ClearOne Unite 20 Pro webcam review | Laptop Mag
Our Verdict
ClearOne's Unite 20 Pro webcam delivers good picture quality from its ultra-wide-bending 1080p lens but is allow down by poor mics and a high cost.
For
- 1080p ultra-wide-bending lens
- Vivid, abrupt photos and video
- Stable mounting arrangement
- Lens cover
- Supports all platforms
Against
- Poor mics
- Bulky design
- Pricey
Laptop Mag Verdict
ClearOne's Unite 20 Pro webcam delivers adept picture quality from its ultra-wide-angle 1080p lens but is permit down past poor mics and a high price.
Pros
- +
1080p ultra-wide-angle lens
- +
Bright, abrupt photos and video
- +
Stable mounting arrangement
- +
Lens embrace
- +
Supports all platforms
Cons
- -
Poor mics
- -
Beefy pattern
- -
Pricey
ClearOne Unite 20 Pro specs
Resolution: 1080p at 30fps
I/O: USB 2.0
Field-of-view: 120-degrees
Software: ClearOne Collaborate
Os Support: Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome OS
Size: iv.7 x1.v x ane.2 inches
Weight: 0.iv pounds
In that location has never been a more important time to await good on camera. Unfortunately, laptop makers continue to fail us with awful webcams, even as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic forces all meetings to be video chats. The solution is to buy an external webcam, one that mounts to your laptop or monitor.
Our recommended webcam has, for as long equally we can remember, been the Logitech C920 HD Pro. Just now the competition is growing violent and the ClearOne Unite xx Pro has arrived to requite concern users another option. This 1080p webcam features an ultra-wide-angle lens, capable of capturing an entire workspace instead of merely your mugshot. Photos and videos taken with the ClearOne are bright and vivid and provide a huge improvement over integrated solutions.
But in that location are some downsides, including the hefty toll tag and poor microphone quality. Is the Unite twenty Pro going to degrade the C920 Pro? No. Just it might be a better pick for y'all depending on your needs.
ClearOne Unite 20 Pro: Price and compatibility
The Unite 20 Pro webcam retails at $105 (currently on sale for $89), making it one of the more expensive options on the market place and considerably pricier than the Logitech C920 ($79).
You won't come across any issues using the Unite 20 Pro on your laptop or desktop every bit the webcam supports every OS, including Windows vii and up, Linux, macOS 10.10 and up, and Chrome Os.
ClearOne Unite twenty Pro: Pattern
At 4.7 inches wide, the ClearOne is much chunkier than my trusty Logitech C920 Hard disk Pro (three.7 inches), which, need I remind y'all, was released in 2022. The Logitech has been the aureate standard of webcams since its release, yet, you'd promise for progress subsequently well-nigh a decade.
The cylindrical base of the ClearOne extends to the left and right of a central camera module, and the lens on the ClearOne juts out from the base different on the C920 Pro where the lens is flush with the body. Ii sets of microphones flank the camera on the bottom corners and some "ClearOne" branding is visible on the front.
Where the ClearOne has an edge over other webcams is with its lens cover. It's a simple rubberized hood that you manually put over the lens, but hey, it's much more bonny than Scotch tape.
The ClearOne uses the same method as the C920 to mount to your laptop or monitor. A flexible angled arm in the back presses confronting the back of your monitor or the chapeau of your laptop, while a flat rubberized piece hangs over the front end of your screen to hold information technology in place.
I had no problems mounting the ClearOne on my monitor or laptop, withal, it'due south time for this attachment arrangement to evolve. It was fine when the C920 Hard disk Pro was released, but with display bezels being trimmed downwardly on modern screens, the overhanging bit on the webcam could potentially block some of the screen. That definitely happened when I used the ClearOne with an HP e27d G74 monitor and Dell XPS 15 laptop — a few lines of pixels were blocked in the top-eye of my screen, giving me flashbacks to Apple tree'south notorious iPhone notch.
