Huion H610 Pro Review: lightweight, heavy on features
by Tablets for Artists
Huion H610 Pro Graphics Drawing Pen Tablet
The Huion H610 Pro Review: the H610 Pro is a graphics tablet made by a Chinese animation company. It has a generous 6 x 10″ active drawing area and features that rival the Intuos Pro while being cheaper than even the lower-cost Wacom Intuos series. But what about the quality?
NOTE: Here’s a detailed H610Pro v2 review. This newer version is much improved with tilt sensitivity and a pen that doesn’t need charging. See the H610 Pro v2 on Amazon
(note: if you’re looking for the OSU model, the H420, scroll to the bottom of this article).
TYPE OF TABLET
It’s a graphics tablet that connects to a computer via USB. It is not a screen that you draw on–if you want that, please consider a tablet PC or tablet monitor such as Cintiq or Yiynova. For more on tablet types, please see this post.
FEATURES
The H610 has 8 Express Keys down the its side, and 16 hot cells on the tablet screen. Its workspace is 10 x 6.25 inches. It’s only about a quarter-inch thick. It works with Mac, PC, and Linux/Ubuntu. You can use wireless mice and keyboards with this tablet. The resolution is 5080 lines per inch. The battery-free, rechargeable pen has 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity.
PORTABILITY
It’s lightweight and easy enough to carry.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
It comes with 4 replacement nibs and one inside the pen, for a total of 5. The nibs are all the same. Also included are two USB cables, one for the tablet and one for the pen, as well as a pen, pen charger, pen rest, and paper user manual. Their site, huion-tablet.com, has all the up-to-date driver.
FOR LEFTIES
This tablet now has a left-handed driver, so you can choose to draw in left-handed mode.
TABLET
The surface is mappable; you can decide how much of the tablet you want the pen to work on. The surface has a grip to it that eases drawing. It is hard plastic, not rubbery like the Wacom Bamboo. It feels not quite as slippery as glass, more like thick, smooth paper.
The surface of this tablet is hard plastic, less prone to scratching than Wacom Intuos, partly because the pen nibs are rounded. If you are getting scratches it may depend how you are holding the pen, some people “sharpen” nibs as they draw. It also of course depends how much pressure you apply.
STYLUS
The stylus is lighter and thus easier to handle than previous version. The company says the rechargeable pen lasts 800 hours after every 2-hour charge, though some say it lasts for far less time. The pen rest is not a pen holder per se, just something to balance the pen on.
The pen’s buttons let you right click, left click, or double right or left click, as with a mouse. They don’t let you add further commands.
When drawing with the Huion pen, the pressure curve is slightly harder than it is in Wacom. It does not create a “blob” as easily (unless your Huion driver is acting buggy). You can adjust pen sensitivity until you find a comfortable place; the default around the middle is good. Setting it high makes it too stiff. The 610Pro does not feature pen tilt or rotation recognition.
CONTROLS
The 16 programmable hotcells on the tablet allow you do macros, things like Photoshop operations like “tone/color adjust.” They are easy to program, though they only work with one software application. You would have to reprogram them if, say, you switch over from Photoshop to Illustrator.
The hotcells are right on the tablet surface along the top, and have the same texture, so if you are using the entire tablet rather than mapping part of it, remember the keys are there or you may end up drawing on them. The express keys on the left of the work area can zoom, scroll, erase, undo or whatever you want, but they don’t allow as many operations as the Intuos does.
The surface is mappable, so you can just pick part of the tablet to draw on. An LED indicator light lights up in the pen when you are drawing, though this is annoying to some and may only happen with some computer systems. If you find it annoying you might want to put opaque tape over the light!
SOFTWARE
You can use this tablet with any software your PC uses, such as Photoshop, Word, Toon Boom etc. At this date, the driver does not provide pressure sensitivity in Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape, though you can use the tablet with those without pressure. Huron says they are working on this.
