Huion Kamvas 16 (Gen 3)
There was once a time when a clear gap existed in the pen display market. You had the upper end which promised quality but at a much higher price, whereas the lower end was often more affordable, but the trade-off was the quality.
Thankfully, as technology prices have gradually come down, this gap has begun to narrow meaning there are a lot more, good quality options available to us artists on a tight budget.
One company I have seen this happen with is Huion. I’ve reviewed many of their devices over the years and each one has seen a gradual improvement in their features, yet the price remains relatively low.
This certainly seems to be the case with the third generation Kamvas 16. Although it isn’t branded as a “pro” device, it features some updates which would have you thinking otherwise.
This time you have a slightly larger screen which comes with a higher resolution and brightness levels.
The digital pen features their new PenTech 4.0 technology which offers greater precision and over sixteen thousand levels of pressure sensitivity, but the big change is the addition of two physical dials sitting on the side of the device.
This all sounds amazing but are Huion just distracting us with fancy gadgets and gimmicks, or do they have a winner on their hands.
Continue reading to find out…
Upgrades
Before we unbox the Kamvas 16 (Gen 3) lets first look at how its improved over the previous version, which I think was released back in 2021.
We now have a larger screen which has increased from 15.6 inches to 15.8 inches. This also comes with a higher resolution now too, moving up from full HD to QHD so you have a 2560x1440 (2.5k) canvas to work on.
The screen brightness has increased to 220 nits, from 195 in the previous model, plus the screen is now fully matte glass as opposed to simply being a matte screen protector.
As mentioned, the pen now features PenTech 4.0 technology making it more precise and fluid with its sixteen thousand levels of pressure sensitivity, double the levels of the previous pen. Plus, Huion are giving us three buttons on the pen this time too.
Finally, we have the two dials which sit overhanging the side of the device making them easier to control.
Unboxing
Let’s dive in and take a look inside the box.
This is something you don’t usually see, a colour calibration report. Huion must be confident in their display if they are also including a report illustrating the calibration which the device had before it was shipped.
Next we have the device itself, we will come back and unwrap these after we have seen what else we have.
Beneath this is the stand, and we can also see the pen holder on the left as well as a box for the power adapter.
Under the stand we have the pen, cables and a pack which includes the instructions, a cleaning cloth and an artist’s glove too.
You only get one pen with this device, but sometimes that’s all you need, although as mentioned, this time we have a three-button pen, which is a great addition.
Let’s have a closer look at the pen holder, and this is the standard holder which also houses the ten extra nibs.
With the Kamvas 16 Gen 3 you get the standard three in one cable Huion tend to offer with their devices, plus an extension cable if you need to use additional power. The difference this time around is there is a single USB-C connection, rather than the double one we have seen on previous devices.
You are also given a USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-C to USB-A cable too.
That’s the box contents so let’s unwrap them and take a closer look, it’s like Christmas!
The Tablet
The big selling point with the third generation Kamvas 16 are the new dials and personally, I do love a good dial.
From back in my MobileStudio Pro days, I found them much better and intuitive to use for quickly changing the brush size or zooming in and out of the screen, and so it’s great to see not just one here but two.
They feel solid and have a really satisfying click as you turn them, and with there being two, it makes the device more friendly to those who are left-handed.
Inside each of these is a button which you can use to swap between the dial’s functions, so in effect, each dial has three distinct actions.
As well as the dials you also have six buttons, and all these are fully configurable too through the Huion tablet software.
Down the side we have two USB-C ports, one of which is recessed slightly, and it’s this one that is used for the three in one cable, if used. The other is used when connecting using the fully featured USB-C cable, but more on that later.
The tablet is only 13 mm thick, plus its light too weighing just 1.2kg making it a great desktop companion, and very portable. There are also four rubber feet on the back which help to keep it steady while on your desk.
One thing to mention is that the 13-inch version of this device comes in two colours, Cosmo Black and Sakura Pink. It would be nice to offer those choices with the 16 too.
