Webcams are a popular commodity today, and if your laptop’s built-in camera isn’t helping you, Razer’s new Kiyo Pro promises to make you look good, even in poor lighting.
The $ 200 Kiyo Pro is targeting popular premium webcams like Logitech’s Brio and SteamCam, enter others, but it also has some important updates from Razer older webcam.
The biggest change is that, contrary to the standard $ 100 Kiyo, the Kiyo Pro does not have a built-in ring light. Instead, Razer upgraded the Kiyo Pro with a 1/8 inch larger Sony Starvis CMOS full HD backlight sensor, which has been tuned to provide enhanced image quality even in harsh conditions such as low light or backlit background. The ultimate goal of Kiyo Pro is to provide solid image quality without the need for additional lighting.
Kiyo Pro can capture video up to 1080p / 60 fps or 1080p / 30fps with HDR for better color and exposure. The webcam also offers three fields of view: 80 degrees, 90 degrees or 103 degrees. And for audio, the Kiyo Pro also comes with a 16-bit stereo microphone with an omnidirectional polar pattern, which looks good for general use, but it’s not really intended to replace a highquality external support microphone.
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Although I haven’t had a chance to fully test the Kiyo Pro yet, I have to say that I like its design. It’s simple and surprisingly discreet in a way that should work for players and people who work from home, and comes with a removable stand that can be used to support the Kiyo Pro on a table or on the back of a monitor. I also appreciate that Razer included two tripod mounts for added flexibility: one at the bottom of the camera and one at the bottom of the removable mount.
Razer even put a plastic cap on the lens, which is good, but I have to admit, it looks a little later. Unlike privacy blinds, which are becoming more and more common on new laptops, the Kiyo Pro cover is closer than you would get on a DSLR or mirrorless camera, and when you remove it, there is really nowhere to store it, so turns out to be an extra mess on your desk. I wish Razer would have made the cover so that it would face up or behind the camera when not in use.
VKiyo’s video looked a little sharper and more colorful in my first tests than the Logitech Brio that I’ve been using for the past year. Razer said this specifically designed Kiyo Pro to handle more gamer style environments, including configurations with RGB lighting, but I still haven’t been able to compare the quality under several different lighting conditions.
Logitech still dominates when it comes to high-end webcams, but it’s good to see a competitive alternative to Razer. Many jobs are expected to move permanently to post-pandemic partial remote work, then it’s probably time for many people to start considering upgrading the panic replacement gadgets they bought last year.
The Razer Kiyo Pro is available online today, direct from Razer for $ 200, with additional availability from third-party resellers before the end of the first quarter.