!

You then select whichever angle you want to use, and flip that up into position to click in place. The only bad part of this design is that it’s a little hard to find the edge of those different angle risers… they are too flush with the edges of the base and since they are held in place with a magnet you have to find someplace to get the edge separated to lift it off. It’s not hard, but it is not effortless.

Three different riser angles to choose from

Select one…

Click into place!

Once secured at whatever angle you like the stand is rock solid. Rubber skids and edges to the arms and base keep the stand from sliding around even slightly, even when you are working the surface pretty vigorously with loose sketching. I’ve put it through its paces and have had zero issues with movement, buckling, or coming unhinged or loose.

Finally, the stand has a nice black finish and is thin enough to be unobtrusive even if not in use but stowed in place on the back of the MSP. It’s light enough to not add noticeable weight to the tablet. Overall an excellent stand solution for the Mobilestudio Pro.

The bad part? The stand does not come with the Mobilestudio Pro, so it’s a separate cost. It’s now available on the Wacom webstore. The standard price is $99.95, which is very expensive even if it is for holding up a $3,000 piece of equipment. Right now it’s on sale for $49.95, so if you want one grab it at the sale price while you can.