By Brady Betzel

From Wacom to Xencelabs to Huion… the number of tablets I’ve been asked to review recently is kind of crazy compared to years past, and this is good news. The more competition, the cheaper and more evolved these pen displays become.

My most recent pen tablet review was the very useful Huion Inspiroy Keydial KD200, which has a half-keyboard and a knob builtin. Prior to that I reviewed Xencelabs Pen Tablet Medium Bundle with Quick Keys.

With the Huion review fresh in everyone’s mind, I wanted to look at the at the company’s Kamvas 16 (2021) . If you want a pen display that’s reasonably priced and a perfect size, it’s worth a look. At time of publication, the Kamvas 16 (2021) pen display is selling for $419 with a $42 coupon on Amazon.com, and $419 direct from the Huion.com store. Both packages come with the stand, which is a necessity.

Here are the specs on the Kamvas 16 (2021):

• 120% sRGB wide color gamut
• Anti-glare, matte finish screen
• Fully laminated screen
• 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity
• 60-degree tilt
• 10 programmable keys
• Compatible with Windows/macOS/Android/Linux
• Dimension: 16.6” x 9.96” x .47”
• Working area: 13.5” x 7.6”
• Weight: 2.7lbs
• Interface: USB-C or USB-A, HDMI
• Resolution: 1920×1080 16:9
• LCD type: IPS
• Contrast ratio: 1000:1
• Brightness: 220cd/m2 (max)
• Response time: 25ms
• Display color: 16.7M (8-bit)

There are multiple ways to purchase the Kamvas 16 (2021) — with/without the stand, additional screen protector and more — but in my opinion, the stand is non-negotiable and should be included with the Kamvas 16 regardless. The Kamvas 16 (2021) comes with the battery-free pen, pen holder with extra nibs, drawing glove, screen wipe and connection cables. It would be nice to have an included pouch (like Xencelabs), but you can throw it in a laptop sleeve or backpack.

Out of the Box
After opening the Kamvas 16 (2021), I immediately downloaded and installed the drivers. I then plugged it into a Windows-based Dell XPS 17 9710 laptop with a USB-C cable; it connected, and I was up and running. No separate power connection is necessary when running over USB-C to a computer. But keep in mind that if you use the HDMI connection or want to connect to your Android phone, you will need the separate power connection.

I mistakenly left my resolution at 3840×2400, and at first the screen worked, but it was obvious there was something not quite right. Once I switched to 1920×1080, it looked great. This display is a 1920×1080, HD display. If you want a higher resolution, you are going to want to look at the Kamvas Pro line. After I got the resolution set up, I jumped into the Workspace Mapping setting, which lets you pick between different portions of your screens that the Kamvas will show on its display.

As an online editor who deals with finishing and color correction, I wanted to see how well the Kamvas 16 (2021) worked in Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve 18. It worked just as expected — accurately, quickly and comfortably. In my mind, I figured I would be able to plug in the pen display and control all my monitors from the tablet. Logically, that doesn’t make sense, but my brain thought it would, apparently. So if you use multiple displays, you can assign one of the buttons to be the screen “switch,” which will change which screen the pen will act as a pointer on. To get there you need to go to Pen Display settings > Press Key > click on the key you want to assign the switch to > click Switch > click Switch Screen. Now when I push the top button on the Kamvas 16 (2021), it switches between displays, and I can work properly.

In Resolve, I found that using the Kamvas 16 (2021) as a pseudo-second display worked best. I moved my scopes to the Kamvas 16 (2021) screen, and it works. The best part, though, is being able to adjust curves, wheels and other details using the pen. You can really get in and fine-tune any adjustments. I love it. It’s really hard to go back to a mouse once you get comfortable with the pen and see the detail you are missing.

For video-based NLEs, the Kamvas 16 (2021) works great — even Adobe After Effects and plugins like Boris FX Mocha Pro really shine with the detail. The Kamvas 16 also works great in photo-editing apps like Photoshop and GIMP. When drawing and painting, the brush decay and pressure sensitivity are really nice. I am by no means a painter or illustrator, but with a great pen display like the Kamvas, it feels like with a few lessons you could become a professional.

The obvious comparison is to a pen display like the Wacom One, which retails for around $399. The Wacom One is about 3 inches smaller but has a very similar feel. Check out my review of the Wacom One here. I wouldn’t say one is way better than the other, and I think it will come down to personal taste. For me and my work, the Kamvas 16 feels like it’s the perfect size, whereas the Wacom One is slightly too small. But again, it’s all about personal preference.

Improvements?
The Huion Kamvas 16 (2021) is a great product, but I would love to see a scroll wheel. I was able to assign scroll up/down to two of the keys on the Kamvas, but I think a wheel or scroll wheel would really be nice. Huion does sell a separate keypad that makes a nice addition for another $50.

The pen included with the Kamvas 16 (2021) is a little light for me personally; I prefer a little more heft, similar to the older Wacom pens. The Huion stand is nice, but it’s a separate attachment. One critique I’ve had for Wacom and now Huion is that the stands are separate from the device. There must be more to this than I know, but the Windows Surface line of tablets has great built-in stands, so let’s get those on the digital tablets.

Finally, since I’m plugging the Kamvas 16 in via USB-C, I would love a USB hub in the Huion tablet. To be fair, this is included on the Pro Huion pen displays like the Kamvas 22, but it would be nice to have on the non-pro version as well

Summing Up
In the end, if you are looking for a budget-friendly pen display, then the Huion Kamvas 16 (2021) is the product for you. If you are looking for higher resolution, brighter screens and enhanced color spaces, then the Kamvas Pro line might be more in your wheelhouse. But the prices go up significantly at that point. The Huion stand is sturdy and holds the Kamvas 16 really nicely. I wanted to turn the Kamvas 16 vertically in the stand, but it just isn’t made for it, which might be a nice upgrade in the future

The included artist glove is a phenomenal tool if you’ve never used one before. It really makes using the tablet effortless without getting stuck with sweaty palms. I like the look and feel of the Huion Kamvas 16 (2021). It’s lightweight, efficient in its workable real estate, accurate and — when using the USB-C connection — simple to connect. Get over to Huion.com to find out more about the Kamvas 16 (2021) or the pro models if you need a little more.

Brady Betzel is an Emmy-nominated online editor at Margarita Mix in Hollywood, working on shows like Life Below Zero and Uninterrupted: The Shop . He is also a member of the Producers Guild of America. You can email Brady at bradybetzel@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @allbetzroff.