Logitech’s new Brio 500 webcam is smarter and cheaper than the competitors

Logitech isn’t any stranger to creating high-quality laptop peripherals, whether or not it is for work or play. Because the query lingers on about whether or not the future of labor lies inside the 4 partitions of company buildings, at house, or a little bit of each, Logitech believes its newest product, the $129 Brio 500 Sequence webcam, will meet the collaborative wants of enterprise professionals and customers.

I have been testing the latest entry in Logitech’s rising line of Brio webcams over the previous week and can reserve my closing judgment (and ranking) for a while later. What’s sure to me is that it is a powerful computer-top digicam, with a number of sensible options which can be clearly turning into a commonality on this new wave of hybrid webcams. 

Extra: The ten greatest webcams you should purchase right now

Let’s get the fundamentals out of the best way first. Organising the webcam is as simple as connecting the included USB-C cable to your Mac or Home windows machine and turning in your collaboration service of alternative (Zoom, Microsoft Groups, Google Meet, and so forth.). The digicam itself is guarded with a pink, black, or white protecting case — as a result of personalization comes earlier than the rest — together with a magnetic clip mount to station it above your laptop computer lid or monitor. I examined the mount on my MacBook Professional and half-inch-thick monitor with no issues. 

The mount is sturdy and really well constructed. By utilizing a magnetic base, you may swivel the digicam part of the setup to search out your candy spot, detach it and mount it onto a tripod as a substitute, and even tilt the webcam downward to simulate a top-down recording. Extra on that later. There’s additionally a privateness cowl that may be manually set by twisting the right-side knob of the webcam.

The Brio 500 Sequence data at 1080p decision with as much as a 90-degree field-of-view (FOV), which is a step-down from the older Brio Extremely HD Professional that shot in 4K. Then once more, the brand new webcam is cheaper at $129 (versus $199) and most customers ought to suffice with its 1080p output. I converted from the superb Insta360 Hyperlink and located Logitech’s video high quality simply pretty much as good.

Extra: Insta360 Hyperlink assessment: This 4K webcam means enterprise 

The important thing promoting characteristic of the brand new Brio 500 sequence webcams is the LogiTune companion software program (I do know, one other devoted software program for Logitech’s merchandise) and all of the AI options that it introduces. First is RightSight, which leverages the webcam’s 90-degree ultra-wide lens to intelligently comply with you (or the speaker on digicam) as you stroll across the body. It is similar to Apple’s Middle Stage characteristic on iPads, iPhones, and now Macs, because of Continuity Digital camera. 

Then there’s Present Mode. When toggled on, the digicam output will mechanically flip itself when the webcam is tilted downward. The result’s a mirrored top-down shot that opens up the chance for enterprise customers, educators, and even designers to showcase merchandise, written notes, and extra (see instance under).

The Brio 500 sequence consists of the five hundred (for customers) and 505 (for enterprise). The latter helps Logitech Sync in order that IT admins can push out firmware updates to the plenty and in addition troubleshoot issues remotely. The perfect half is that each fashions price the identical. Pricing for the Brio 500 sequence is $129 which is moderately modest in comparison with the $200-$300 choices that dominate the skilled webcam market. For much less cash, you are getting related AI options like auto-framing and Present Mode, and a 1080p webcam that simply will get the job carried out.