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Huion Inspiroy Dial 2 Review: Is this your Dial of Destiny?

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Last updated Tuesday, August 1, 2023

Huion dials up an unusual art tablet

See price and customer reviews

Type of tablet

Graphics tablet–no screen.

Digitizer: EMR

Pen: Battery-free PW517 pen

Nibs: 5 regular nibs and 5 felt nibs in penholder, plus nib in pen

Pen weight: 14 grams (.5 oz)]

Compatible with Windows 7 and above, MacOS 10.12 and above, Android 6.0 and above, Linux (ubuntu)

Connect via USB-C or Bluetooth

Bluetooth range: 5 to 10 meters depending on environment

10.5 x 6.5″ active area

Dimensions: 14″ x 8″ x .03″ (356.6 x 207 x 8mm)

Weight: 1.5 lbs

Pen ilt +/-60 degrees

Report rate: 300PPS

Battery capacity: 1300mAh

8192 levels of pressure sensitivity

Special feature: two dials that control shortcuts

Includes felt nibs

Purchase option of dual or single dial

Symmetrical design good for left- or right-handed. You can put the side with the dials and buttons on the right or left.

UNPACKING THE DIAL 2

The Huion Inspiroy Dial 2 came in a handsome white box with a photo on it, inside a protective outer cardboard box). The company kindly sent me a unit to test and write this Huion Inspiroy Dial 2 review. I have never tried the Dial 1.

The tablet is sturdy with a textured surface. The pen feels solid and rests comfortably on my hand.

The company says the battery lasts about 20 hours, but I have not tested this. If the tablet is connected via the USB-C then it’s obtaining power from your computer/phone, so then you don’t need to worry, as long as your computer/phone is charged.

Installing and setting up the driver

You can adjust the active area in this part of the driver

Installing the Inspiroy Dial 2 driver on the Mac seemed to go smoothly, but had some hiccups,

as it was still showing as disconnected. The instructions did not fix this but after contacting Huion support, who were easy to reach via email, I was able to get it working easily. It just required restarting the Bluetooth and going into Settings on the Mac.

Bluetooth is very handy since the current M2 Macs have taken away the USB port. Plus, it’s great to have one less cord. However, the USB-C comes in the package, so you don’t need to have Bluetooth.

Testing art programs on the Dial 2

Once getting going, I began to test some art programs. It’s easy to program shortcuts. I tried my go-tos– Photoshop, Krita, Inkscape, Gimp, and Clip Studio Paint.

I got the best results in Photoshop and Clip Studio, where all the shortcuts work. With the others, I had some issues with the scrolling and pan/zoom though all the other commands I tried worked. With Clip Studio I did experience some lag with Bluetooth, as in, if I pressed down and lifted the pen, sometimes the paint area would keep going. When connected with the USB-When connected with the USB-C, I did not get any lag at all.

With the dials, you click (it’s a satisfying click) on the large button then turn the dial to adjust to the function’s value. You can use the default premade functions for all programs, or program to each art application.

To get granular control, you can set keystrokes to any command you want, as well as increase the quantity by setting one key to Quick Menu. An on-screen menu will pop up allowing you to program 6 more commands. You can do this with each of the 6 small analogue keys, adding 36 extra commands.

Controls for the Dial 2

The dials each let you program one command, and Quick Menu is not on the list. Turning the dial lets you scroll through the program’s values–for instance, cycle through a brush menu, or zoom in or out. You get haptic feedback, so you know when you’re turning the dial.

You can set custom shortcuts for each art program, both for the buttons and dials, and in the pen. The pen also has QuickMode, expanding the customization options. As the pen has two buttons, you get a total of 12 programmable settings per app if you use QuickMenu, and two if you don’t.

I did get a short “tablet disconnected” message while switching programs, but it only lasted a few seconds.

The driver also lets you set the pressure sensitivity and see a live preview.

On Windows

In Windows, the tablet worked well, though I could not always get scrolling and pan/zoom with the dial. Krita worked the best on those. In PS, I could get brush size and zoom with the dial. If you’re having trouble programming in separate art programs, Huion has this helpful post.

