The Studio VK1200: a Veikk tablet monitor that fits in a backpack
The Veikk Studio VK1200 is a small tablet monitor with size and features similar to the Wacom One pen display. This VK1200 review is about the first-gen VK1200, not the VK1200 V2.
Type of tablet
Tablet monitor, draw on screen. Need to attach to computer. Digitizer: EMR
Features
8192 pressure levels +/- 60 degrees of tilt
Screen (visible part) diagonal :12″ (30 cm) 10.25 wide by 6.25 long Lamination for seamless screen and tablet; protects screen from scratches
1920×1080 FHD IPS display 92% NTSC
Released Aug 2020 Larger model: 21.5″ with 8 keys and 2 dials
Newer model: VK1200 2 (not reviewed here)
What’s in the Box
Tablet Anti-smudge drawing glove Two pens, each in a felt sleeve Package of 20 extra nibs HDMI and double USB Not included: UCB-C adapter for use with current Macs
The company kindly sent me this VK1200 for review. The Veik s640 ultrathin graphics tablet was one of my favorites, so I was psyched to try this Cintiq-like drawing tablet.
Packaging
The VK1200 comes with a generous amount of extras, including a glove and 20 extra nibs in a cellophane package. There are two (identical) pens, each with its own fuzzy felt sleeve. The box is attractive and sturdy (suitable for gifting) and protective of what’s inside. Everything was packed well and the booklet, which comes in different languages, is written clearly
First Impressions of the VK 1200
The cable is almost 60″ long, which is great; you can move it around.
The visible part of the screen is 10 1/4″ long by 6 1/4″ tall, which is pretty long and a bit narrow. It lets you get a good look at the window of the art and you’ll need to scroll down. The display is sharp and the full lamination makes for low reflectivity and low glare. It also protects the screen. There’s nothing to to attach the stylus pen to the tablet. I tried an adhesive pen loop, but the pen was too thick for it.
Build quality
The tablet has a metal build, which is unusual, so it’s very sturdy. The design is compact and slender so though the metal adds some weight, this is a carryable item; it has no attached stand nor bulge, but is flat and a mere half-inch deep. The screen protrudes a little from the metal casing. The plastic, non-slippery buttons along the side are easy enough on the hands when pressing, but give a satisfying click. There’s a black bezel that’s perfectly flush with the screen. This bezel is over 1″ on all sides.
Setting up the VK1200
Once you determine if your computer has the right ports, and using an adapter if it doesn’t, the setup is straightforward. I used a USB-C adapter that has an HDMI port on my Mac.
Installing the Veikk VK 1200 Driver
As is the norm, there’s no driver disk included, you download drivers from the Veikk site.
Be sure to delete all remnants of old drivers. Veikk just updated the Mac and Windows drivers, even though the site page still has the old dates. The new drivers work much better than the old ones. The driver screen offers simple-to-use customizations. The written English could use proofreading. Driver The driver has a lot of customizations, including programming commands per art app, as well as a variety of pen commands, and is pretty simple to use. You can map the driver as you wish, as well as turn it for left-handed use. To calibrate, you put it into Extend mode. For Windows, be sure to check Enable Windows Ink in the driver, or you won’t get pressure sensitivity.
The Veikk P05 Pen
The P05 pen weighs 11 grams, which is pretty light, and it has some limited customizations in the driver. The outside is black and has a non-slip barrel, including a small ridged area on the lower half. The pen is light and comfortable to hold. Some people might like a little more weight; I prefer the lightness as I tend to get hand strain. The included nib remover resembles a key instead of a ring and is very easy to use, easier than the ring type.
Drawing on the VK1200
All the art programs I tried on the Mac worked well with excellent pressure sensitivity and no skips. I tried, Inkscape, Krita, Gimp, and Fire Alpaca and was happy with all of them except Gimp. Actually I think it’s not worth testing on Gimp anymore as it doesn’t work well on Mac in general. Because the tablet is small, the icons show small. There’s a little bit of parallax, so clicking on one of the little icons takes a little focus.
Windows
In Windows, all the programs I tried worked fine, but if i drew a stroke quickly (as in really rushed, much faster than I normally would work) in Photoshop and Krita, there was some lag. I tried Krita, Photoshop, Inkscape, Autodesk Sketchbook, and Clip Studio Pro and all worked, pressure was fine.
Pros and Cons
Pros: -Affordable -Good display -Metal build -Comes with extra pen and sleeve, and a generous amount of nibs -Support is helpful and answers quickly Cons: -Had some driver issues in Windows (nothing terminal) -Icons appear small since the tablet is small -Small space feels a bit cramped
Verdict:
The Veikk 1200 is well-built and portable. The screen is sharp and the colors bright. The VK1200 works for art, photo editing, OSU, or an extra monitor. It’s somewhat like a small Wacom One. It’s a decent basic tablet See it on Amazon