The resolution, 5080, is the same as the Wacom Intuos Pro. The driver lacks some features of Wacom’s, such as screen mapping, radial menu, and the ability to customize by program that’s available in the Cintiq and Intuos Pro.
HUION H610 Pro driver TIP:
Before installing the drivers, you should disable any other Wacom drivers and mouse drivers, then the Huion, then restart. Turn off Internet and don’t turn it on again until after the tablet is connected and working, or else the computer’s plug and play driver may automatically be installed. Plug the tablet into the USB port of your computer only after you boot up the computer.
You should install as Administrator. Shut off any antivirus programs. If you’re reinstalling, delete the old drivers. More discussion of the drivers at this post about the Turcom TS-6610 tablet, which can use this same driver.
PROS
Can recognize multiple monitors and you can choose which ones to use.
Value
Thin (just about 1/4″ thick)
Sleek design
Large work area (make sure you have enough desk space)
Lightweight pen
CONS
Edges get jitter, just as Wacom digitizers do.
Delicate USB ports (also a common complaint regarding Wacom products)
Makes a bit of noise when drawing on the tablet due to the hard plastic surface
Buggy drivers
Have to press hard at times
No wireless option in this model
CONSUMER REVIEWS AND RATINGS
Most customers were pleasantly surprised by the quality and the many features this tablet offers. Many really liked the way the pen felt, though a few did not. The worst thing about the Huion is that the drivers are a bit fussy and sometimes buggy.
More than one Huion H610 Pro review complained about these oversensitivity and the pen making marks even when not touching the surface, such as when hovering half an inch over it. I have not experienced these problems myself. You should keep other electronic devices, even if they are not turned on, at least a few feet away, as they can cause interference.
It’s advisable to get the Amazon service plan. You should deinstall all other tablet drivers before installing this one. If you can get pressure sensitivity in one program but not in another, such as Photoshop CC, check to see if you have the Wintab (Wacom Feel) driver installed. If you do, delete it. You can use this graphics tablet with a tablet PC.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Helpful and responsive, and they stick with you til the problem is resolved. They sometimes ask for videos of problems you report.
THE VERDICT
If you are patient and have some computer savvy, this could be a great art tool. But with quite a few reports of buggy drivers, many users end up being frustrated and spending time talking to customer support. So, when coming to a conclusion while writing this Huion H610 Pro review, we cannot give a 100% recommendation–the tablet is for those who have some patience and ability to troubleshoot. Remembering to remove other drivers on the system beforehand would save trouble.
Other than that, the quality of the product is solid. A couple of reviewers state it is superior to Monoprice. A tablet is something you may use for years, so, if you want top of the line, then going with Wacom is recommended. But,as long as you have a bit of tech know-how, this is a strong choice that has the features of the Wacom Intuos Pro line, except for tilt and rotation sensitivity.
If you’re looking for a professional-quality drawing tablet that’s a great value, the Huion 610 Pro is worthy of consideration.
Looking for a tablet for OSU?
If you’re into playing the rhythm game OSU, Huion makes a tablet for it. See the Huion H420 on Amazon.
OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES:
Huion’s soft carrying case will protect your tablet.
Manga Studio 5 is truly versatile, affordable drawing software.
See our review of the Monoprice graphics tablet.
See our article about choosing a Wacom graphics tablet.
Read about the Turcom tablet, similar to the Huion H610 non-Pro.
Read more about top-rated graphics tablets.
end of Huion H610 Pro Review
I have never left a comment about a product before, but I feel very strongly about this. I have been using tablets since around 2000. I am a photographer and graphic designer. I used to use a Wacom every day. When I needed to purchase a new computer system for work, I figured I would emulate what I use at home, and one of the components is a good sized Wacom. I fugured I would save my boss some money (I know – dumb me) and I got a Huion 610pro for $60 or $70 instead of a $300 Wacom. Big mistake, and here is why in no particular order:
-Customer Service. You can;t talk to a person, but you have to email them, and it is like they have a 10 minute window to send /receive emails each day (about 5:30am EST). So a conversation or chat that should take 10 minutes can take a couple weeks.