The Stand
The stand is quite basic but seems to have had a slight redesign since my last review.
Rather than the top folding down to act as the support, you are given two metal poles which instead fold up and hook onto the back of the face plate.
Compared to the previous version this does offer more angles to rest on, and in practice it did give me good support while working.
The Digital Pen
Huion are giving its users their three-button pen this time around. I personally feel that this is a good decision especially for those of us who work in 3D as well as 2D. I find the extra button works well for quickly accessing essential mouse clicks you don’t get with a two-button pen.
It’s the standard, thicker size but feels good to hold, and the rubber grip makes it more comfortable. There is no eraser on the end though, which for me isn’t an issue but this may put some people off.
The digital pen uses Huions Pen Tech 4.0 technology which, along with the HV200 chip, is said to enhance pen pressure and cursor tracking as well as improve edge detection, meaning there is less of an offset when you get near the edge of the screen.
Rather than eight thousand levels of pressure sensitivity you now get over sixteen thousand plus sixty degrees of tilt recognition.
I have to say that the pen strokes did feel silky smooth, but I’m not sure I could feel all the pressure levels, but I will test these more later.
Setup
The third generation Kamvas 16 can be used with a single USB-C cable for extra convenience, but this does depend on your own hardware.
Huion state that if you want to use your own full-featured USB-C cable, ensure it supports USB 3.1 Gen1, DisplayPort 1.2, and above, which is fine, but they should also mention that your computer needs to also have a compatible USB-C port.
If it’s like other pen displays in this area you need a port which also supports DisplayPort Alt-Mode, which also allows for the streaming of the display. Like a Thunderbolt port for example.
Unfortunately, my computer doesn't support this, but thankfully Huion do give you the option of using the three-in-one cable too which uses a HDMI and USB port, plus a cable for power too if needed. You use this if your device doesn’t pass enough power natively, so the screen doesn’t reach its full brightness.
The problem I had was the desk where I usually work isn’t close to my PC, so the three-in-one cable was too short. I tried using cable extensions, but this made the device very unstable, so I had to move around my workstation so I could use the Kamvas 16.
Not ideal for me but I could work around it, but these are things to keep in mind if you have a similar setup and a slightly older computer.
In the end I had to make space on my desk temporarily, just for testing purposes, but to be fair, with this being a smaller device it was quite easy to move around.
Software
Huion’s Tablet software is streamlined and easy to use, plus includes some nice features.
When you first install the device, you need to define the working area, so which monitor you want to use it with. You do this early on because you also have the option to use the Kamvas 16 as a simple pen tablet, without the screen.
So, you can see above, I have two monitors, plus the Kamvas 16 which is the lower one on the right. You can quickly swap between the displays if needed using one of the buttons, you just need to configure it in the software to do this.
The central button inside each dial will cycle through three predefined options. There are lots of choices available, even some which are tailored towards specific software like Photoshop and Lightroom, which make it quicker and easier to setup.
For the buttons you also have similar options, so you are free to set these up however you like, be it a keyboard shortcut or to run a specific program.
In the options you also have a Quick Menu option which will open a radial menu. There are six buttons on the menu, and again, you can make these do anything you like.
By default this is triggered by the third button on the pen, but could be configured so if you are working in Photoshop for example, these could be set to merge your layers, flip the canvas or perform any other repetitive task.
You could also set all these up on a per-application basis so they would change if you were working in Maya, ZBrush, Substance Painter or any other application, ultimately speeding up your workflow, and the Huion software will automatically suggest the most common layout when you add a program.
With the digital pen we have the same options open to us with the buttons. We also have control over the pressure sensitivity, so we adjust how hard or soft the pen is.
Finally, down at the bottom is an area where you can adjust the dials too. This is currently very limited and just lets you change the sensitivity.