Drawing on the Inspiroy Dial 2

A hasty peach done in Clip Studio Paint using Bluetooth

The generous size makes it easy to draw and the surface is really comfortable to draw on. It’s not beaded but has a grip. It naturally isn’t completely silent while drawing. It’s got a nice feeling, and the tablet doesn’t rattle. The pressure works very well without skips or blobs.

So is this Huion tablet your Dial of Destiny? Perhaps. If you want something simpler and don’t feel you need the bells and whistles, there are optionsHuion Inspiroy H1060P review. In short, the Huion Inspiroy Dial 2 is great for drawing, photo editing gaming. Though I had a few hiccups in the beginning, they were minor. With all the buttons and dials, it may seem a little intimidating for beginners, but it’s really quite straightforward. The Bluetooth and the 8196 levels of pressure make this a competitor to the Intuos Pro Medium, and suitable for a student or professional illustrator or designer.

See the Inspiroy Dial 2 on Amazon

end of Huion Inspiroy Dial 2 review

Huion Inspiroy H1060P review

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Last updated Friday, March 31, 2023

Huion Inspiroy H1060P review: Generous workspace, generous amount of express keys

Huion has been making pen tablets since 2011, and they’ve been a productive company. The company showcased its new Inspiroy 2 at CES 2023. I took the Huion Inspiroy 1060P, provided to me by Huion for testing, for a spin.

Nice box.

Type of tablet:

Graphics, non-screen
EMR digitizer
Needs to connect to computer (laptop/desktop) or Android device
Works with: Windows, Mac, Android, Linux

Other features:

Size: 14 x 9 x 0.31
Active area: 10x 6.25″
Weight: 27 oz (770g)
Made of: plastic exterior
8192 pressure levels
Battery-free PW100 pen
+/- 60 degrees of tilt
28 programmable keys (12 press keys and 16 softkeys)

PW100 pen weight: 11g (about .4 oz)

When used with Android phone:
Phone working area: (Phone Mode)
3.9 inches x 6.25 in. (99.3 x 158.8mm )

What’s in the Box?

The Inspiroy comes with all this.

Tablet
USB-C to USB connector
USB-to USB-C adapter for Mac
Quickstart guide

Nib holder with 10 extra nibs (total 11 nibs including the one that comes in the pen)

The tablet came in a nicely designed, hard box with a colorful graphic. The box makes it suitable as a gift. Inside is everything you need to use it, including adapters.

The H1060P’s generous size makes it ideal for drawing. It also is fairly lightweight, making it suitable for travel.

Build quality

It’s well built but as it’s lightweight and slim, I wouldn’t want to bang it around. The keys click crisply when pressed. The USB-port is snug, no looseness or issues.

Unlike many graphics tablets that have a beaded or rubbery texture on the drawing area, this one is smooth. It’s not slippery, but it doesn’t have that tooth that some prefer. But, it’s quieter, and pen nibs ought to last longer on it. It doesn’t attract oil and dust as much as the rubbery surface would.

The Huion Inspiroy has a whopping 28 programmable keys, 12 that are buttons with 12 more that you program in, so you can really speed up your workflow. You can open programs, zoom and pan, and make any keystroke you want and do it per app. Some keystrokes vary from app to app. Also, you need to know the keystrokes that the app uses.

Installing the driver

The correct driver on the Huion site is the latest Inspiroy Pro 8192, though the box doesn’t say the 8192. The driver for Windows installed easily as did the one for Mac. I did have to unplug then plug in the tablet for Mac (Ventura.)

The programming process is more complicated than those of many similar tablets. I somewhat prefer the kind that has a menu, but with this many keys, that would get overwhelming.

The pen has programmable buttons that do pretty basic functions, with multimedia being one that’s not that common.

The phone mode on the tablet is just a small active area. I don’t use Phone Mode, but I’m glad it’s there, just in case.

The tablet is fine for left- and right-handed people, and lets you map the active area.

Drawing on the Huion

The PW100 pen is lightweight, so doesn’t have a lot of balance on your hand. But the lightweight pen also causes very little strain. The pen is a comfortable width to hold.

The size is great and certainly ideal for a drawing tablet–it’s “just right.”

