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Huion Kamvas Professional 19: one-minute assessment
The Huion Kamvas Professional 19 is a drawing pill with an enormous 19-inch display screen, 4K decision and huge shade gamut providing 99% sRGB, 96% Adobe RGB and 98% DCI-P3 protection. Whereas its $1,099 / £1,099 record value is hardly chump change, you may typically get it cheaper, and that value features a vary of equipment, together with a shortcut distant, stylus field with two styluses, and a choice of cables. So, is it well worth the funding? Properly, it could be – if it wasn’t for one pretty essential flaw.
Whether or not I used to be sketching or mixing colours with paint-like brushes, utilizing the Kamvas 19 Professional was critically easy. Not solely is it with out parallax and fully jitter-free, however it may additionally register strokes at a steep angle of as much as 60 levels, making it simple to hint huge arcs and circles. Its driver software program gives a good quantity of customization, regardless of not all the time being essentially the most intuitive to make use of, and the shortcut distant made accessing all my go-to instruments and menu gadgets a breeze.
On the subject of its design, although, the Kamvas Professional 19 is extra of a blended bag. Don’t get me unsuitable: its display screen is able to critically spectacular shade and an in depth 4K decision, and it is ergonomic sufficient that I all the time felt snug utilizing it. Sadly, it will get marked far too simply, in a approach I’ve by no means seen from the best drawing tablets. After roughly eight hours of sketching, the display screen was coated with scrapes and scuffs – whereas these rubbed off with a display screen wipe, it does make me fear that finally this sort of put on will change into everlasting.
Other than this tendency to mark the show, the Huion’s two styluses are literally very first rate. They’re light-weight and straightforward to carry, even throughout lengthy scribbling classes, and their programmable shortcut keys decrease the variety of instances you must shift to a different enter. Their customizable strain sensitivity can also be wonderful, though I wouldn’t put an excessive amount of inventory within the marketed 16K strain ranges – I’ve truthfully by no means been capable of inform a lot distinction in follow from gadgets that provide 8K.
On paper, the Huion Kamvas Professional 19 is a really first rate gadget, providing nice efficiency and equipment for a fairly affordable value. Definitely, with sale costs typically providing it for as little as $939 / £879, it’s a fairly tempting bundle. However, attempt as I would, I can’t ignore how inclined to put on that display screen appears to be. In mild of that, it’s possible you’ll effectively discover {that a} gadget just like the XPPen Artist Pro 19 Gen 2 is a sounder funding long run.
Huion Kamvas Professional 19 assessment: value and availability
- Launched January 5, 2024
- Retails for $1,099 / £1,099
Launched on January 5, 2024, the Huion Kamvas Professional 19 is in the stores now. Whereas its record value is $1,099 / £1,099, you’re unlikely to pay that – on the time of writing, Huion has it on sale for $939 / £879.
Included for that value is the drawing pill itself, the Huion Keydial Mini shortcut device, pen field, Battery-Free Pen PW600, Battery-Free Slim Pen PW600S, and all of the cabling you’ll want. In the event you’re shopping for within the UK, you’ll get Huion’s Adjustable Stand ST100A bundled in as a free reward, however sadly, you’ll should pay $29.99 for this for those who’re within the US.
All informed, although, it is a fairly aggressive value when in comparison with a number of the different mid-range drawing tablets I’ve reviewed in current months. For instance, the equally specced XPPen Artist Professional 19 Gen 2 has an inventory value of $899.99 / £899.99 / AU$1,499.99, whereas the critically gifted Xencelabs Pen Show 16 goes for $999 / £969 (round AU$1,597) – and that’s with out all of the equipment that come within the totally kitted out, $1,299 / £1,199 (round AU$2,080) Bundle version. So the Kamvas Professional 19 is fairly on the cash when it comes to worth.
