Thursday, February 6th, 2025Article by Cirstyn Bech-YagherReview: Huion Kamvas 22 Plus pen displayhtml PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Huions Kamvas 22 Plus is an affordable pen display for beginners and pro artists on a budget. CG artist Cirstyn Bech-Yagher checks out how it performs with 3D as well as 2D applications.As a longtime user of Wacom and Xencelabs hardware, I was new to Huion, a Shenzhen, China-based company specializing in input devices like pen tablets, pen displays, and pen computers. So, being in the market for a new pen display, I was eager to take one of Huions latest offerings, the Kamvas 22 Plus, for a spin.Huions tagline for the 22-inch display is Simple, but powerful. Its a phrase that always makes me sceptical, as it tends to be marketing-speak for almost no features, but plenty of hassle. Fortunately, that proved not to be the case, although I cant say that it was all plain sailing.Bundled content and priceThe Kamvas 22 Plus is a laminated display with a reported 140% sRGB color gamut, and ships with an adjustable stand, a hex key, a battery-free pen (Huions PW517), a generous ten pen nibs and a nib removal ring, a pen holder, a three-in-one cable, a USB-C to USB-C cable for mobile compatibility, plus a power adapter, artist glove, cleaning cloth, and a quick-start guide. If you are new to pen displays, a laminated display has its screen layers fused together without an air gap. This eliminates parallax, the small gap between where the pen touches the screen and where the cursor appears. No parallax means greater precision, especially on detailed or color-critical artwork. Additionally, the laminated display improves clarity by reducing light refraction, and the anti-glare etched glass provides a smooth, paper-like texture.The Kamvas 22 Plus normally sells for $549 $100 more than the standard Kamvas 22, which ships with almost the same content but has an anti-glare screen with a 120% sRGB color gamut, and does not come with a mobile USB cable. The Kamvas 22 Plus ships with Huions PW517 pen, nibs, cables, and stand.First impressions and setupUnboxing and initial assembly were pretty straightforward: get everything out of the box, attach the display stand to the screen, and plug it in. This was fast and easy.However, the rest of the setup process highlighted the things I did not like about the display. The Kamvas 22 Plus comes with a three-in-one cable, connecting the display to a power outlet, a HDMI port, and a USB port for the pen. While this reduces the number of loose cables, tying everything into a single proprietary cable makes replacements harder to get hold of. Worse for me was the driver install. Huion specifically tells you to turn off your security settings during the process: something that used to be common for troubleshooting, but which feels outdated and potentially risky here. Getting the drivers signed and whitelisted could help avoid this issue and improve the overall user experience. The biggest hassle was a series of unexpected driver conflicts. It was a real pain to use the Kamvas 22 Plus with my SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro headset: every time I rebooted, I had to manually reassign the headset to default, then tinker to make it work. The display also had a tendency to knock out the headset when I used the two together. Deleting the Huion driver or removing it from the boot sequence fixed the issues, but it needed to be removed entirely if disabled, it reactivates itself on reboot. These arent critical issues, but they reduce quality of life, and I had similar issues with other peripherals.Although primarily marketed at 2D artists, the Kamvas 22 Plus can also be used with 3D software: I tested it with Marvelous Designer, ZBrush and TopoGun.The penEven though the Kamvas 22 Plus is primarily marketed at 2D applications on Huions website, I figured it wouldnt hurt to take it for a spin in a few 3D staples, designing a set of clothing in Marvelous Designer, tweaking and retopologizing it in ZBrush, before moving on to Substance 3D Painter for texturing, and Photoshop for a little simple photomanipulation.The PW517 pen is a two-button battery-free pen that supports the unofficial industry standard of 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity and 60 of tilt. Compared to Xencelabs and Wacom pens, its very light, but it feels good: for me, it could compete with the Cintiq 22s Pro Pen 2, or the Xencelabs Medium tablets slim pen. I especially enjoyed using it in Painter and Photoshop. However, while you cant fault a two-button pen for not having three buttons, the lack of further customization options feels like a missed opportunity for Huion to cater to a broader audience.The Kamvas 22 Plus was at its best in 2D apps like Photoshop and Clip Studio Paint.The screenThe Kamvas 22 Pluss desktop stand can be adjusted between 20 to 80 for a good working position, and the screen itself is big, smooth, and very comfortable to work on. For those wanting a grittier feel, Huion also sells felt nibs for the PW517 pen in its online store. Colour-wise, the screen has vibrant colours and minimal glare. However, if your work is colour-critical, its worth checking out this video by Teoh on Tech, where he compares the advertised sRGB gamut to measurements made using a SpyderPro monitor calibrator.For most intended users, this wont be an issue, but for workflows that require exact color matching, such as digital painting or color grading, its something to keep in mind.That said, the screen performs very well overall for its price point and resolution, and can be a versatile addition to your desktop. Ive used it as a tertiary screen for mine, and it handled tasks from gaming to acting as a dedicated PureRef screen without a hitch.Being used to displays with keypads, I did miss being able to use those on the Kamvas 22 Plus. Luckily, I found a workaround: even though Huion offers its own keydial in its online store, I tested the Kamvas 22 Plus with my Xencelabs Quick Keys dial, and they worked well together. The Kamvas 22 Plus was also easy to use in Substance 3D Painter, although with its 1,920 x 1,080 display resolution, it was a pain dragging dialogs across screens. Overall impressionsOverall, I enjoyed using the Kamvas 22 Plus. Its very what you see is what you get, but what you get is fair. That said, theres room for improvement. If Huion wishes to expand its user base among 3D artists, it wouldnt be a bad start to offer a bundle that includes their dialpad and a three-button pen, like its newer PW600L, in future releases. The driver could also use a significant update to align with modern security practices and generally play nicer with other peripherals. But all in all, the Kamvas 22 Plus is a solid choice for its price, especially for beginners exploring display tablets for the first time, or pros on a budget.About the author: Cirstyn Bech-Yagher is a long-time CG artist with experience ranging from Rizom-Lab to AMD and Future Publishing. She is currently freelancing for old and new clients. Follow Cirstyn on Bluesky.Have your say on this story by following CG Channel on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). As well as being able to comment on stories, followers of our social media accounts can see videos we dont post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.Related Topics # Clip Studio Paint # color gamut # driver # Huion # Kamvas 22 # Kamvas 22 Plus # Marvelous Designer # pen display # Photoshop # Pro Pen 2 # PW517 # resolution # Review # specifications # Substance 3D Painter # test # Thin Pen # TopoGun # Wacom # Xencelabs # ZBrush