I bought the Huion HS611 as an inexpensive replacement to my very old wacom intuos pro (2015) tablet.
My old Intuos pro still works but after almost 5 years, it seemed sensible to replace it.
Wacom were quite simply the best but they were also quite expensive. Today, that’s changed—a lot. There are now many good choices of tablets that can fit any budget.
Huion is a company that has begun to compete head-to-head with Wacom and is winning in price—especially in the larger screenless tablet arena like the Huion HS611.
In this review I will share my extensive experience about using it.
What’s in the Box?
The tablet com in a white paper box.
Aside from the HS611 tablet, you’ll also find a PW500 battery-free stlus, a USB-C to USB-A cable, an USB-A to USB-C adapter, an USB-A to micro USB adapter, a small stand with 10 replacement nibs, an Artist glove, Instruction manual, etc.
Design & Build Quality
The Medium-sized tablet itself is incredibly sleek, solid and thin – only 7.3mm thick and weigh 550g, making it easy enough to carry around.
It is available in several colors (Space Grey, Starr Blue, and Coral Red). I have the Coral Red version.
The ten side-buttons and touch bar on the left side of tablet are large, programmable, and accessible. Its small tag on the right side of the device is supposed to store your pen after use.
There are 8 multimedia keys towards the upper part of the tablet, designed to assist users in managing playlist and volume and also in switching between software and switch to desktop
Sizable Working Area
The size of active area is quite big at 10.17 x 6.36 inches, which provides plenty of space to draw comfortably.
The dotted, smart-looking grid cover helps to chalk out the working area properly and helps to increase accuracy and productivity.
PW500 Battery-Free Stylus
It includes a PW500 battery-free stylus, which is a standout feature. No more worrying about charging or replacing batteries – it’s always ready to go.
The EMR (Electro-Magnetic Resonance) technology ensures a consistent and reliable signal, ensuring an uninterrupted creative flow.
The pen is lightweight, very comfortable to hold with a rubber grip, and has two buttons on the side.
The PW500 pen features remarkable 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity, 60° tilt function and 266 PPS report rate that makes it possible to create every line and stoke in great precision
The 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity allows for incredibly subtle gradations in line weight and brushstrokes, mimicking the experience of working with traditional media.
Some newest drawing tablet models from huion and other brands have 16,384 levels of pressure sensitivity, which looks amazing. But this is actually a gimmick, even the professional artists can’t tell the difference between 8K levels, and 16K levels.
The 60° tilt function brings yet another level of realism to your digital art. This allows for the creation of brush strokes that vary in thickness and opacity depending on the angle of the stylus.
266 PPS report rate helps to create quick, random, smooth flowing lines in great perfection without any lag.
Compatibility & Connectivity
The Huion HS611 tablet is widely compatible with Android 6.0 or above, Windows 7 or above and Mac OS 10.12 or above.
It comes with a useful reversible USB type-c port, and two USB adapters to aid in developing a connection with other devices.
You can use it with any android phone or tablet that has a Micro-USB or USB C port, which is basically everything out there.
You can going to the huion official site directly and install the latest drivers for your system, whether windows 11 or MacOS.
This driver lets you customize settings for pen and tablet. Once I programmed, it was super intuitive to use.
I can program the 10 buttons and touch bar to whatever function I wish ie; Grab/Move, Rotate, Undo, Save, brush, Alt, Space and more.
The pressure is also adjustable so that I can adjust for heavy-handedness if need be.
For android, No need to install anything, just plug in and enjoy. But there is also no pressure support and hotkeys.
Drawing Experience
As far as the my experience actually drawing with it, it works just as well as my intuos pro (2015) did in its prime!
I’ve used it in a couple different art programs like Photoshop CC, Clip Studio Paint, Corel Painter Essentials, and Krita. this tablet works flawlessly on all of them and it get comfortable with digital work.
They aren’t lying when they say “pen to paper” feel, because of the texture on the surface of the active area, it gives that subtle feeling of writing on paper.
The active drawing area is 10.17 x 6.36 ines when using this with a computer. With a phone, the active area is just a smaller portion of 90.1 x 161.5mm. This portion is a vertical rectangle on the left side closer to the physical buttons.
The pen feels comfortable to work with, it is dreamy and so nice for painting especially. Very precise. Terrific for retouching too.
The pen pressure is sensitive enough to work well with watercolor and paintbrush tools on graphics programs so that you can still achieve a gradient or tapered brush look. The harder you press, the broader the brushstrokes or pen strokes.
It has a low initial activation force which is great! Almost as close as the Wacom ones. Jitter was also minimal in most apps.
The tilt function works by default with some apps, don’t know how to use it or activate it in others, I’m still learning.
The pen can also be used as a mouse. The cursor moves in response to movement of the pen when the pen is hovered over the pad. Touch the pen to the pad for left-click. You can drag and drop windows, re-size windows, and perform other functions as easily with the pen as with a mouse.
If you are a complete beginner to using tablets, be warned that it takes at least 1 week to get accustomed to using one. This is because you cannot see anything on the tablet itself while you are drawing with it.
You have to train yourself to use it the same way you would use your keyboard and/or mouse, by keeping your eye on the screen while using it.
In Conclusion
All in all after months of testing, I feel the Huion HS611 is a very solid drawing tablet. You can conveniently enjoy its high-end features to create impressive works.
Priced at US $63.99 it is on the higher end compared to other huion inspiroty tablets out there but you are paying for better build quality, more sleek deisgn, and excellent drawing performance.
The pw500 pen being the most significant upgrade of all really does help to bridge the gap closer to the top of the line Wacom Intuos for those who are budget conscious.
If getting a tablet is something you’ve been considering or you are looking for something big, thin and light to take on the road with you. Then I think HS611 is a great option.