Huion Kamvas Professional 19 assessment: specs
|
Dimensions |
17.7 x 10.7 x 0.8 inches (448.9 x 272.4 x 21.3mm) |
|
Energetic drawing space |
14.1 x 9.1 inches (409 x 230mm) |
|
Weight |
2kg |
|
Show decision |
3840 x 2160 |
|
Stress ranges |
16,384 |
|
Compatibility |
Home windows 10 or later; macOS 10.12 or later; Android 6.0 or later; Linux(Ubuntu 20.04 LTS) |
Huion Kamvas Professional 19 assessment: design
- Show gives beautiful shade however might be brighter
- Display scuffs and marks to an inexcusable diploma
- Good vary of equipment
Given the value, the Huion Kamvas Professional 19’s show is fairly spectacular, making any artwork I labored on look pleasingly crisp and well-defined. With a 3840 x 2160 decision throughout an 18.4-inch display screen, it has a pixel density of 238ppi – that’s basically the identical as the marginally pricier XPPen Artist Professional 19, though it’s a good bit decrease than the 275ppi provided by the smaller and spendier Xencelabs Pen Show 16.
Whereas touching up and recoloring some images in Photoshop, I used to be impressed by how boldly it expressed colours, with reds, greens and blues specifically wanting deliciously punchy because of its shade gamut protection of 99% sRGB / 96% Adobe RGB / 98% DCI P3. It’s not fairly as shiny as some rivals, nevertheless: its 220-nit typical brightness is bested by each the XPPen and Xencelabs above, which might hit 250 nits and 300 nits respectively.
There’s extra to a drawing pill than meets the attention, although: the way it feels can also be essential. And whereas the Kamvas Professional 19’s anti-glare etched glass does a good job of maintaining reflections at bay, I didn’t discover its texture to be that spectacular. Fairly than providing a paper-like chunk when sketching, I may barely really feel the grain of the glass in any respect. The one time it actually grew to become noticeable was after I was transferring the stylus towards the highest left, that means the haptic suggestions the show gave was typically inconsistent.
However there was a good larger difficulty with the glass – and it’s the supply of my solely vital reservation about Huion’s slate. Whereas utilizing the erasers on the styluses, I rapidly observed that they gave the impression to be leaving marks on the glass, which isn’t perfect given how typically you may end up correcting errors. Nonetheless, it was solely after I turned the display screen off after an extended session of sketching that I observed the extent of the scraping; the glass was coated with marks from each the stylus nibs and erasers. These may be wiped away, a minimum of superficially, but it surely does concern me that the glass will finally maintain everlasting put on.
Luckily, elsewhere, the construct high quality feels much more strong, with the primary physique of the gadget feeling sturdy and effectively put collectively. At 2kg, it’s hefty sufficient that you could be not be all that snug sitting it in your lap, but it surely does have built-in toes that elevate it to a properly ergonomic 20-degree angle. A number of top choices would have helped me discover the very best angle, although. To essentially maximize the ergonomics right here, a deeper bezel may need offered extra room to relaxation my wrist. Because it was, I felt its 0.78-inch (2cm) display screen borders didn’t give me fairly sufficient house to lean on.
Accompanying its two styluses – the three-button Pen PW600 and two-button Slim Pen PW600S – is a provide of ordinary and felt nibs, in addition to a nib altering device. You additionally get a Bluetooth-powered shortcut distant, the Keydial Mini, and all the cabling you’ll want. It doesn’t embrace any clips so that you can relaxation the styluses or a carry case, however you will get a free stand once you purchase it within the UK, which undoubtedly seems like a good bonus.
On the subject of cabling, the Kamvas lets you go maximalist or strip issues proper again. On the higher finish of the dimensions, you may plug the equipped 3-in-2 adapter into your drawing pill’s energy and information ports, then hook the opposite finish into your laptop’s USB and HDMI ports and the mains. This can assist you to each sketch and document the slate’s video output to your arduous drive. Alternatively, you may merely plug it straight into the mains and hook it as much as your laptop computer – and due to its 40W reverse charging, it may cost your laptop computer within the course of, that means that’s one much less cable in your desk.
