digitizing tablets are a plugin for PCs that are aimed at a niche, and for this reason it seems that there is only one brand of them if you want something that is close to the professional level, in such a way that it is even jokingly commented that they have their own tax. Luckily, the Huion brand is a viable alternative, characterized by making digitizing tablets in this field in which they are worth both consumers and professionals, without costing hundreds of euros. In this case, the model that we find is the Huion Inspiroy Dial 2, a model designed to be Bluetooth with two selection dials that allow it to be programmed for the use that the user wants to give it in drawing or design programs.
We thank Huion for giving us the product for review
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Table of Contents
Unboxing
The visual finish of the Huion Inspiroy Dial 2 is too serious for a product that also caters to the most common and less professional users who could find this product in a store and be encouraged to buy it. But knowing that Huion mainly sells online, it's quite understandable that they haven't over-decorated the box, beyond indicating which model it is.
On the back, you can see the accessories that are there, among which are the official connection cable, the pencil, the pencil holder and the instruction manual.
And when you open it, you find what has been advertised, with the tablet down.
Design of the Huion Inspiroy Dial 2
The tablet in question, which boasts six buttons, and two fully programmable dials. They are especially useful so that, when you work, you have direct access to certain tools of a very specific one, be it toggling between pencil, ruler...
In this Huion Inspiroy Dial 2, as the name suggests, the dials stand out especially, which works so that each rotation is a quick press of a certain button or combination thereof. While testing this pen tablet, we tried doing a little Aseprite design, and in that context the top dial was pretty much ideal for moving quickly through the color palette and changing default colors. The lower one was of minor use, but was ideal for enlarging or reducing the magnification size.
In the end, these programmable buttons are a great help for artists and professionals. They are especially useful shortcuts that make the experience more enjoyable and faster. It seems little, but for artists in their spare time, or professionals in their long sessions, having the option of going a few seconds faster, or without having to search the menus of Photoshop, Aseprite, Krita, Gimp or any other professional program, it's a lot of help.
In the connectivity section, on one side are the power and synchronization buttons via Bluetooth, which makes it ideal to be used on tablets, or to simply not use a cable. It also makes use of a USB-C connector, making it virtually ambidextrous in design to the delight of left-handed users.
The bottom has the usual rubber bands at the corners, to make sure the tablet doesn't move during use.
Finally, there is the pencil with which it is controlled. From what is seen, does not require charging or using batteries, which is always a plus for future use and not having to search for a replacement stylus when the battery dies.
Use the configuration of two additional buttons to do actions that are combined with position detection. As always, it's a matter of finding the combinations that make these features save time and button presses and exploring in the workspace.
Using the software
Let's make it clear that previous experiences we've had with Huion tablet drivers, tend to fail by not recognizing the tablet or even lose hotkey settings. In this case, we can say that, after the experiences we have had, the field of driver detection and the tablet itself has been greatly improved. Possibly, being of a higher range and needing dedicated drivers for configuring the dials, detection errors have been updated and eliminated, among other problems.
It is to be hoped that the drivers and the official program allow us to control the direct access buttons. Here the use of the dials stands out above all, which we have tested to move through the color palette in Aseprite, which is one of the use cases where a dial like this stands out the most.
There is multi-screen support, essential in setups that are increasingly full of screens.
Here's how we've pressure tested, for compatible programs like Photoshop, Krita and others. If it is compatible, the pressure will automatically change the size of the brush, and it looks like it has almost 8200 pressure points.
This leaves the Huioon Inspiroy Dial 2 as a more than capable tablet for professional cartoonists, with a price point that won't break the wallet of a cartoonist who wants to upgrade his tablet once he sees that he can pursue it as a hobbyist or semi-pro.
Gallery
Experiences with the Huion Inspiroy Dial 2 and conclusions
After relevant installations, we tested the Huion Inspiroy Dial 2 in various compatible programs. The first, we have already said that it is Aseprite to test the usefulness of the dials in a field in which it can be appreciated, such as using them to change between the preset color palette that we are using. This combination was very comfortable, but already in Aseprite it begins to be noticed that six buttons may not be enough as soon as it is used in more complicated uses.
Then we continue on photoshop to test his pressure and accuracy, and it was a particularly positive result. In Bluetooth mode there was some delay, so we would only recommend it if cables are an issue. Being a Huion product, it uses that cable format in which the connector is rotated 90º so as not to break in case of pulling. Here you can see one of the advantages of the USb-C connector, and that is that if you turn it 180º, the connectors are exactly the same and their operation is maintained. Thus they make it possible to put it in left-handed mode, with the buttons and dials on the right side, without problems.
From everything we have tested, it meets everything that can be asked of a tablet in this range, although its price seems a bit high for its benefits, which seems to be more focused on selling itself as a Bluetooth tablet for travelers than for artists with a fixed setup. In itself, digitizing tablets are not something cheap, but it is that within Huion itself, we find models that for a little more price, include their own screen.
We say this thinking of artists who go to this brand looking for quality without there being an exaggerated premium. We are not saying that it is not worth it, but that it is worth more for those who have to work using their tablet or mobile instead of a laptop.
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- It uses a USB port, which with the official Huion cable, makes it ambidextrous so that it can be used by lefties as well.
- Good quality of materials.
- Dials and buttons programmable via software.
- Very accurate pressure sensor.
- The pen does not require a battery, batteries, or charging.
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- As standard, it does not come with a charging dock for the USB-C cable, so if you want to charge it in a socket, you must put it yourself.
- Huion's software can cause connection problems, but this is something specific to the brand, not the tablet.
- Six buttons and the dials can fall short in more complex use cases.
- Its price can be somewhat high compared to its benefits.
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