I do miss having a texture on the surface as it feels a bit slippery, but I like that it’s quieter.

The pen loop on the right holds the pen well.

Art program testing

The Inspiroy driver worked well in Windows on almost everything I tried–Photoshop, Inkscape, Krita, and Clip Studio Paint, though not well with Gimp.

On Mac, it worked great in Gimp, including with pressure. It also worked great in everything else I tested: Photoshop, Krita, ClipStudio Paint, Inkscape, and as a general mouse.

(Inkscape seems to work fine with Mac Ventura, though the site says they’re still working on it).

I didn’t experience lag or other issues.

The biggest and happiest surprise was that I was able to get pressure in Inkscape, a free vector art program similar to Adobe Illustrator, with the calligraphy pen both on Windows and Mac. I’m uncertain as to whether it has more to do with the driver or with an update to Inkscape.

Pros

Size
Affordability
Portability
Gets pressure in Inkscape
Many Express Keys
Ability to use on Mac, Windows, Linux, and Android
Nice printed box

Cons

Surface may be too smooth for some artists
Driver isn’t that easy to program

Inspiroy H1060P vs. Wacom Intuos Medium

For the price, this tablet really offers almost everything the Wacom Intuos Medium does, including levels of pressure, tilt, and programming of the keys. The pen isn’t as luxurious nor as programmable, but the Huion is way more affordable. It does what it promises to do. I haven’t done longterm testing, but so far it’s fine.

It comes with the adapters you need and a good amount of extra nibs. It doesn’t have the extras of the Intuos, such as bundled art software (some of which is a trial), a wireless option, or that nice tacky (in a good way) texture.

It has fewer programming options for the pen (which is also lighter), a smoother surface, it’s more lightweight, and there’s no wireless option, and no bundled software.

The Verdict

If you don’t need so many express keys, you don’t have to use them, or any, but they’re there if you want.

This would be a nice addition to any artist’s toolbox and the decorative box makes it an appropriate gift for anyone who does digital art, graphic or other design, photo editing, OSU, or replacing a mouse.

See it on Amazon

end of Huion Inspiroy H1060P review

Huion Inspiroy H610X review

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Last updated Thursday, November 17, 2022

Huion Inspiroy H610x review–will this budget graphics tablet inspire you?

Huion Inspiroy H610X with included HW100 pen

This Huion Inspiroy H610X review will take you through the main features of this graphics table that works as an alternative to the Intuos without the cost. The H610X is the upgrade of H610 Pro V2 (click link to see our review). The company says the footprint of the Huion H610x is 23% smaller than the H610 v2.

Huion is a Chinese company that started in 2011 with drawing tablets, and now makes light pads as well.I was fortunate to receive an Inspiroy H610x tablet from Huion to test.

(See more Huion H610x reviews on Amazon)

Type of Tablet

Graphics tablet (no screen, and must be plugged into a computer or Android device

EMR

Features

Drawing surface 10″ x 6.25″
8192 levels of pressure
8 programmable Express Keys
Works with Mac, Windows, Linux. and Android (OTG adapter for Android not included)
Battery-free, cordless pen with two programmable buttons
±60° Tilt
5080 LPI pen resolution

What’s in the Box?

It also comes with this Android OTG adapter and 8 extra pen nibs.

Tablet
Pen
Nibs
Nib remover (it’s built into the pen holder)

The Huion H610X came in an attractive white box with full-color graphics. Everything was safely packed inside.

Installing the driver

The drivers need to be downloaded from the Internet.

I found that on my Mac, which i had just updated to the latest OS (Monterey 12.6.1 as of this writing) the newest driver on the Huion site installed but didn’t work–I had issues with the System Preferences security procedure. I then uninstalled that driver and tried the second-newest one, and it worked.

The other odd thing was that at first, the image of the pen didn’t show up in the driver. I later disconnected and reconnected the driver and then it showed up fine. I guess the lesson here is “try, try again.”

On Windows, the latest driver worked fine.

The word Inspiroy doesn’t appear in the list of drivers, it only says H610X, but that’s the one.