Huion Kamvas Professional 19 assessment: efficiency
- Correct strokes with out parallax or jitter
- Shortcut distant works effectively
- Some consumer unfriendly quirks to driver software program
Finishing up some line checks, I discovered the Kamvas Professional 19 to be correct. There is not any discernible parallax between the nib of the stylus and the brushes on display screen, which is lucky, as I couldn’t see any apparent method to recalibrate this within the drivers. Whereas there’s a little lag when transferring the nib rapidly, I didn’t discover this to be an enormous difficulty in sustaining correct strokes.
Once I received began with some precise paintings, the Kamvas Professional 19 felt fluid and responsive, permitting me to sketch out a nautilus shell with exceptional accuracy. Whereas it didn’t really feel fairly as pure as when drawing on the Xencelabs Pen Show 16, it was capable of register the stylus at as much as 60 levels, making tracing huge, fluid circles and spirals a snap. Moreover, the strain sensitivity made mixing colours utilizing an oil-paint brush a cinch, with that vibrant display screen making the pastel peaches and pinks look daring and good.
The Keydial Mini shortcut distant makes it far simpler to set off varied capabilities, with out having to succeed in for the keyboard or mouse. Every key has a variety of assignable shortcuts – together with key combos, mouse click on or scroll wheel capabilities, launching apps, media controls, or system-level capabilities like present desktop or launch mission management – whereas the wheel may be assigned to varied capabilities from zooming and scrolling to adjusting parameters like brush measurement or circulate.
Broadly talking, these made it a lot simpler to work together with menus and manipulate the canvas, though I did expertise some barely odd conduct when it got here to assigning shortcuts within the driver software program. When you’ve entered a title or key mixture, there’s no method to depart the sector, and clicking both ‘X’ button wipes what you’ve entered. It took some trial and error for me to work out that you must simply click on away from the window to avoid wasting the shortcut, which is an odd little bit of UX design.
Elsewhere, the motive force software program allows you to additional customise varied settings. You possibly can assign extra shortcuts to the buttons on the styluses. In addition to the choices listed above for the Keydial Mini, you may as well set off precision mode – this focuses enter from the entire display screen onto a tiny space for tremendous management – pan & scroll, and Fastened Stress Sensitivity, a useful perform that holds strain on the present degree when the button is pressed. It’s also possible to tailor the styluses’ strain curves to your wants, selecting between 5 settings, from comfortable to arduous, or shaping your personal curve.
- Efficiency rating: 4.5 / 5
Huion Kamvas Professional 19 assessment: stylus
- Each styluses are mild and ergonomic
- Elevated 16K strain ranges most likely unnoticeable for most individuals
- The erasers are nice – for those who ignore how they mark the display screen
The Huion Kamvas Professional 19’s styluses are well-designed and really feel snug within the hand. No small a part of this is because of their mild weight and ergonomic form, each of which make them snug to make use of for lengthy drawing classes. In consequence, I didn’t expertise any cramping or pressure even when engaged on paintings for hours at a time. Sadly, they’re not fairly as effectively weighted as XPPen’s X3 Professional Curler Stylus – with its heart of gravity proper the place you grip it, that stylus felt nearly weightless when pitching or spinning – however Huion’s pens are nonetheless simple to govern.
Each the Pen PW600 and the Slim Pen PW600S are able to recognizing 16,384 strain ranges. That sounds critically spectacular, however I wouldn’t put a lot inventory on this; in follow, I’ve not often been capable of distinguish any distinction between 16K and 8K strain sensitivity. The styluses are remarkably responsive, although, fluidly reproducing the load of your hand. Utilizing essentially the most excessive curves, I did sometimes discover it arduous to take care of a good strain, however that’s inevitable: each slight wobble of your hand is uncovered at that top a sensitivity.
