Review: New Huion 1060PLUS Graphics Tablet with Built-in 8GB Memory

Here's the New Huion 1060PLUS. I've actually reviewed the previous model that I borrowed from a friend. Writing this review feels like deja vu to me because many features are the same but there are definitely some improvements to this new model.

This unit was sent to me by Huion for review purposes.

For this review, I was only able to test it on a Mac because I no longer have a Windows computer. However, I will definitely test it again in the future on Windows.

Evolution

Alright, let's go through how this tablet has evolved. To make it short, it evolved from 1060 PRO to 1060 PLUS to the NEW 1060 PLUS.

Here are some new features in the NEW 1060 PLUS.

1. They are now using micro USB port instead of mini USB port. Basically, it's that same micro USB cable used for charging Android phones.
2. The USB cable head to the tablet is now an L shape
3. A sleeve for holding the pen is build to the side of the tablet
4. Streamlined the top design
5. A softkey shortcut link to Huion's website at the bottom right of the tablet
6. 2 indicator lights instead of the Huion logo lighting up
7. Drivers now included on the build-in 8GB microSD memory card

This is how the tablet was packaged inside the box.

That's the pen holder with replaceable nibs and the nib remover within. They have also included another pack of replacement nibs. It feels good to know that I probably won't run out of nibs anytime soon or years later.

The pen actually comes with a cap. It's nice but you can't put the cap at the back of the pen so I predict this is going to get lost easily.

There's one cable to connect the tablet to the computer and the other is the cable for charging the battery-powered pen.

This is the pen. It's still battery powered. Battery life is still fantastic so the hassle of having to charge it is really not a big issue.

There are two buttons on the pen and you can customize them to selected common functions. The pen is lightweight, feels alright for long periods of usage. The grip section is matte for the improved grip.

That's the pen in the pen holder sleeve by the side.

Also included is a glove. It's useful for those who find it awkward or uncomfortable when rubbing your hand on the tablet. Sometimes when the palm is sweaty or oil, it does get make the tablet surface look really oily. The glove keeps everything clean and also provides a more comfortable drawing experience.

As mentioned by Lirch in the comments section, this glove is more for those who use screen tablets to deal with the palm rejection problem. I might probably use it with my iPad instead.

These are the physical buttons aka ExpressKeys (left) and the SoftKeys (top). I wished they had printed the SoftKeys labels with more contrast because when using them, I need to see where to hit and the lack of contrast does not help.

About the 8GB microSD card
The drivers are conveniently located inside the memory card. On a Mac, you need to eject that memory card properly if not you'll get the "Disk Not Ejected Properly" dialogue box. I get that dialogue box all the time because I don't keep my tablet plugged in all the time and I unplug it often without ejecting the memory card. This is just how the Mac works. No such problem on Windows.

In my review of the previous model, I said that position of the USB cable to the side of the tablet means that my hand is always on the wire. The new model uses a L-shape connector and that's no longer a problem.

Drivers

That's the driver screen where you can customize the pen buttons, pen pressure, ExpressKeys and SoftKeys.

For the previous model, I mentioned that I wasn't able to get the Mac's Option key detected with the driver. That problem has been solved. Assigning shortcuts like Option+Command+Z for Photoshop's Step Backward is no longer a problem.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to test the tablet on Windows yet so I can't talk much about the Windows driver and software compatibility. I'll update this review in the future when I am able to.

This is a sketch drawn on Photoshop CS5 on the Mac. Everything works as expected. I needed to tweak the pressure curve slightly but after that the strokes come out just the way I want them.

The strokes are smooth, there's no jitter, no lag and they taper off smoothly.

The pen supports 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity but not tilt. It's just as sensitive as any of the Wacom tablets available today. You can also hover a good distance over the working area, perhaps 1-1.5cm, and the tablet can still detect the pen.

The tablet is 10 x 6.25 inches and this is a really comfortable size to work on. It's not too small or too big.

Conclusion

I'm very satisfied with the performance on the Mac. I did not face any problems, and the drawing performance is just as expected.

Pricing is very competitive. It's significantly cheaper than the Wacom Intuos and it even packs more features such as the many shortcut buttons.

I'm more interested to find out if it works equally as well on Windows so I'll update this review soon. I had issues with the previous model and Photoshop.

If you need help from Huion, you can check out their support group on Deviantart at https://huionartistsupport.deviantart.com

Availability

You can find this tablet on Amazon and Huion web store. Direct links (affiliate) below:

Huion web store | Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.de | Amazon.fr | Amazon.it | Amazon.es | Amazon.co.jp | Gearbest.com