LOGITECH BRIO 500: A GOOD UPGRADE FOR AN OLDER MAC'S WEBCAM

Logitech's latest Brio webcam is a significant step down in quality from the Brio 4K, but offers some top-of-the-line nice features for those who want a webcam primarily for work video meetings rather than those aiming to be the next Twitch streaming star.

- JASON CROSS

If you've got a brand-new MacBook or iMac, you might find that the video quality out of the Brio 500 isn't much of an upgrade-Apple has finally delivered webcam quality you can live with (though we feel it should do better). For any Mac prior to the M1 generation, the webcam quality leaves a lot to be desired, and something like this will definitely make you look better.

Aside from video quality, the wide field of view, auto-tracking feature, and Show mode to show your desk are welcome features for anyone. And a built-in physical privacy cover ensures that nobody can peek in on you when you don't want them to.

A DESIGN MEANT TO MOVE

The Brio 500 is not meant to lock in place. It's got a handy monitor mount clamp with a somewhat sticky pad to keep it steady, but the camera itself just has a round peg on the bottom, which screws into the standard camera mount thread. The peg snaps magnetically into a round dimple on the mount.

This makes it trivial to pop off the camera and move it to show something as needed. But I don't really find I have to do that a lot, and the design has a critical flaw in that it allows the camera to easily swivel left and right in its magnetic dock. It doesn't make much force to turn the camera left and right, which it would sometimes do when I just tugged gently on its USB-C cable as I adjusted my monitor. A quick turn of the right side of the webcam closes a physical cover in front of the camera lens, guaranteeing your privacy.