-They are Chinese. I am American. (Hold on – I know what you are thinking). I highly respect people that know more than one language (I am not one of them), but just because you know how to talk the language does not mean that you understand the language. I think you can get an idea of how my email conversations went. The person I was conversing with was very nice and polite…but it should not have taken 2 weeks of emails for them to understand the the link that they have in their website for drivers is the wrong one.
-The stylist. It has a battery. You can’t use the stylist while it is charging – the cord makes it too wonkie.
-And the crux of my pain..the drivers. I am on their site right now to down load the driver (just reformatted the HD on my laptop) – they list 4 different 610pros. Which one is mine? Don’t know. I WILL not contact customer service again and go through all of the CS BS with a person that really doesn’t understand English (but their English is much better than my Mandarin). It would have been worth it to me if I had paid the difference and gotten a Wacom. I would not have much more and less grey hair.
Lastly – the hardware itself seems to be built very well and out of great materials. I keep throwing it against the wall trying to make it break and it won’t, but I do have really neat holes in the wall behind large picture of Clint Eastwood.
Ha, thanks for your comment, which was entertaining though I’m sorry you are having a hard time. The 610Pro driver posed difficulties for many people. There is both a phone number (in China) and Skype address on the Huion site under Support; I have never tried to call and they do seem to encourage emailing support. The time difference makes it inconvenient.
Actually I have just tested and just now reviewed the Huion 610Pro v2, which has a cordless, battery-free pen as well as better drivers. In that review there’s a small section about driver compatibility with info I got from Huion. There are four tablets in the 610 line. And some can use the same drivers. I’ll paste the info here:
There are 4 different models of the 610 series. Those are:
H610(2048), H610PRO(2048), H610 PRO(8192), H610PRO V2(8192)
H610(2048) and H610PRO(2048) can both use the same driver (meaning the drivers for
those two are compatible).
H610PRO (8192) and H610PRO V2(8192) can both use the same driver.
H610(2048) and H610PRO(2048) are not compatible with the V2 driver.
I agree it is confusing with all the different models and drivers.
Wacom drivers tend to be easy to install but if you look around you will see lots of grumbles about driver issues as well. Nothing is perfect. Lately there are a lot of advances and consumer offers in tablets, thus more drivers and more products as the functionality expands. Wacom offers some cool accessories and things that no one else does but the price is a commitment.
Hope the above info about the Huion drivers is helpful to you. If you have any questions let me know.
Vicky,
Thank you very much for your response! I honestly think it is a great product, but they just need to open an office in the states with a couple responsive CS people in it and that would take care of their issues – at least in the states.
Good to know that they have a “battery-less” option. It took me about 3 cycles of all of a sudden of the unit not working, struggling to re-install the drivers and then realizing that the pen was dead, to try charging it first (I’m old and slow to learn).
The hardware is great and I remember my first thoughts when I unpacked this a year ago of thinking how well it is made, but the struggles with the CS and software clouded my initial reaction.
Thank you for your help and time!
Tim
Hi there!
I am getting a Huion H610 Pro this month, and I have a few questions..
1. Is it compatible with Manga Studio 5 / Clip Studio Paint.
2. Is it easy to use?
Thanks! 🙂
Hi, yes it is compatible with that. Yes it is easy to use. But to install, you have to make absolutely sure there are no other tablet drivers or remnants of them, also, take out the Wacom FEEL on-screen radial menu if you’ve installed that.
I got the huron tablet about 5 months ago and not yet used it I couldn’t get the pen open ordered a new one and its fine but I can’t get the tablet to work iv misplaced the disc but downloaded the driver can you help please
What happens when you try to get it to to work? Have you had other tablets before on the same computer, such as Wacom? If so, you will have to remove any drivers from those. Here are some pages with troubleshooting tips: http://huion.deviantart.com/journal/Huion-Driver-Setting-Tips-for-Windows-Users-531728963 and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/huion/posts/1477076169178504
Hello. I recently bought a Huion H610 tablet and works like a charm but I realized that when I hover the pen a few inches away from the tablet it self the pressure goes off and starts left clicking whenever I move it. I hope I get a response soon. Please.!
