The Inspiroy Frego M is Huion’s latest graphics tablet pitched at beginner artists and creatives or anyone looking for a well-priced drawing tablet. Promising cutting edge levels of accuracy, alongside wireless capabilities, to aid a tidy desk or a more useful travel experience, this is a small drawing tablet with big ideas. Huion also has the Inspiroy Frego S model, which offers the same features and stylus, but in a smaller tablet size.
The best drawing tablets have been around for a long time now, with the odd update and upgrade. The yearly new release cycle brings in the latest levels of accuracy, sensitivity and maybe the odd new feature, but fundamentally they all do the same thing, so the manufacturers are all now vying for your consideration based on nuances in design, function or tech. For example, in recent months we’ve had Xencelabs’ Pen Tablet Medium bundle for value, XPPen’s Magic Drawing Pad for innovation, and the Wacom One series for tech at a lower price.
Many things in this area are equal, so how do you decide where to spend your hard earned cash? Huion would like you to choose its Frego M, and after using it on a daily basis, I can share my experiences with you, hopefully giving you the answers and helping you to decide if it’s worthy of your investment.
Huion Inspiroy Frego M review: design and specs
Dimensions 304 x 220 x 8 mm (Frego M), 220 x 165.7 x 8 mm (Frego S)
Weight 546g (Frego M), 280g (Frego S)
Active work area Frego M: 10 x 6.25 inches (PC mode), 10 x 6.25 inches (Android mode), Frego S 6.3 x 3.9 inches (PC mode), 6.3 x 3.9 inches (Android mode)
OS Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, ChromeOS, Linux
Connectivity USB-C, Bluetooth 5.0
Stylus Pentech 3.0+, 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity, 5080 LPI resolution
The Frego M comes with everything you need to get started, including a stylus with 10 spare nibs and a USB-C to USB-A cable, and for the most part is really well made. I’ve used tablets for around thirty years now, from every brand imaginable and at all price points. I’m often surprised by the tactile differences in what is essentially the same thing.
The Frego M costs $99.99 / £104.99, so I thought it might have skimped a little and, while that’s true, it’s not where it counts. The build is excellent. The tablet is light while still feeling high quality, especially impressive considering they have crammed a decent battery into it.
The top edge houses a fabric loop for storing the stylus, a USB-C port and the power button, all of which feel good. The Fabric band is probably only compatible for the slim pen that comes with the Frego M but that’s to be expected.
There are four rubberised feet to prevent it from skittering over your desk. These are really low profile, keeping the working surface as low as possible. There’s no angled support here but I think that’s ok, as they are most needed for pen displays. If you really want something like that grab a cheap laptop stand from amazon.
The build is excellent. The tablet is light while still feeling high quality, especially impressive considering they have crammed a decent battery into it.
The stylus uses Huion’s Pentech 3.0+, which has a tiny 0.4mm nib retraction, rather than some of the slightly squishy feeling nibs you may have experienced. It has 8,192 levels of pen pressure. to match Wacom and Xencelabs but lags behind XPPen’s 16,384 levels for its latest stylus.
The body of the pen is slim and smooth, with little to no bulge near the tip. This is very much a personal preference but I prefer a little width nearer the nib to hold it steady, more important as the casing here is very smooth. That said I had no problems drawing with it.
The stylus also has two buttons on the side, both of which are programmable. They feel nice and responsive but it’s a shame there’s no rear button, for erasing or any other use you might have for it.
It comes with a felt nib installed and a little bad with spare standard nibs and the removal tool. All standard fare for a tablet but I’ll come back to that later.
Huion Inspiroy Frego M review: setting up
The Frego M can be connected to your host device in one of two ways. It comes with a right angled USB-C cable, which is a nice touch as it keeps your desk neater than a standard cable.
You can also connect via Bluetooth, which is a much more elegant solution, if it works. Bluetooth 5.0 is used here, meaning it can connect to more devices (although only one at a time, no multiple connection options here).
