Huion Kamvas 13 Review: A Pen Display Tablet That Delivers More for Less

Remember when getting a high-quality graphic tablet meant spending a fortune?

Back in the day, Wacom reigned supreme and most of us could only dream about owning one of their expensive devices. Thankfully, the market has evolved in the past couple of years and a number of competitors have emerged, offering great alternatives that are much more affordable.

The Huion Kamvas 13 Pen Display Tablet is a great example of that. Currently on sale on Huion’s website for $209, this drawing tablet comes with a bunch of nice features, without the hefty price tag. In this article I’ll go through the specs, build quality and performance of the Kamvas 13, to help you decide if this could be a good option for you.

What’s in the box

Inside the box you’ll find the tablet, a battery-free pen, a pen holder with a nib remover and 10 extra nibs, a 3-in-1 connection cable, a USB extension cable, a drawing glove, a cleaning cloth and the quick start guide. It’s really nice to have accessories like the pen holder and drawing glove included in the package.

Optional stand

For an extra $30, you also have the option to get this foldable stand, which allows you to draw at a more comfortable angle. The stand is well built, with a combination of high-quality plastic and aluminum, and it can be adjusted between 20 and 60 degrees to suit your particular drawing style.

Design and Build Quality

The KAMVAS 13 is available in three colors – black, green and purple. But your choice here won’t dramatically change the overall look, as these color options only apply for the back of the device. Regardless of the one you choose, the front remains a sleek black across all three models. I got the black model for my review.

The layout of this tablet is simple yet well-though-out, featuring a left-side panel containing the power button and 8 customizable keys for various functions and shortcuts.

These include 6 smaller circular keys and 2 larger ones that are grouped together, making them intuitive for tasks like adjusting brush sizes or zooming in/out of the canvas. These buttons feel great – they are clicky and responsive, with a small amount of travel.

It’s worth noting that if you’re left-handed, you will of course have the option to rotate the device in order to position these shortcuts more conveniently near your non-dominant hand.

On the side of the tablet you’ll find two USB-C ports. One port allows you to connect the display to your computer, while the other can be used to plug the tablet into a power source if your computer or laptop can’t provide enough power.

There’s not much to see at the bottom of the tablet, apart from a set of rubber feet that help keep it stable while in use.

In terms of materials, the KAMVAS 13 features an all-plastic build, which is one of the factors that allowed Huion to keep the costs down and offer this device at a competitive price point. Another decision that contributed to its affordable price is the use of an anti-glare protective film which comes pre-installed on top of the fully laminated 13-inch 1080p display. The Pro version of the KAMVAS 13, on the other hand, features an anti-glare texture etched directly onto the glass, as well as a textured aluminum back and a higher resolution QHD display. These features make the Pro considerably more expensive when compared to the standard version, but at the time of writing this review, this model is actually on sale for only $30 more ($239), so it’s definitely worth looking into as well.

Overall, the build quality of the KAMVAS 13 is quite good and it seems like a durable device. It might not include the high-end materials you’d find on more expensive models, but you’re getting a lot of value for money here.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the specs:

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: Anti-glare Matte Film
• Active drawing area:  11.5 x 6.5in / 293.76 × 165.24mm
• Tablet dimensions: 14.4 x 8.55 x 0.46in / 366.5 x 217.4 x 11.8mm
• Weight: 2.16lb / 980g
• Shortcuts: 8 Programmable Press Keys
• Connectivity: USB-C (HDMI Signal), Full-featured USB-C (DP Signal)
• Compatibility: Windows, macOS & Android

Pen Specs

• Technology: Battery-Free Electromagnetic Resonance
• Pressure levels: 8192 levels
• Resolution: 5080 LPI
• Accuracy: ±0.5mm (Center) ±3mm (Corner)
• Pen tilt range: ±60°

Performance and User Experience

Getting started with the KAMVAS 13 is a very straightforward process. There are two ways to connect the tablet to your computer. The first option is to use the 3-in-cable that comes in the box, which has an HDMI connection and two USB-A connections. You will only need to plug in that second USB in case your computer can’t provide enough power through a single connection.

If you prefer a desk with less cable clutter, you can get the optional USB-C to USB-C cable for an extra $20. This provides a single-cable connection that delivers power, data and the video signal to the display. I’ve tried using a 3rd party cable to achieve this, but none of the USB-C cables I have on hand would fit into the custom slot.

Once everything is plugged in, you’ll need to download the Huion software from their website. After installing it, I turned the display on and it was immediately detected. The Huion app allows you to adjust a number of settings on the device, including setting up your shortcuts and custom configurations for different apps like Photoshop and Illustrator, as well as adjusting pressure sensitivity and working area settings. If you want to learn more about the Huion app, take a look at our review of the Inspiroy Dial 2.

As mentioned earlier, the display comes with an anti-glare film pre-installed. This film has a textured surface that not only helps reduce glare in bright conditions, but also delivers a decent level of friction and a nice paper feel while drawing. It’s worth mentioning that this protective film is replaceable, as it will wear out after prolonged use.

The screen on the Kamvas 13 is also laminated, so parallax is minimal, and I didn’t have any problems with accuracy near the edges of the screen.

When it comes to brightness, this IPS display isn’t super bright (220 nits), but it gets the job done. You wouldn’t want the screen to be too bright anyway, when you’re drawing so close to it. The colors on the display, however, are very accurate, with 120% coverage of the sRGB color gamut. You can adjust some of the display settings such as brightness and color temperature via the Huion app, or press and hold the two buttons in the middle of the side panel to get access to the OSD menu for more advanced settings.

In terms of pixel density, the 166 PPI density on the Kamvas 13 is lower than what you would get with the 2.5k Pro model (226 PPI), but is certainly enough for a 13-inch screen.

Huion PW517 Pen

We have previously covered the PW517 pen in our review of the Inspiroy Dial 2, and it works really well. It supports 8192 levels of pressure, a tilt range of 60° and includes a few handy shortcut buttons. This pen is very well balanced and it’s also battery-free, so you don’t have to worry about charging it before a long drawing session. As mentioned previously, it also comes with a pen holder that contains the 10 additional pen nibs.

You can check out my previous review here if you want to learn more about the PW517 pen, but in summary my initial impressions still stand and I’m quite happy with the pen’s performance. The only downside is the fact that it doesn’t have an intuitive “eraser” button at the back, which still feels like a missed opportunity to me.

Overall, the drawing experience on the Kamvas 13 is great and the display is serviceable for such an affordable device.

Pros & Cons

Let’s break down the pros and cons of the Huion Kamvas 13 Pen Display tablet:

Pros

• Very affordable
• Great drawing performance
• 8 customizable keys
• Minimal parallax
• Comes with useful accessories including a pen holder with 10 extra nibs, as well as a drawing glove and cleaning cloth
• Portable & lightweight
• Good screen quality

Cons

• The display could be a bit brighter
• The USB-C cable that allows for a single-cable setup is not included in the box

Verdict

The Huion Kamvas 13 Pen Display Tablet is proof that you don’t need to break the bank to get a great drawing experience. It’s compact and lightweight, so it’s easy to carry it around in your bag, and it punches above its weight when it comes to performance. I highly recommend this one as a great option for anyone on the hunt for an affordable, quality drawing tablet.

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