Razer Kiyo Webcam review - a great option for gaming, streaming and WFH

Razer Kiyo Webcam

Razer Kiyo Webcam

Who would have thought that a webcam would be the peripheral to have in 2020?

It’s important now more than ever to have a webcam that’s able to show a clear image at any time of the day, so if you’re in a Zoom call, or streaming Animal Crossing to your legions of adoring fans, the viewer can always see you clearly.

This is where the Kiyo webcam from Razer comes in; a fantastic camera that can clip on to your monitor or shelf nearby to broadcast the best angle of your chin, but at a great price. We took it for a spin...

Video Quality - Score 95

Razer Kiyo Webcam
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We’re currently living in a time where we’re doing different routines and using what we own in ways that we never thought we would before.

Thousands upon thousands of users are talking to their colleagues through Skype or Zoom, so during this, the video quality needs to be good at least; and with the Kiyo, it’s fantastic.

It's fantastic.

It can broadcast at 720p at 60 fps, or 1080 at 30 fps, which are both more than ideal options to track the scare-jumps when you're doing an S-run of Resident Evil 2. It also can be displayed in a 4:3 aspect so it can be perfect for those Skype-work-meetings.

One feature that doesn’t get praised enough with webcams, is the autofocus speed. You’ve most likely been there when you’ve sat back, and the webcam has been too slow to focus on you. Here, it’s near-instant; the software makes sure that there’s no blurred image on the subject, and there were no experiences where it failed to focus.

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Design - Score 95

Razer Kiyo Webcam
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It’s a simple yet brilliantly customisable design; it can fold in on itself to clip onto most monitors without having to worry that it may fall off. It’s always a challenge with a webcam to have it at a position where it doesn't fall off the desk, so to have a design where it can fold out and clip on to balance itself... well, it's very welcome.

To help with the lighting, a twist to the right will illuminate the webcam, enabling much more light to show on the video-feed. This is incredibly useful as it can make sure that the streamer is able to be seen at any time of the day, but if you don’t want that on, the low-light of the camera will help to make the video as bright as can be in a dim-room regardless.

Simple yet brilliantly customisable

The camera can also be modified using the ‘Synapse’ application. Here, the image can be customised to be at 1080, 720 or just 4:3 by default, while making sure that the white-balance is just right.

It’s a nice touch to have the webcam bundled into the application alongside your keyboard, mouse and headphone peripherals, as it’s a go-to headquarters in a sense to manage them all at once.

Overall the design is minimal but elegant; it can match with most monitors out there, while it can be safely tucked away to not be noticed by the streamer, so it can be switched on when needed without having to set it up in any way.

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Price - Score 90

At £99 from the Razer website, this webcam is great value for what it offers, especially during these lockdown-times.

Great value

The features of the illuminating light and the folding-mechanism makes it great value for money, and it will look great in your makeshift home office.

There’s a good chance that you’ll be using it for WFH purposes, and this will definitely get the job done: it’s ready to be used for Skype, Zoom and anything else you need.

Our Score

Pros

  • Fantastic video quality
  • Ace design that clips onto almost any monitor
  • Great value for the quality that it offers

Cons

  • No built-In microphone
  • No tracking

Overall, it’s a fantastic webcam that doesn’t just cater to gaming; it’s to communicate to your work colleagues and family as well, especially if you’re taking part in an Zoom quiz.

The quality of the video from the camera is very high and crystal clear, while the useful turn of the bezel to illuminate itself for low-light environments is a great touch.

For £99 you’re getting a webcam that can do it all to a point; there’s no tracking of the player, neither is there a built-in microphone, but for a good quality webcam such as this, it doesn’t matter.

If you’re wanting a webcam that’s a one-size-fits-all peripheral, you’d be hard-pressed to find something as good and affordable as the Kiyo.

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