Buttons on the styluses are well-placed and make triggering shortcuts a breeze. Sure, I sometimes by accident triggered them with my fats fingers, however this is a matter I’ve discovered with most styluses I’ve used, so I’m not going to carry this in opposition to Huion. for those who discover this notably distracting, you may disable the shortcuts in Huion’s driver software program.
The inclusion of an eraser on every of the styluses is appreciated as effectively, as I a lot choose the tactile act of erasing with the stylus tip. Nonetheless, as I discussed above, the supplies of the erasers are arduous sufficient that they have a tendency to mark the display screen – this feels prefer it may change into an actual difficulty over time, and isn’t one thing I skilled with the erasers on Xencelabs’ pens.
Ought to I purchase the Huion Kamvas Professional 19?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Score |
|---|---|---|
|
Design |
Ergonomic and cozy to make use of, richly coloured 4K show – however the display screen will get far too simply scuffed for my liking. |
3 / 5 |
|
Efficiency |
No noticeable parallax or jitter, beneficiant 60-degree tilt recognition, easy-to-use shortcut distant, some odd software program quirks within the driver. |
4.5 / 5 |
|
Stylus |
Light-weight and cozy to carry, useful shortcut keys and eraser, 16K strain ranges arduous to distinguish from 8K. |
4 / 5 |
|
Worth |
Aggressive value, good vary of equipment – however is it price the price if it will definitely succumbs to display screen injury? |
4 / 5 |
Purchase it if…
Don’t purchase it if…
Huion Kamvas Professional 19 assessment: additionally contemplate
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Huion Kamvas Professional 19 |
XPPen Artist Professional 19 Gen 2 |
Xencelabs Pen Show 16 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Dimensions |
17.7 x 10.7 x 0.8 inches (448.9 x 272.4 x 21.3mm) |
18.1 x 12.1 x 0.8 inches (460 x 306.6 x 21.5mm) |
16.1 x 10.2 x 0.47 inches (410 x 259.4 x 12mm) |
|
Energetic drawing space |
14.1 x 9.1 inches (409 x 230mm) |
16.1 x 9.1 inches (409 x 230mm) |
13.55 x 7.6 inches (344.2 x 193.6mm) |
|
Weight |
2kg |
4.91 lbs (2.23kg) |
2.67 lbs (1.21kg) |
|
Show decision |
3840 x 2160 |
3840 x 2160 pixels |
3840 x 2160 pixels |
|
Stress ranges |
16,384 |
16,384 |
8,192 |
|
Compatibility |
Home windows 10 or later; macOS 10.12 or later; Android 6.0 or later; Linux(Ubuntu 20.04 LTS) |
Home windows 7 or later; macOS 10.13 or later (newest replace); Android (USB3.1 DP1.2); Chrome OS 88 (or later); Linux |
PC: Home windows 7 or later (newest service pack/construct); macOS 10.13 or later (newest replace); Linux – Ubuntu 14.04 or above, Debian 9.5, CentOS 7.0 or above, RedHat 7.0 or above |
How I examined the Huion Kamvas Professional 19
- Examined it over a number of weeks
- Carried out a number of line checks
- Used it to work on each sketches and retouching pictures
I spent a number of weeks placing the Huion Kamvas Professional 19 by means of its paces. First, I used it for a spread of line checks to assist me assess its accuracy, test its tilt recognition and monitor for points like parallax or jitter. Moreover, I spent a while tweaking its driver settings to see the form of management this gave me over the styluses’ strain sensitivity and varied shortcut buttons.
From there, I began creating artworks in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Sketching out a nautilus shell helped me get a way of the way it carried out when creating line drawings and utilizing varied paint-style brushes. On prime of this, I used the Kamvas Professional 19 to the touch up a number of pictures, which helped me assess each its utility and its shade accuracy.
Having spent a number of a long time creating digital paintings, I’ve received a considerable amount of expertise creating vector artwork and manipulating pictures. On prime of this, I spent a few years because the editor of a print journal, that means I’m well-versed in assessing how effectively digital paintings performs when it comes to shade and backbone when in comparison with printed proofs.