The Tablet in Use
As with all the devices I’m sent, I began with the usual tests. This involved investigating how the pen pressure held up, checking if there is any noticeable lag or looking for a slight jitter in each stroke.
Everything came through nicely, not only was the pressure super smooth but the way the pen moved across the screen felt good too. With straight lines drawn using a ruler, there was no real noticeable jitter or wobble too, which was good.
I next decided to compare the pressure levels to see if I could tell the difference between the industry standard of eight thousand levels or the sixteen thousand we get with the Kamvas 16 (Gen 3).
The first three lines are being drawn with a pen display which has eight thousand pressure levels. Now the pressure will vary as its difficult to apply the same amount each time, but we are getting a nice gradient as I draw.
The next three lines were drawn on the Kamvas 16 (Gen 3). What we can see is there seems to be a smoother gradient between the levels. Now this could be down to several factors, maybe it’s the device settings, or perhaps I’m applying the pressure in a more uniform way, but I can certainly see and feel a difference.
Now, is this difference enough for you to upgrade to sixteen thousand levels alone, maybe not, but it’s nice to have.
With those initial tests done I settled down to try the device in real world conditions, so I set myself the task of painting a simple portrait on it and unfortunately, I did have some teething problems once I started working.
Firstly, I initially used one of the dials to zoom in and out of the canvas, which is one of the default options, but I found the steps were too great, so I ended up swapping back to a button for zooming. A setting to adjust the zooming or rotating step size would be useful, so we have more control. Maybe this is an option on Photoshops side of things though?
On a related note, I did also find that when using the top dial, my arm would occasionally catch the lower one which was set to rotate the canvas. Slightly annoying but I did eventually learn to keep my arm away from that dial.
I also found the software to be buggy. There were instances where I couldn't select and drag areas of the UI, like adjusting a layer’s opacity, plus there were times when the pen wouldn't swap back to the previous tool. As an example, in Photoshop I would move the canvas on one window but the tool would then be stuck as that option, so I had to resort to restarting Photoshop and the tablet software to get back on track - watch the video to see these issues in action.
Now these issues could be fixed with a software update so I wouldn't say they were a deal breaker, especially when the hardware is so good. The screen is so bright and colourful. Even with a matte screen there isn't any of the grain you usually get with these devices, so each pixel is crisp and clear.
Overall, bugs aside, I really enjoyed using the Kanvas 16 (Gen 3). It feels so good to work on and I think sixteen inches is the ideal size for a portable device in this range.
If I’m being picky, I did miss the touch screen input, but at this price point I wouldn’t expect it. Also, I did notice the device getting warmer on the side closest to the UBC-C ports, but never anything I would deem as uncomfortable.
Should You Invest?
I can't believe the Kamvas 16 (Gen 3) is only £499 and isn't classed as a "pro" device, even with the two dials, the 2.5k screen resolution and the PenTech 4 technology.
Yes, maybe pushing the resolution up to 4k would classify it as a professional device, but that would increase the price too, and with a screen size of only 15.8 inches, would you need that higher resolution, would you even notice it?
Let’s take a minute to compare it to something like the Wacom Movink. Its screen size is only 13 inches, it has just eight thousand levels of pressure sensitivity and only a few hardware buttons. Yes, it has an OLED screen, but its only 1920x1080….it does have a touch screen though, but still, that’s £730.
What about the Xencelabs Pen Display 16? It’s a similar size, but it does have a 4k OLED screen, yet again, just eight thousand pressure levels and no configurable buttons, unless you buy the Quick Keys remote which is sold separately.
At £969, (£1199 for the bundle including the Quick Keys remote) its more expensive than the Movink, so after comparing them all I feel you get much more value for your money with the Kamvas 16 (Gen 3).
If you want my advice, and you are in the market for a pen display tablet, bag this beauty before Huion discover the error in their branding, put the "pro" back in the name and bump up the price.
Although Huion supplied the Kamvas 16 (Gen 3) for me to test, the opinions offered in this review are my own.