The driver

It’s simple to program the buttons, easier than some tablets. You can program the pen buttons as well as the Express Keys and these can be done per app. Some of the menu options include playing multimedia files and creating a keystroke shortcut.

The “All Programs” doesn’t show programs until you click to add a program. Not sure what “All Programs” is for.

You can also rotate the pen tablet to 90°, 180°, or 270° to suit your habits in the driver.

The driver has a good UI that makes things simple, a big plus.

For lefties

If you’re left-handed, no worries as you can turn the tablet so the buttons are as you wish, and you can map the screen if you want.

Build quality

Close-up of beaded surface of the Inspiroy H610x

The H610x has a nice beaded matte surface and I prefer it to the old H610, which was more plasticky and did not have the matte surface. Gone is the indentation between the Express Keys and the drawing surface. Also gone are the sloped edge (it’s much more subtle now) and the large bezel. This design is nicer.

The cord is a decent length, about a yard, and the L-shaped USB-C connector fits snugly into the tablet port. There are four rubber dots on the bottom, and the rounded corners of the tablet make it safe to pick up (no sharp edges). The outside edge feels a bit hollow. The tablet does attract some fingerprints, so you might want to wear a drawing glove.

Pen

The PW100 pen is a bit lightweight and thick, not like a ballpoint pen. It weighs about .4 oz. or 11 grams. Although I slightly prefer the thinner type of pen, I find the Huion pen easy to use. I like a little more weight to a pen, but more weight can lead to some fatigue. The buttons are easy to reach.

Drawing on the Huion Inspiroy H610x

A turkey, because Thanksgiving is almost here

The buttons are pretty comfortable to press. Although there’s not much space between them, a raised bar in between should stop accidental presses of the wrong button. The size is perfect for drawing. I had no trouble with pressure or anything, and the one-on-one setup with the screen works well.

Art program testing

I had good luck in most things. On Windows I tried Photoshop, Krita, Gimp, ClipStudioPaint, Sketchbook Pro, and Inkscape. I was really pleased to get pressure in Inkscape, using the Calligraphy Pen, its one pressure-sensitive brush. I would not expect to get pressure in Adobe Illustrator as the Illustrator brushes that offer pressure do so only with Wacom tablets.

On Mac, I tried Inkscape, Krita, Photoshop, and Gimp. The first three worked well, but as with many tablets, I had problems getting pressure in Gimp.

Huion H610X vs. Wacom Intuos Pro

It’s is a fine affordable competitor to the Wacom Intuos Pro Medium. The drawing area is about the same drawing size. It uses the same type of digitizer, has the same amount of pressure levels and resolution, and tilt. The Huion doesn’t have some of that item’s offerings–namely, bundled software, touch, and a wireless option, but it does have tilt sensitivity. Plus, pressure in the free Inkscape vector program worked, which adds value.

The Verdict

The Huion Inspiroy H610X is a lot of tablet for the money. The size is ideal as it’s big enough to move your hand around, while being portable and not taking up a ton of space. It also fits well one-to-one with many laptop screens. The driver is easy to use, despite a few hiccups–I did have to use the second-newest driver on Mac. The H610x is a great choice for people looking for an affordable graphics tablet for art, design, OSU and other gaming.

Right now, it’s on sale (Thanksgiving/Black Friday 2022) so you might want to gobble it up.

See it on Amazon

end of Huion Inspiroy H610x review

Gaomon S620 affordable graphics tablet review

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Last updated Thursday, October 13, 2022

Gaomon S620 review

Graphics tablet (non-screen), EMR digitizer

OS: Win 7 and macOS 10.12 or above, Android 6.0 or above.

Size: 6.5 x 4″

Battery-free pen

8192 levels of pressure

266 report rate

1080 LPI

Pen hover: 10mm

Type of Tablet

EMR with passive, battery-free pen

Wired, no wireless option. Need to connect to computer or Android phone/tablet.

This is the first Gaomon I have tried. I received a complimentary unit for testing.

Gaomon is a Chinese company that has been in the digitizer space since 2011. In 2016, the company released the Gaomon S56K, and has since released more tablets, both with screens and opaque, non-screen ones.]

It’s light and easy to carry in a small bag.

Suitable for left-handed and right-handed use.

