a premium webcam for streamers

It wasn’t until the pandemic had me in Zoom meetings on a regular basis that I even considered the quality of my webcam. What was once a “nice to have” became a must-have and went from twice-yearly use to almost daily. Since then, we’ve had a gargantuan societal shift as millions of workers, gamers, and aspiring streamers have found sitting in front of a webcam has become almost second nature. The quality of our webcams has never been so important, and companies have begun developing more work-optimized and high-quality webcams than ever before. Not one to be left out of developing a great peripheral, Razer launched the Kiyo Pro Ultra last year, and it still stands as its top-of-the-line webcam. Boasting “the largest sensor ever in a webcam,” the Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra made a lot of promises that I had to check out for myself.

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Price, availability, and specs

The Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra is available on Amazon and directly on the Razer website for $299.99. The webcam sports a massive 1/1.2-inch sensor, capable of shooting video at up to 4K resolution at 30fps. Still images are shot at 3840 x 2160 pixels and measure a whopping 8.3 megapixels, which is huge for a USB webcam. The Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra is compatible with any PC running Windows 8 or higher and connects via USB 3.0.

What I liked about the Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra

Crystal-clear image

In the time I’ve been testing this webcam, I’ve taken numerous camera-on meetings on Discord, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom. The image quality in every application is crystal clear and almost always elicits comments from my fellow meeting attendees. I hear a lot of recurring jokes about how they would be self-conscious to use a webcam so clear, as every detail of your face and hair is transmitted in resolutions as high as 4K. Even when the resolution was limited by the software I was using, there is no escaping the clarity of the Pro Ultra’s massive 1/1.2-inch sensor and its ultra-sharp f/1.7 aperture, subtly blurring the background and focusing my face in frame. The post-processing effects native to the webcam, like noise reduction and lens distortion correction, make for an incredibly high-end image, reminiscent of video shot on a DSLR camera.

Privacy in focus

As more webcams find their way into our homes, particularly with their proliferation in professional settings, privacy is more important than ever. Addressing both privacy and any concerns about accidentally broadcasting from your webcam when you didn’t intend to, the Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra comes with a built-in privacy screen that users can open and close by rotating a movable ring that makes up the front half of the webcam’s frame. The clearly visible shield helps me know exactly when my webcam is covered or uncovered. The Pro Ultra also includes a dust shield to further cover and protect the webcam.

Versatility and software

The Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra pivots freely on its L-shaped mount, making it easy to sit atop just about any monitor, television, or work furniture. The mount is also compatible with a tripod to use in more demanding situations like shooting video from unique angles like top-down shots. The Kiyo Pro Ultra was easy for me to move around and place wherever I needed it. Once it was in place, I found it pretty straightforward to manage the webcam through Razer Synapse, the peripheral management software compatible with most Razer products. From there, users can change the resolution and frame rate settings, as well as various post-processing settings like exposure, brightness, noise-reduction, and zoom settings.

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What I didn’t like about the Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra

A pricey gadget for discerning user

The Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra suffers from zero performance issues, but its biggest drawback remains its price. At $300, this webcam is ten times more expensive than your run-of-the-mill low-quality webcam, and three to five times as expensive as many higher-end webcams on the market. While I do contend that this is probably the best webcam I’ve ever used, it might be considered overkill depending on your use case. The imaging power of the Kiyo Pro Ultra is certainly more than you’ll ever need for a work Zoom meeting, though its high resolution is a nice touch for executives or high-level managers who want a strong and clear presence during meetings. This Razer webcam is clearly aimed more at streamers or anyone who would derive their income partially through the use of the Kiyo Pro Ultra. For professional use, it’s definitely worth it, but for the average consumer, it remains a luxury item that, while worth a splurge, is a splurge all the same.

Should you buy Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra?

The Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra is hands down one of the best webcams I’ve ever used, and it provides the clearest image from a webcam I’ve seen. For me personally, it imbued a sense of confidence and poise when used for work meetings, mostly because I just knew my stream looked so unbelievably good. It helped me feel like I lost less of what you lose when meetings go from being in person to online, and I can’t help but feel that if everyone was using the Kiyo Pro Ultra, Zoom and Teams meetings would feel that much more personal, intimate, and human.

Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra

Recommended

The webcam is certainly a splurge, so if it’s not in your budget, you needn’t worry, as there are any number of more affordable webcams out there, including from Razer. If, however, you are looking to splurge on a stellar piece of tech for your streaming channel, content creation, or home office, the Kiyo Pro Ultra is a worthy investment.