When I reviewed the Huion Inspiroy KeyDial K200 tablet, many left comments on the video review asking for Huion to release the keydial separately. Well, Huion did that and released the Huion Mini KeyDial KD100.

This is a keyboard shortcut remote with 18 keys and a dial. Retail price is US $49.99.

The build quality feels plasticky but at least it's solid enough. It's quite light.

The other things included in the box are the wireless USB receiver (USB type A) and charging cable (USB-C to USB-A).

On the back are four rubber feet to prevent the device from sliding on the table.

The device is not that thick.

The chiclet keys have short travel and good feedback. These are using the scissor-switch mechanism. I hope these are better in quality compared to the ones Apple had on their Macbooks from 2016 to 2020 where customers were eligible for free keyboard servicing because those keys had so much problems. But those Apple keys are much lower in profile and get stuck easier. Huion's keys are higher and more springy.

The dial is smooth but not slippery, and turns with audible clicks. The button in the middle lets you switch the dial functions: change brush size, scroll and zoom.

You can also set keyboard shortcuts to the clockwise and anti-clockwise movement.

Battery life is rated to last for 100 hours. If you work 8 hours a day, battery life can last for 12 days. The device can still be used while charging.

This shortcut remote only works with Windows, Mac and not with iPads and Android – no drivers for tablets.

You can create shortcuts for specific apps you use. You can set the time for the device to sleep automatically to conserve battery life.

The driver is pretty straightforward to use.

I personally prefer to use a keyboard because I can have access to all keyboard shortcuts. The Huion Mini KeyDial does seem convenient though in some use cases.

If you're using a pen display or drawing tablet with or without shortcut keys, the Mini KeyDial gives you access to more keyboard shortcuts.

If you use a keyboard without certain modifier keys (eg Ctrl, Shift, Alt) on the right side, such as the one on Surface Book 3, you'll know how difficult it is to press keyboard shortcuts with the left Ctrl and other keys on the far right side of the keyboard. In this case, it's more convenient to set shortcuts onto the Mini KeyDial.

It's also a good shortcut remote for those using Windows tablets and don't want to use a full keyboard for whatever reasons.

The shortcuts work well.

The only downside is you can't use combination keys, or at least they don't always work properly. For example, you can set Ctrl, Alt and Spacebar to three keys, but if you press Ctrl + Spacebar to zoom with Photoshop, it doesn't always work.

Hopefully Huion can release an updated driver in the future to allow proper use of combination keys. With combination keys, you can have access to more keyboard shortcuts. For example, you can set Ctrl to one button, and A to another. In this case you have three shortcuts in Ctrl, A and Ctrl + A.

It's a good product that should be useful for those who need a shortcut remote like this.

Availability

You can find the Huion Mini KeyDial KD100 on Huion's website.