Gaomon PD1320 Pen Display Tablet Review

A high quality & budget-friendly digital drawing experience.

Gaomon recently got in touch with me to see if I was interested in checking out their PD1320 pen display tablet, which has been on the market for a few years now. I was excited to give it a try and compare it to some of the other drawing tablets I’ve used in the past. In this post, I’ll go over the specifics and share my thoughts on the PD1320, so you can figure out if it’s something you should consider. Let’s see how it stacks up.

What’s in the Box?

Inside the package, you’ll find the tablet itself, a battery-free stylus, a pen holder with 8 extra nibs, a dual USB-A to Type-C cable, an HDMI to mini HDMI cable, a protective cover that doubles as a stand, a drawing glove, a cleaning cloth, the power adapter, and some instruction cards. Everything was neatly organized and well protected inside the box.

Specs

In terms of specs, the Gaomon PD1320 is almost exactly the same as the Huion Kamvas 13 I tested earlier this year, but it’s missing the handy set of shortcut buttons that I really enjoyed while testing the Kamvas 13.

Here’s a full breakdown of the specs for both the PD1320 tablet and AP50 digital stylus:

Tablet Specs

Panel Size:	13.3 inches
Resolution:	1920 x 1080 (16:9)
Pixel density:	166 PPI
Contrast ratio:	1000:1
Brightness:	220cd/m2
Response time:	25ms
Surface finish:	Fully laminated anti-glare matte film
Active drawing area:	11.5 x 6.5in / 293.8 x 165.2mm
Tablet dimensions:	13.5 x 9.2 x 0.5in / 343 x 233 x 13.4mm
Weight:	1.94lb / 880g
Shortcut buttons	None
Connectivity:	USB-A, HDMI to Mini HDMI, Full-featured USB-C
Compatibility:	Windows, macOS & Android

Pen Specs

Technology:	Battery-Free Electromagnetic Resonance
Pressure levels:	8192 levels
Resolution:	5080 LPI
Accuracy:	±0.5mm (Center) ±3mm (Corner)
Sensing height:	10mm
Report rate:	≥220 PPS
Pen tilt range:	±60°

Design and Build Quality

The PD1320 looks sleek and understated, with a slim profile of 13.4mm, which is similar to most laptops. It also weighs just 880g (100g less than the HUION Kamvas 13), making the whole package highly portable. It comes in two colors, “Alice Blue” and “Charcoal Gray,” which is the one I got for the review.

The power button is positioned on the top left of the tablet, and on the right side you’ll find a mini HDMI port and two USB-C ports.

Switching over to the left side, we have a multifunction button/switch right next to the audio jack. This button is primarily used to bring up the OSD menu, which can be done by pressing it once. You can then slide it up or down to browse through the settings and the power button can be used to go back a step or cancel an action.

When the OSD menu isn’t up on the screen, you can use this toggle switch for a few other things. If your headphones are plugged in, it lets you control the system volume. And if there’s nothing connected to the audio jack, you can use it to tweak the screen brightness instead.

Speaking of the screen, the PD1320 features a fully laminated display with a pre-installed anti-glare film. The display area has thick bezels and you’ll find the Gaomon logo at the bottom.

The PD1320 doesn’t include a row of customizable shortcut keys, which has become standard in most drawing tablets these days. This may not be ideal for those who often rely on shortcuts to speed up their workflow, but the absence of quick keys makes the display area clean and uncluttered, which some users might appreciate.

On the back, there are four rubber feet to help keep the tablet stable while drawing, and a large Gaomon logo in the center.

The PD1320 comes with a foldable cover that looks just like an iPad smart folio, and also doubles as a stand. While it does a decent job protecting your device, I wouldn’t recommend using it as a stand, as it isn’t very stable while in use and the angle for drawing is pretty low. If you really enjoy using a stand, there are much better options on Gaomon’s website, like the GMS01 and GMS02.

But my main concern with this cover is the fact that its quality falls short compared to the other items included in the package. For starters, both the packaging and the product description on Gaomon’s website refer to it as a “foldable leather stand,” which simply isn’t true. This cover is actually made of a polyurethane material with a soft fabric lining on the inside. I guess they just mislabeled it somehow and never bothered to correct it. The material itself isn’t amazing, but it does keep the screen safe.