What’s in the Box

Opening up the box.

The Gaomon unboxed. The pen is in the compartment on bottom right.

Tablet, Artpaint AP32 pen, felt pen pouch, 8 extra nibs, USB, OTG adapter for Android 6.0 and up, booklet, nib remover, booklet

The tablet came in a nice, minimalistic white branded box. The packaging is high-quality and the gray felt pen pouch is quite luxurious. There are 8 extra nibs plus one in the pen.

The Gaomon stylus pen in its included felt pouch

The Gaomon pen in its included felt pouch

Build quality

The Gaomon is solidly built, not flimsy. It has a matte finish that’s not that bumpy. The bottom has four rubber anti-slip dots. The pen is about the size of a ballpoint pen and weighs 12 G or 3/8 oz.

Installing the driver

GaomonSs620 Windows driver

The driver installed smoothly onto both Mac and Windows. Oddly, with the Mac, a screen popped up saying the tablet wants to record my screen and it was asking me to click yes or no. This refers to playing back the drawing so you can watch each step. But the tablet doesn’t have that feature. So I clicked no. Later, I ended up reinstalling the driver after installing the latest Mac update to see if it made a difference, and I did not get that message.

De-install any previous tablet drivers you’ve added, including any Wacom drivers. In the Gaomon driver, you need to click “enable Windows Ink” get the pressure working in Windows.

The driver lets you customize the pen buttons and the four Express Keys and you can do this per app, which is nice. It doesn’t offer as many customization options as some tablets, but the basics are there. I felt the UI was a bit confusing but not that hard. If you want to make some customizations and shortcuts it’s enough.

The Pen

Artpaint AP32 pen

The Artpaint AP32 pen weighs 13 grams. It’s not too heavy, not too light. It’s not slippery. The two buttons are easy to reach. The top half or so is covered with a comfortable-to-hold rubber sheath. It’s not a super-fancy pen, but it’s similar to most comparable tablets and has the nice feature of the soft grip.

Texture

As you can see, it’s plastic matte.

Surface texture of the Gaomon S620 drawing tablet

Using the Gaomon

The high report rate and LPI, and number of pressure levels. are similar to the Wacom Intuos and make for a high-resolution line quality.

It has a slightly textured, matte surface that’s not too rough, but it’s good they included extra nibs as the nibs will wear down after time. There’s no rubbery-soft surface like on some tablets. I did not find that it caused slipperiness, and I like that it didn’t attract things like hand oil like the softer tablets do.

In the really compatible programs, drawing was a pleasure. There weren’t bumps, jumps, or anything like that, and the pressure and opacity sensitive worked smoothly.

Art program testing

On Windows, the Gaomon performed great on almost everything, such as Photoshop, Krita, Sketchbook Pro, Inkscape, and Clip Studio Paint. With Gimp, i could not get the pressure sensitivity working. For fun I tried some programs without the driver, and got pressure in Sketchbook Pro and Photoshop with no driver at all.

On Mac, I tested it on Photoshop, Krita, Inkscape, GIMP, Rebelle, and Clip Studio Paint. It worked great in Clip Studio Paint, and fine in Inkscape. In Photoshop, it was OK but a little laggy if I drew quickly. I wouldn’t recommend it with the others. This was my individual experience on Mac.

The company has a long list of programs they tested for compatibility. You can see it from the link below if you like. (PDF on this site)

Gaomons620.Compatibility

I didn’t test it on Android–if I ever do. I will update this Gaomon S620 review.

Image courtesy of Gaomon

Image courtesy of Gaomon

Pros and Cons

Pros: Good build quality. It doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles, but that may make it a better value for those who don’t need those and won’t have to spend on them. It has as many pressure levels as a Wacom, and four Express Keys. It works on Window, Mac, and Android. So it’s a good deal for the dollar.

Cons: Didn’t work that great for me with Mac (with some exceptions), not a lot of customization options (though not everyone uses that many). No wireless option. No eraser tip on pen.

The size is pretty small; medium is a better size for professional art, and small is good for small drawings, photo editing, signatures, and having an extra tablet.