Hi, sounds like a defect in the tablet or the pen. You will need to contact Huion. Here is their support page with contact info. First, try moving anything with metal, or other electronics away from it, as those can cause problems.
I’m receiving my H610Pro in the next day or so. But I was curious about one thing. When mapping express keys is it possible to use more than one letter (ie Express Key 1 -> W&A)? The software I’m planning on using with it has two letter shortcuts that I want to take advantage of if possible.
Hi, yes you can do more than one letter/character.
I’m having a lot of problems with my Huion tablet that kind of snuck up on me. It wasn’t always like this, but the problems came up one by one over time.
I’ve had this tablet for about 5 months now. I use it on my MacBook Pro, with Photoshop, and Flash.
The biggest problem I have is while I’m drawing the tablet will seem to stop working for no apparent reason. The only way to turn it back on is to unplug, and replug it into my MacBook. While my tablet is ‘offline’ I can’t use it at all. The buttons won’t work, and the pen’s movements will not register. The light remains off the entire time until replugged.
The next problem is that it will stutter. If I’m lucky it will stop stuttering, and only do minimal damage to my art, but every now and then it will stutter, and then glitch out. The cursor will remain in the top left corner of my screen, and my movement with the pen will be severely hampered. If I move my pen to the very bottom right corner of my tablet, the cursor will move maybe 5cm away from the top left corner of my screen.
This has gotten so bad that I can no longer use my tablet without having these problems.
Everything is up to date, and I cannot figure out the problem.
Any help would be appreciated.
Overall I enjoy my tablet, and would definitely recommend it to other artists.
Hi, which tablet? Do you have any third-party mouse drivers installed? Try deinstalling those. Here’s an example. If you have other from other companies, deinstall those too. Are you using the tablet wirelessly?
For configuring Huion or other graphics tablets with dual or multiple monitor setup on Linux people should try this GUI: http://wenhsinjen.github.io/ptxconf/
It’s a new project but should work for most distros, so long have xinput, xrandr, python-gtk2 and python-appindicator installed. Send us a feedback if you have problems and we’ll post a fix ASAP.
Thanks!
Will this work with inkscape? I have read everything I can find and no one says anything about inkscape.
Hi,
Huion’s own testing confirmed that Inkscape does not work well with their driver on Windows. It leaves jagged edges. They did not test on Mac, but I think it would be unlikely to be any better. Users have gotten jagged edges in other programs as well, but Huion offers fixes for those. If you happen to be running Linux, which most people are not, there are drivers here that should work with Inkscape.
Hi, I have been discussing this with Huion, and they have offered to do additional testing! Can you tell me your specific operating system and specific version of Inkscape? Thanks.
After reading and watching reviews I decided to get Huion H610Pro as long as you can return the product if it doesn’t work. I am absolutely surprised because it is awesome!
Great!:-D
I can’t seem to find the current driver that allows for left handed drawing or customizing the mouse. I also can’t figure out how to scroll. I downloaded the Mac driver from the website and the PenTable Setting folder was locked and said I didn’t have permission to open it. I then installed the driver from the CD and this is obviously an older version. Do you have suggestion.
The left-handed drawing should be in the tablet settings. The drivers are for the pen, they don’t support a mouse, if it says “mouse mode” it only affects the cursor but not an actual mouse. It should be set to tablet mode. I think the best thing you can do is to contact Huion and ask them to walk you through it via a Skype call (or phone, but they’re in China), here is their contact info. Tell them which Mac, which Huion, and which driver.
Hey Linsay!
I have same problem but i can tell you how i solved this.. Click on folder ( HUIONDriver ) and with right click mouse choose Get info.. Under Sharing & Permission unlock this folder! After you unlocked you can open folder ( HUIONDriver ) and start TabletDriverPanel Apps or PenPressureTest.. Thats all.
Sergey