Using Bluetooth means you can hook up the Frego M for use with Android or IOS devices. I can see the appeal of this but in reality, if you are serious enough about your art to buy one of these, then I would guess you may already have an iPad or similar. Still, it’s a nice option to have.
The only issue I found here is that on my old M1 MacBook Pro the signal was a bit laggy and strokes weren’t exactly smooth. This killed the experience for me but that all changed on my M2 MacBook Pro, where everything was smooth, consistent and reliable.
Huion Inspiroy Frego M review: power options
You can draw for as long as you like with a wired connection but how about running bluetooth without the cable attached? I was pleasantly surprised by this, as I got two full working days, using the Frego M as my sole pointing device, for everything from drawing, to 3D modelling, browsing and normal office tasks, with no sign of it dying.
Usually something as simple as power input in a drawing tablet is nothing too exciting, but the Frego M’s wireless feature makes it a novelty, particularly in this price range. It’s a feature that comes in very handy whether working at desk or mobile.
Huion Inspiroy Frego M review: performance
As mentioned I have been using tablets and pen displays since my early career as a photographer and image editor, so I’m pretty used to various surfaces, pen feel and so on. My preference is for something with a bit of texture to it. I’m not a fan of super slippery and shiny surfaces. That feels too far away from the interaction between pen and paper that I love.
The Frego M has this nailed, mostly. The surface has a lovely fine texture to it, when used with a standard nib. Which is odd because I usually swap to a felt nib immediately. However I really didn’t like the felt nib with the Frego M. It feels a bit too coarse and scratchy and it’s also quite loud, relatively speaking.
So I switched back to the standard nibs and the whole experience was very good indeed, with just the right amount of resistance. The buttons of the stylus are well placed, the ratio of tablet size to active area feels just about right and the addition of bluetooth meant that I could sit back and use it on my lap, without the need to find a longer cable, or any cable at all. That’s quite a freeing experience.
I’m all for comfort and anything a device can do to reduce strain is a big win. The Frego M has a sloped front edge, which, although a minor detail, makes a big difference over the course of a working day.
I didn’t feel the need for a drawing glove as, although textured, the surface is kind of satin finished, so not too slippy or too sticky, neither of which are enjoyable.
Accuracy levels for many of this type of tablet are now so high they are hard to discern the differences and the Frego M is no different. It excels, with 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity, can detect 90 degrees of tilt and with a resolution of 5,080lpi you’d be very hard pushed to notice any issues.
For most people this stylus will be just fine but if you do much 3D work you may want to look at other options, preferably one where the pen has a third button, as that is pretty essential for working in 3D.
The only thing I really missed about using the Frego M was the lack of a pen stand. The Fabric loop is great for travel, or longer term storage, preventing you from losing your pen but I’d have liked to have seen them include even a basic stand. Ideally one that could house the spare nibs, as the tiny plastic bag they come in doesn’t really cut it.
Huion Inspiroy Frego M review: who’s it for?
The Frego M is a great tool for digital artists and one I would recommend for daily use. Any creative looking for a good drawing and painting experience, or general computing without the strain of a mouse.
The option to go wireless is a great feature that makes this a smart and elegant drawing tablets, and is particularly good for beginners or artists who need a mobile tablet.
Huion Inspiroy Frego M review: but it if
- You like a textured surface to draw on
- Wireless suits your needs
- You don’t mind a smaller workspace
Huion Inspiroy Frego M review: don’t but it if
- You like a chunky pen
- You are on an older bluetooth device
- You need a larger drawing space
Huion Inspiroy Frego M review: also consider
Wacom’s new ‘budget’ range also features wireless Bluetooth and can be connected to Windows, Chromebook, Mac OS and Android devices. It costs a little ,more, but Wacom’s are built to last.
Despite being half the price of the Frego M, the Ugee M908 is a surprisingly good little tablet. Our reviewer loved the M908, but it lacks the wireless connectivity of the Huion and Wacom tablets.
The new Deco Pro (Gen2) is compatible with everything, and features a slick new slim curved design. It comes in three sizes, features Bluetooth and wired connections and has a stylus with 16K pressure levels.