The Verdict

The Gaomon S620 is fine for a starter tablet to draw, do signatures, replace a mouse, play OSU, edit photos, and more. For me it worked better on Windows than Mac overall, but was fine in some programs on Mac. It’s built well and should last a while. The felt pen holder is a great accessory, and I like the rubber-grip pen a lot. It’s in the very affordable category at the moment so it’s something to consider.

See it at Amazon US

See it at Amazon UK

See it at Amazon Canada

Gaomon UK Storefront Home

S620 in the UK Gaomon store

Gaomon YouTube channel http://bit.ly/gaomonyoutub

end of Gaomon S620 Review

Ugee S640 review: small but powerful graphics tablet

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Last updated Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Ugee S640 graphics tablet review: small but packs a punch

Ugee S640 review

The Ugee S640 graphics tablet is by Hanvon Ugee. Ugee began in China 1998, as did Hanvon, and the two companies merged in 2017. The company also includes XPPen. Hanvon Ugee holds 91 patents.

Disclosure: Ugee sent me an S640 tablet to test and review.

The S640 is a wired graphics tablet with no screen. If you’re looking for something similar to the Wacom Intuos small, the Ugee S640 is one to consider. The features are close to being on par with the pricy Intuos.

The Ugee S640 lets you customize the pen to your own shortcuts. It has as many pressure levels as the most advanced tablets, which is 8192. The Ugee site has free downloadable drivers for Windows, Mac, and Android, so you could use with either with a computer or a mobile device. Drivers for Linux, Debian, and more are also on the site.

Besides being able to fully customize the pen buttons, you can customize 10 buttons to shortcut commands. You can customize on a per-app basis.

See the Ugee S640 on the Ugee site

See the Ugee S640 on Amazon

See more of our Ugee reviews

Type of tablet:

Graphics tablet (no screen)
-Must be connected via an included cord to computer or Android device
-Works with Windows 7/8/10, Mac (10.10 or higher), Linux, Android 6.0 and above
-Pen, not pen and touch (can’t use finger touch on it, only the stylus)

Type of digitzer: EMR
Pressure levels: 8,192
Customizable shortcut keys: 10
Highly customizable pen buttons
Tilt +-60 degrees
Tablet can be rotated using driver to 0, 90, 180, 270 degrees
Battery-free, lightweight stylus pen
Size : 215.3 x 162.53 x 12.06 mm
Active area 6.3″ x 4″

Pen weight: 11g

Resolution 5080 LPI

Report rate: up to 220 RPS
Accuracy ±0.4mm
Reading Height: up to 10 mm

What’s in the Box

Tablet
Pen
10 extra nibs
pen clipper
USB cable (L-shaped_)
USB to Micro USB adapter
USB to USB-C adapter
Quick guide
Warranty card

The Ugee shipped in a brown cardboard with cute line graphics. The items inside are sealed in plastic bags. It was packed carefully and everything needed is in there. You can download the latest drivers off the Ugee site; no disk is included.

The L-shaped connector is a nice feature as it makes it harder to stress the cord, and the tablet has a place you can attach a lanyard if you want to add a lock or some kind of accessory. The pen does not have a built-in opening to attach a lanyard.

Ugee S640 drawing tablet with included pen

The tablet is rectangular and in a landscape format, not square like the small Wacom Intuos. The Ugee has a heft to it; it’s not flimsy or lightweight. The included mini-USB fit snugly. You connect the USB to your computer and the mini USB to the tablet.

The tablet has ten physical programmable buttons on top. They’re a generous size. They make an audible click. They’re not hard to press, but have a bit of firmness, which might stop you from pressing them by accident.

The surface is pretty smooth but has some matte finish. There’s a soft pen loop attached to the upper right of the device.

The active area is bounded by small rectangles.

It did pick up some fingerprints, so I suggest keeping hands off it or wearing a glove to keep the oils from your hands off it. I have no evidence that these oils cause any harm, but I think if they build it up it could cause slickness.

Anti-slip strips

The bottom has two long, narrow rubber strips to stop sliding. Most tablets have four rubber squares, so this is more generous with the amount of rubber. The strips go along the full length of the part that fits on the table; the footprint goes beyond that with the sides curving upward. The corners are rounded.

