Here at What Gadget we have reviewed several graphic design tablets from the Ugee S640 pen tablet to the Huion Kamvas Pro 13 all providing many benefits to graphic designers.
In this review, we have been contacted by Gaomon to review their PD1161 digital drawing tablet. This tablet is currently available for £183 on Amazon and comes with the following features:
- 11.6-inch IPS screen display
- 178-degree viewing angle
- 16.7 million display colours
- Suitable for both left & right-hand users
- 60 Degrees Tilt Function
- 8 Shortcut keys and 5 Menu Keys
- Compatible with Windows 7/8/8.1, Mac OS 10.12 or later
First Impressions
The Gaomon PD1161 digital drawing tablet has an 11.6-inch IPS display designed to connect to a laptop, allowing drawing on the tablet much like the Huion Kamvas Pro 13 we reviewed. This digital drawing table has 8 shortcut customised keys and 5 menu keys on the tablet.
This tablet is designed for those who want to use it for day-to-day graphic design work and those looking to try animation, sketching, photo editing, and 3D sculpting.
Who can use it?
The Gaomon PD1161 can be used by graphic designers who will have the benefits of a high-quality pen display but with a footprint of 11.6 inches. Those into Sketching or 3D design will also benefit from the 8192 pressure levels & 5080LPI and tilt support. In addition to this, you could also use it for photography, video editing and even note-taking.
Unboxing
The Gaomon PD1161 comes in a well-presented box detailing the main features inside the box you are provided with the following:
- PD1161 digital drawing tablet
- AP50 drawing pencil & pen holder
- Integrated Cable 3-in2
- Power Adapter
- 8x replacement nibs ( located inside the pen holder)
- Grove
- Quick Start Guide
Design
The PD1161 digital drawing tablet has a professional look with rounded edges in a black plastic casing. The bottom of the case comes with 4 rubberised feet to keep the pen display in place.
The tablet measures 361.1 x 200 x 13mm and is fairly lightweight coming in at 866g. The front of the tablet comes with 5 buttons placed down the left edge of the device used to navigate through the built-in menus. There are a further 8 express keys located on the front of the tablet designed for shortcut keys.
There is also a pen holder that doubles up to hold 8 replacement nibs which has a smart dual positioning of the pen. You can insert it vertically in the pen holder or placed flat on top of it.
Display Screen
The screen has a diameter of 11.6 inches with a resolution of 1080P. The display may be under 13 inches so it’s not the largest pen display on the market. However, it’s packed with performing specs such as a contrast ratio of 1000:1, brightness 220cd/m2 and 178 degrees of viewing angles.
The display has a non-reflective finish which never exhibits any disturbing reflections from light sources. It also comes with a pre-applied AG protection film that does not affect the visibility or sharpness of the display.
What we did notice was the bezels are a bit on the thick side, If reduced you could have gained an additional 2 inches of screen space. However, the reason the bezels are used it support your wrist not falling on the edges of the pen display.
AP50 Pen
The Gaomon PD1161 comes with the provided AP50 which is a pen with 8192 pressure levels and tilt up to 60 degrees. The pen is lightweight as it is made of plastic and does not require any internal batteries inside the pen itself.
The pen has 2 buttons located near the tip that come pre-configured to act as the right mouse click and “E” key. The pen has a rubberized section below the 2 buttons which helps reduce the slippery finish of the rest of the pen.
Set up
Connecting the PD1161 to your laptop is required so you need to use the 3 in 2 integrated cable. This on first impression looks a little confusing but once connected it works well.
Next, you need to download the installation software on your laptop and during the setup you will be required to conduct screen calibration on the initial setup and there is also a pen pressure test.
Customization
The Gaomon PD1161 with its symmetrical buttons and express key design can be rotated 180 degrees making it left handed friendly display. You can choose to rotate the display to either: 0°, 90°,180° or 270° allowing you to use it either portrait or landscape.
The workplace setting is quite useful as it allows users to restrict and define the active workspace for the pen display. Also, use the full area of the main monitor and decide if the pen should track the movement over the main monitor or the pen display itself. You can also use the classic graphic tablet with no display or simply use it as a second monitor.
Software
The software for the Gaomon pen display is quite good with a vast amount of settings available to tune up your device. You can set the pressure sensitivity of the pen, reprogram all 8 express keys as well as the 2 buttons on the pen to any keyboard/mouse key you prefer or you can even use them to trigger programs launching. The software also allows you to set your workspace.
If you have the time you can even create a custom program with specifically tailored express keys, workplace configurations, pen buttons and pressure curves for each program.
Performance
Now the Gaomon PD1161 must be used alongside a computer and as mentioned earlier in this review supports Windows 8 or Mac OS 10.12 or later. The PD1161 is also compatible with most drawing programs on the market from Adobe Photoshop to OpenCanvas and Microsoft OneNote to just name a few.
When tested on pressure & tilt with 8192 pressure levels it showed an excellent range of gradients on pressure-related apps such as graphic editing software with brushes benefiting from pressure control. You may notice that pressure and tilt may need tweaking to be enabled in the likes of Adobe Photoshop but if you were to use this with OneNote there is no such issue so this is mainly down to the software you are using.
Jitter is a common weak point of pen displays which is evident while tracing straight diagonal lines at a slow pace. When you consider the PD1161 it was flawless against jitter issues making sure you have complete control of them and always tracing smooth straight lines with a software-based ruler. This can be done vertically, horizontally or diagonally.
Overall, the PD1161 showed a good tracking performance the second it was set up and without the need for any custom calibration applied but you are free to adjust the settings if you wish.
Verdict
The GAOMON PD1161 Digital Drawing Tablet is ideal for beginners and requires minimal technical use. The software installation and calibration on a laptop worked very well.
The 11.6-inch display and 1920 x 1080 resolution offer excellent picture quality and also allow a high zoom option to get detailed drawings. I was also impressed with the 60-degree tilt function which allows for multiple uses to ensure comfortable hand movement.
You will also notice the battery-free pen which is similar to a standard pen and works well with all major drawing programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Manga Studio and OpenCanvas. I found the tilt, drawing pressure and calibration allow for easy use of the pen paired with the excellent display, providing you with an easy-to-use and detailed tablet.
Product Rating
Design: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Features: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Audio Quality: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Value for Money: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Overall ranking: 4.8 out of 5.0 stars – 4.75 stars
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