I've been using the Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra for years now. Of all the webcams I've tested, it does the best job of capturing crystal clear 4K footage in loads of different lighting scenarios. In my eyes, it's as close as you'll get to a DSLR camera without spending big on one, and it should absolutely be part of anyone's dream gear for streamers setup.
It's been over two years since that camera was released though, and Razer hasn't launched a new webcam until now. The brand has just released two new models, the Razer Kiyo V2, and Razer Kiyo Pro V2 X, but they seem to be successors to the original Razer Kiyo webcams more than the content creation powerhouse that is the Kiyo Pro Ultra.
There are upsides and downsides to that. Firstly, the prices are a lot more reasonable for everyday users and non-professional content creators who just want a better quality webcam. The Kiyo V2, which gives you a max recording capability of 4K, 30fps, costs $149.99 / £149.99. The Kiyo V2 X only gives you a max of 1440p recording at 60fps, but it costs just $99.99 / £99.99. 4K webcams have been getting more affordable since the Kiyo Pro Ultra's day, when the high-end options cost around $300.
"With the Kiyo V2, we wanted to give creators the best of both worlds,” said Addie Tan, Global Head of Lifestyle Division at Razer. “The original Kiyo Pro set a new standard for webcam image quality, but we knew creators needed more than just sharp visuals."
The new webcams also adhere to the latest trend in the market - AI integration. With clever pan, tilt, and zoom functionality, the new Kiyo V2 cams will have a lot of versatility, although from our reviews of the Obsbot Tiny 2 and the Insta360 Link 2, it can sometimes be hard to find uses for these AI features, and they're definitely not going to be needed by most users.
The real downside in my eyes is that with a change in design, the new Kiyo V2 and V2 X will miss out on one of the Kiyo Pro Ultra's biggest weapons, its large sensor. The new models will still make use of a Sony Starvis sensor, but the Kiyo Pro Ultra sets itself apart because it has the largest Starvis sensor ever put in a webcam.
Yes, this did mean the design was bigger and clunkier, but the picture quality makes up for it, especially in lower-light scenes. The design of the new Kiyo V2 gives it an uncanny resemblance to the Logitech MX Brio, a webcam that captures great 4K footage, but isn't on par with the Kiyo Pro Ultra in terms of picture quality.
Instead of improving on the hardware, Razer is leaning into AI in more ways than one.
It's teamed up with Reincubate and its powerful Camo Studio app. This is often a popular bit of software among folks who can't afford better webcams, because it lets you customize things like exposure, lenses, filters, and more to get your on-camera visuals the way you want them. Razer has teamed up so that Camo's features are integrated into Synapse, which will enable things like One-Click Image Enhancement - sort of like Nvidia's DLSS upscaling, but for webcam image quality.
"Camo Studio has helped millions of users level-up their video, and combined with Razer’s cutting-edge hardware, we’re making it easier than ever for creators to focus on what matters most: their content and their communities,” said Aidan Fitzpatrick, CEO of Reincubate.
I have no doubt that this software will help the pretty affordable Kiyo V2 cams be on par with its current-day rivals, but as a content creator, I'm really looking for improvements to hardware that truly give me the versatility of a DSLR camera.
I'd love a new version of the Kiyo Pro Ultra that I could use to capture 4K60 footage, or one with a smarter lens that would allow me to play with aperture. The Kiyo Pro Ultra is in the same boat as the Obsbot Tail Air in that it blurs the lines between webcam and fully-fledged camera, and I hope a Kiyo Pro V2 Pro Ultra might be in the pipeline to capitalise on that.
- See all webcams at Amazon
- Razer Kiyo V2 X: $99.99 at Amazon
- Razer Kiyo V2 | $149.99 at Amazon
If you're looking for more content creation gear, take a look at the best capture cards, the best streaming mixer, and the best microphones for streaming and gaming.
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