Back of the Ugee has two anti-slip rubber strips.

There’s no wireless option. The co. also has released a version of this, the S640W, that has a wireless option, as well as a similar, larger tablet, the S1060 and S1060W (the W is for Wireless).

Pen Loop

The fabric pen loop is sturdy and the pen fits well (in some tablets, the loop is too tight-fitting). It would be nice if the pen loop were not on the same side as the mini-USB port, because it makes it so you can’t lay the pen flat across the tablet when the tablet is connected. But you still can put it into the loop.

I’m guessing the pen loop is on top and not on the side because if it were on the side, the pen then be longer than the tablet, making it a little harder to carry around. It also would look a little weird on the bottom but that could be a better solution.

If you want a pen loop on the side, you can simply buy some portable pen loops that have sticky backs and adhere one to the back of the tablet. I use these pen loops when needed, though I’m going to use the built-in loop on the S640.

Portability

The S640 is easy to carry and would fit into a backpack or even a purse.

For lefties

It’s fine for left- and right-handed use, as you can map the tablet to the orientation you want.

Pen

The batteryless, cordless pen is made of plastic and is light at 11g.

The Ugee pen is batteryless and cordless.

The Ugee has a small, bright white indicator light that lights up when you connect it to the computer and when the pen is in contact with the surface.

You can customize the pen button as you wish, which is not the case with all affordable tablets.

Art Programs

I did basic pressure tests on Mac on Photoshop, Illustrator, Inkscape, and Clip Studio Paint. The Ugee pressure worked well on all of these. I was really impressed with how it got pressure on Inkscape. I did have some issues with Gimp on Mac, which is buggy anyway, so I don’t think it had to do with the tablet.

In Illustrator on Mac, at first I could not get the pressure option to show up in the options panel for the pens that get pressure. After trying a few things, I learned I had to download the Wacom drivers off the Wacom site, and voila, the pressure option showed up and it worked fine. In Illustrator for Windows, the pressure options work out of the box, as Windows may already have some built-in drivers that enable it.

Drawing on the Ugee

In Windows, I tested Illustrator, Krita, Adobe Sketchbook, Paint Tool Sai, Photoshop, and Inkscape, and had no issues, all worked great.

The drawing experience is smooth and solid, with no jitter. While we do recommend a larger tablet, such as medium size, for professional illustration and fine art, a small one is fine for small drawings, photo editing, graphics, OSU, and more. Or you may just want to replace your mouse and mouse pad with something that does a bit more. Customizing your buttons and pen can really speed up your workflow, and a pen offers easier control than a mouse when you’re doing things like lassoing.

https://youtu.be/gxeF97pnuOg

If you want a larger, similar tablet, Ugee also offer the S1060 model.

Driver

The driver installed really easily on Windows and Mac, to my relief. In the olden days I was often struggling with installation, but this was a breeze. I was careful to delete old tablet drivers I had installed before installing this one, and of course I had to allow the driver in the Mac System preferences Security and Privacy/Accessibility panel.

The driver lets you customize the pen and the ten Express Keys, both to presets and your own customization. You can customize the pen buttons however you like. You can also add software programs to set the customizations to each program if you like. So, it’s pretty similar to the Intuos.

You also have control over tilt.

S640 vs. Wacom Intuos

-S640 pen is lighter
-no wireless option for S640
-art software is not included with the Ugee
-Ugee is landscape format

-has similar customization options to Wacom, including per-app
-more affordable

Pros:
-driver easy to install
-highly customizable
-good build quality

Cons:
-no wireless option with the S640, though you can get the S640W for that
-pen loop too close to charging port

The Verdict

In short, I’m really happy with the Ugee S640 in the small tablet category. The driver installs smoothly, there’s tons of customization options, the table works with a wide variety of art programs (there are more listed on the Ugee page), it’s got a solid build, and it’s portable. You can use it for art, design, photo editing, OSU, and more. If you’re looking for a small graphics tablet that’s affordable, versatile, and has a smooth-installing driver, you should consider this one.

See the Ugee S640 on Amazon

See the Ugee S640 on the Ugee site

end of Ugee S640 review