Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Kamvas 13 My New Daily Driver Let’s cut to the chase, this latest iteration of the kamvas 13 is the best. I’ve reviewed the GT-156HD, GT-156HDV2, and Kamvas Pro 16 in the past and I must say that for the past 3 years, Huion’s improvements and product development are nothing short of amazing. Experience: Unboxing: I always love unboxing because of the new gadget smell. The packaging is well thought of, and Huion has set a high bar for their products in terms of the boxes. I mean nowadays we count this as a product experience and it’s something to look forward to. Each item is individually packaged and sealed within their compartments inside the box, while the tablet, which is wrapped in some form of thin protective plastic secures them from the top. If that plastic isn’t enough, there’s also a screen protector covering the display. One thing that they did not include this time is the power adapter as this device can be powered through USB. Kamvas 13 has the 3-in-1 cable for connection, stylus and its stand, documentation and a usb-a power extension. A stand is also not included as it costs extra. Setup: Similar to all Huion pen displays, you need to install its driver first. I initially thought that the Kamvas Pro 16 driver will work but it didn’t. After installing the driver, I plugged the HDMI, Black USB-A, and Red USB-A to my computer and the L-shaped connector to the pen display and I was good to go. In case you’re out of a USB port, there’s no adapter included with the device but when I checked power requirements of the Kamvas 13 it showed it only needed 5V/2 amps. So I believe our usb-a phone chargers have enough juice to power the pen display. This tablet also features a single USB-C connection. Granted that your USB-C port in your computer has Thunderbolt 3 or has power-out and display out capabilities. Adding to the complications, you’ll have to buy the USB-C cable that can transmit video and power. Huion offers this cable in their site and in Amazon but it costs $40. The other complication is that you have to find a cable that has a relatively narrow USB-C plug part because the port on the pen display is not flushed on the edge but in a narrow socket, port entry shaft?? Anyway, I got one and it works. Having a single-cable connection for a pen display is the best convenience ever. Drawing: The new PW517 stylus feels different than the one for the Kamvas Pro 16. By the way, they’re not cross compatible. The Kamvas 13 stylus uses Pen Tech 3.0, which reduces offset on screen, increased the size of the tip and reduced its bounce/springyness. It’s true, I have this Calibration quirk where the center orientation of the cursor would slightly offset when stylus is close to the edges on the Kamvas Pro 16, and they’re now almost gone. It wasn’t bad because I can just stay in the middle, but why would I even have that problem? My stylus experience is great. Still has 8192 levels of pressure, battery-free, and has tilt! Most of the bugs and quirks that are present in my Kamvas Pro 16 are almost gone. The left side gap is still present. Annoying as it may be, it’s how I calibrated my stylus and I don’t think I can do anything about that. Wacom, doesn’t have this issue though. The driver now allows for the use of the 2nd button as space bar to pan. Before it would activate before tapping and scrolling on the screen, now it’s working as it’s supposed to. I would prefer a thinner stylus though. Thick stylus is not ergonomic for me. At least offer a thinner one in store or allow the rubber grip to be removable. I’m sure some people share this sentiment, and I would love for Huion to accommodate us. please? The pen display is also more gritty compared to my Cintiq 13HD. The pre-installed anti-glare film on the display helps add a little friction when drawing/painting and reduces glare. It was weird to draw on first because I got used to the smoothness of the Kamvas Pro 16, but as soon as I got the hang of it, it was nice. Nice to draw on. Oh and I wiped my screen with a wet paper towel (a rare commodity these days) and it made drawing on the screen even better. Like a smooth pencil on paper. The pen display features shortcut buttons as well. I won’t or will rarely use them. It is there and it works and the clicks are great if you want to use them. Portability: The pen display is light enough to carry around and small enough to fit in a bag, and big enough for you to draw on. The Kamvas 13 is the perfect size for me as a nomadic worker. I usually move around and try to work in different areas of my house so the size really helps. I have to be careful though because it could go unnoticed and easily slip my hands because there’s not that much heft. I would also probably need a foam case if i want to put it in my bag. The new 3-in-1 USB power cable is a very welcomed upgrade from my Kamvas Pro 16. It eliminates the need for an extra power socket and just lets the pen display grab power from the laptop. This is very convenient because you won’t need to use another power socket, and you can hide it all behind your laptop or table. It’s clean to see just 1 cable sticking out. The older 3-in-1 cable with the adapter is portable for what it is but it’s too cumbersome for constantly moving around. The only downside is that if you don’t have enough USB ports in your laptop. The single USB-C connection is the winner here. Using only one cable to make this work is a dream. It’s peak portability. I got one from Amazon to test and it is amaaazing. I mean, I’m probably overselling but this is the highlight to portability. I still have my Cintiq 13HD and its vines of cables. Granted that its a 7 year old device and still lives up to its name, but I won’t bring that anywhere to work unless I don’t really have a choice. Final Thoughts: The pen display amazing. I can’t say perfect but it’s almost there. Most of the nit-picks are just for the peripherals and not the tablet itself. You really can’t go wrong for $260. If you want the stand, just make sure you add it on. If you want that USB-C single connection, you’ll really have to look for a cheaper alternative. If you don’t have patience to look for the right USB-C cable and you have an extra $40 to spare, get the USB-C cable. PS: I didn’t test this an Android tablet because I did not have one. TL;DR Pros: Portable - lightweight and small Affordable Pen Tech 3.0 tracks better stylus not as springy/bouncy Anti-Glare Matte film is better and great for drawing. No more power adapter, USB-powered. USB-C single connection is great! Overall great drawing experience Cons: Would need a foam case thick stylus (personal preference) stand not included searching for the right usb-c is a chore usb-c from huion is pricey Nice to have: Huion should sell thinner stylii (hehe) Pan and Scroll function (driver software) A decent stylus case