With their newfound necessity and increased popularity during the pandemic, webcams have gotten immensely better. All of a sudden, we were seeing webcams with corrective lighting, AI framing, and all sorts of other intelligent features. After the pandemic, though, webcams have slowed down a tad, although they remain an integral element in many workspace setups. Despite the slowdown, outfits continue to bring improved capabilities to the category and that’s exactly what the Logitech MX Brio is counting on to set it apart.
Logitech calls it “our most advanced webcam ever.” They’re attributing much of the improvement to the camera’s new sensor, which, they claim, delivers 70 percent larger pixels compared to their previous Brio 4K webcam, resulting in double the fine image detail and face visibility, ensuring it transmits an even clearer picture during your video calls.
The Logitech MX Brio is equipped with an 8.5-megapixel Sony Starvis sensor, which can capture 4K footage at 30 fps and 1080p video at 60 fps. It also supposedly offers better dynamic range and improved low-light sensitivity than its predecessor, while algorithmic AI enhancements automatically correct the exposure, white balance, and focus, resulting in images that look more natural even in challenging lighting conditions.
You also get a ton of adjustment options to fine-tune the image to your liking. There are settings for field of view, exposure, color temperature, ISO, contrast, saturation, sharpness, and even shutter speed, allowing you to really tweak it to get the best picture. If you use the outfit’s Logi Tune software, you can even get access to an auto-framing feature, which optically zooms the picture in and out to keep you at the center of the frame at all times. Yes, you’ll still have to use multiple software to take advantage of all the features, which has been kind of people’s big issue with the outfit’s webcams in the past.
The Logitech MX Brio also has a feature called Show Mode that’s designed to let people see what you’ve got on the desk. In this mode, you’re supposed to tilt the webcam down to put whatever’s on your desk in the frame, with the device automatically leveling the image and flipping it upside down, so those on the other end of the call can clearly see whatever object you’re working on. It’s not exactly a new feature, as we’ve seen that on a few of the better webcams out there (especially the PTZ options in our streaming webcams list), but it’s nice to see Logitech integrating it into their own releases.
Audio is handled by a pair of beamforming mics with advanced noise reduction, so you can use this for both video and audio if you don’t have a standalone mic available. Other features include a premium-looking aluminum housing, removable clip (in case you want to mount it on a tripod), and a built-in shutter (opens and closes with a twist of the ring). It comes in three colors, namely silver, gray, and black.
The Logitech MX Brio is available now, priced at $199.99.