Another point to note is that I thought this cover would be magnetic, like an iPad case that you can easily snap on and off. But instead of doing that, Gaomon went with an adhesive strip that sticks to the back of the tablet. The good news is, if you’re looking for a more permanent solution, the adhesive is pretty strong. So once you’ve applied it, it won’t come off easily.

Just to be completely transparent, I also have to mention that there was a problem with the cover I first got in my package. When I tried to peel off the protective film from the sticker, the inner lining came off along with the adhesive. This rendered the cover useless since I wasn’t able to attach it to the tablet, as you can see in the image below. I immediately reached out to the Gaomon team to report the problem and they were very helpful, promptly sending me a replacement.

Apart from my issues with the foldable cover, I have to say that the build quality and overall design of the tablet, pen and other accessories is excellent for this price point, with solid materials and finishes throughout.

Performance and User Experience

The Gaomon PD1320 is compatible with various apps, including Photoshop and Illustrator, and supports both Windows and macOS, as well as some Android devices.

To get started, you just need to grab the latest driver from Gaomon’s website and connect the tablet to your device using the HDMI to Mini HDMI cable, as well as the dual USB-A to Type-C cable. It’s not the cleanest setup, and some might find it a bit too cluttered, but it gets the job done.

You also have the option to go with a single USB-C cable connection, which would make things a lot neater, but there isn’t one included in the box, so it has to be purchased separately.

Before you start drawing, you can use the Gaomon Tablet app to adjust a number of settings, including screen calibration, pressure sensitivity and the two shortcut buttons on the digital stylus. These settings can be configured globally, or tailored to specific apps.

The screen on the Gaomon PD1320 renders colors well, although I thought it was a bit too saturated out of the box. Thankfully, it’s quite easy to jump into its settings via the toggle switch that brings up the OSD menu, so you can tweak it to your preferences.

The IPS display isn’t overly bright, maxing out at 220 nits, just like the Huion Kamvas 13. It’s definitely enough for most use cases, but you might want to avoid using this drawing tablet outdoors on a sunny day.

When it comes to performance, the Gaomon PD1320 is very impressive, particularly for its price point. Before I started using it, I calibrated the display via the Gaomon Tablet app to ensure minimal parallax. During my testing, the drawing experience felt consistently accurate across the entire screen. The textured surface of the matte film delivers a nice paper-like feel, but this one is a bit more subtle than other tablets I’ve tested in the past.

AP50 Pen

The AP50 digital stylus that comes with the PD1320 is very responsive, with 8192 levels of pressure and a tilt range of 60 degrees. While the tablet itself lacks a shortcut panel, the pen does feature two shortcut buttons that can be customized via the Gaomon Tablet app.

This stylus is lightweight and quite comfortable to use for long periods of time. It’s also battery-free, so you’ll never have to worry about charging it. The pen holder included in the package comes with 8 replacement nibs.

To sum it up, even though I missed having a shortcut panel on the tablet, I really enjoyed my experience with the Gaomon PD1320 and was impressed by its overall performance and accuracy.

Pricing

The Gaomon PD1320 is currently priced at $229.00 USD on their website and $239.99 on Amazon. This is cheaper than the latest version of the Huion Kamvas 13 (Gen 3), which costs $269.00, but for a little bit extra the Kamvas 13 comes with a better pen, as well as a shortcut panel that includes quick keys and precision dials for various functions.

At the end of the day, it’s a matter of preference. If you don’t use shortcuts in your workflow and want a tablet with a cleaner looking design, the Gaomon PD1320 is a very good option.

Pros & Cons

Let’s wrap things up with a quick look at the positives and negatives of the Gaomon PD1320 drawing tablet:

Pros

• Affordable price for its features
• Great drawing experience
• Minimal parallax
• Lightweight & portable
• Includes a range of useful accessories

Cons

• The foldable cover is great for protection but not so much when used as a stand
• The display could be brighter
• No customizable buttons on the tablet, which could be a downside for those who rely on shortcuts
• The USB-C cable that allows for a single-cable setup is not included in the box

Verdict

Despite some minor shortcomings and the lack of a shortcut panel, the Gaomon PD1320 offers great value for money, particularly for beginners looking for a balance between cost and performance. Its feature set, portability and affordable price also make it a nice secondary tablet and travel companion for seasoned professional artists on the go.

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