Description
The XP-PEN StarG640 is an entry level pen tablet with a 6 by 4 inch drawing area. XP-PEN specifies 8192 levels of pen pressure, a battery free stylus, an ultrathin body, and compatibility with Chromebook. The bundle listed here includes an artist glove in size M. The model code is g640, the finish is black, and the listing dates to June 2021.
Note on the source data: the description field on this listing simply repeats the product title word for word, and the specification block contains only brand, model, operating system and color. There is no independent detail to draw on, so this review works from the title and identifies what is missing.
What a Pen Tablet Is
A pen tablet is a flat drawing surface with no screen. You draw on the tablet on your desk and watch the cursor on your monitor. That separation of hand and eye takes a short adjustment period, usually a few sessions, and once it clicks most people stop noticing it. It is not the same as a pen display, which has a screen you draw directly on and costs several times more; the HUION Kamvas Pro 16 is an example of that other category.
At 6 by 4 inches this is the small size, which is the standard entry point. A smaller active area means less hand movement per stroke, so it works well on a cramped desk and in a laptop bag, and it can feel confining if you draw with large arm movements or work across a big monitor. For photo retouching, sketching, note taking and document markup, 6 by 4 is comfortable.
The Pen and Pressure Sensitivity
The battery free stylus is the specification worth understanding. Pens of this type draw their power from the tablet surface itself rather than from an internal cell, which means there is nothing to charge, nothing to replace and no pen that dies mid stroke. It also keeps the pen light, which reduces hand fatigue. This has become standard across the category and its absence would be a reason to look elsewhere.
Eight thousand one hundred and ninety two pressure levels is the figure every manufacturer quotes, and it is worth putting in perspective. Pressure levels describe how finely the tablet can distinguish how hard you press. Beyond a certain point, the number stops being the limiting factor: the pen’s physical feel, the smoothness of the pressure curve and the driver’s handling of the low end matter more than the raw count. Do not choose between two tablets on pressure levels alone when both quote the same figure, which most now do. The HUION Inspiroy H640P quotes the same number at the same size, so the differences between them lie elsewhere.
Platform Support and the Included Glove
The product title names Chromebook compatibility, and the specification block lists the operating system as Windows. Between the two, Windows and Chrome OS are the platforms this listing supports outright. There is no mention of macOS, Linux or Android anywhere. That does not necessarily mean they are unsupported, but it does mean this page does not state support, and a Mac or Android user should confirm with XP-PEN before ordering rather than assuming.
Chromebook support is genuinely useful and less common than it should be, since a great many students work on Chrome OS machines. A drawing tablet that attaches to a school Chromebook opens up digital art on hardware families already own; a machine such as the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook is the kind of device this pairing targets.
The artist glove included in size M is a small but real inclusion. A two finger drawing glove stops the side of your hand dragging on the tablet surface, which reduces skin oil buildup and makes strokes smoother. It is a cheap accessory, and having one in the box saves a separate order. Note the fixed size: size M may not suit every hand.
Highlights
- 6 by 4 inch active drawing area in an ultrathin body.
- 8192 levels of pen pressure sensitivity.
- Battery free stylus that needs no charging or replacement cells.
- Chromebook compatibility named in the product title.
- Windows listed as the operating system in the specification block.
- Artist glove in size M included in the bundle.
- Black finish, model code g640, listed since June 2021.
Things To Consider
The listing is thin, and several specifications a buyer would compare on are absent: report rate, pen resolution in lines per inch, tilt support, the number of express keys if any, physical dimensions and weight, cable type and length, and whether any software or driver download is required. Report rate in particular affects how smoothly fast strokes are captured, and it is a real point of difference between entry level tablets.
The specification block also contains one clear error. The screen resolution field reads “8192×8192”. A pen tablet has no screen, and 8192 is the pressure level count that has been placed in the wrong field. There is also a typographical error in the product title itself, which reads “Chromebook0&” where it should read “Chromebook”, a sign of an untidy listing rather than a product problem.
Two practical considerations. First, pen nibs wear down with use and are consumable. The listing does not say how many spare nibs are included, if any, or whether replacements are readily available. Ask, because a tablet with an unobtainable nib is a short lived tool. Second, driver quality is the real differentiator between budget drawing tablets, and it is the one thing no specification sheet captures. Before buying, check that current drivers exist for your operating system version.
Finally, be realistic about the learning curve. A pen tablet is a skill rather than a plug in upgrade, and the first hours will be slower than using a mouse. That applies to every tablet in this category and is not specific to this one.
Who Should Buy It, and Who Should Not
Buy the StarG640 if you are starting out in digital drawing or photo editing on a Windows PC or a Chromebook, you want the smallest and cheapest sensible entry point, and the included glove is a bonus rather than a decision factor. A battery free pen and 8192 pressure levels cover the fundamentals, and at this size the tablet travels easily.
Do not buy it if you draw with large arm movements and need a bigger active area, if you work on macOS or Android and need stated compatibility, or if you want to draw directly on a screen. Alternatives at the same size include the HUION Inspiroy H640P with its six hot keys and the Wacom Intuos Small, while the larger HUION Inspiroy H950P gives more room. Our graphics tablets category covers both pen tablets and pen displays.