On a positive note, the ClearOne felt stable on whichever device I mounted it to. There wasn't any wobble or rocking, even during vocalism chats with my XPS in my lap. The weight seems evenly counterbalanced, and while the ClearOne is fabricated entirely of blackness plastic, it feels sturdy.
ClearOne Unite 20 Pro: Picture quality
So the ClearOne isn't as sleek every bit other options, merely the picture quality from its 1080p CMOS sensor is skilful. I tested the Unite 20 Pro by taking photos and videos in a well-lit room, a dimly lit room, and with a bright calorie-free pointed directly at me to test the exposure. I and so took those aforementioned shots with the Logitech Pro 920 and compared them side-by-side.
Overall, the ClearOne Unite 20 is a massive step up from most integrated laptop webcams, but it lags just behind the C920 HD Pro. Even then, the ClearOne has a few perks over the Logitech. 1 do good is the ultra-wide-bending lens, which has a significantly larger field-of-view than the C920. I consider this a "benefit," only it'due south possible some might desire a narrow lens that focuses on their confront and not everything else around them. Whatever the example, the ClearOne captured almost my entire office whereas the Logitech caught only a bit more space beyond my shoulders.
The Unite xx Pro also took a bright image under all lighting conditions. The higher up image is a selfie taken with the ClearOne in a well-lit room, with the overhead lights turned on and some calorie-free streaking in from a window in forepart of me. As yous can see, at that place is plenty of calorie-free coming through the lens; you tin can see the color variances in my face and minimal grain or digital dissonance, even when zooming in. This isn't the sharpest image — my beard is more than of a hulk than anything — just it looks clear and the colors are accurate.
In fact, it did an even amend job than the C920 in this round. The Logitech took a darker image that obscured my hair and beard. Its narrowed picture was also slightly grainier than the one taken on the ClearOne Unite 20 Pro. Withal, yous tin can run across more details in my confront on the C920 because, unlike the Unite 20, it didn't iron out the flaws in my skin (for improve or worse). The C920 also did a better job of capturing my complexion — I look a tad pale in the Unite 20 Pro shot.
The photos and videos I took in a dimly lit room were a expressionless heat between the ClearOne and Logitech. At that place were some modest differences, merely I was very pleased with both cameras. Comparison them, the ClearOne (as seen above), autonomously from taking a much wider shot, captured cooler colors, which helped dissever the different red and peach tones in my skin. The C920's colors lean warm, then my face up looked more than uniformly orangish. The webcams were similarly detailed with the ClearOne showing just a tad more dissonance.
The Logitech flexed its muscles in the third shot when I pointed a standing light at maximum brightness on one side of my face. The C920 was astonishingly good in this scenario, capturing precipitous details and natural skin tones. With a bit of actress light coming in, the C920 took the only photo I'd desire to post to my social media accounts. Yes, the illuminated side of my face was washed out, but the exceptional details in the balance of the paradigm fabricated up for it.
The Unite xx Pro didn't do a poor chore under these conditions, but the gulf in quality between it and the C920 Hard disk drive was wider than in whatever other. A larger portion of my confront was done out in the ClearOne shot, and the details in my face up were more blurry. I couldn't see individual strands of hair in my bristles or fifty-fifty pores in my skin as I could in the Logitech photograph.
ClearOne Unite 20 Pro: Mic quality
Upward until now, barring a few hiccups, the Unite 20 Pro was keeping up with the large shots. That'due south why it's such a shame that the mic quality pales in comparison. During the Laptop Mag morn coming together, my colleague said I sounded OK, but that the echoey noise you hear from a poor microphone was present. And there'southward no noise cancellation; several people on the telephone call complained about the clacking of my mechanical keyboard as I typed notes.
The mic revealed its deficiencies when I played back a video from the ClearOne and compared it to that of the C920. You know when your video connection is poor so videos don't render and the sound sounds terrible? That'southward what my voice sounded like on the Unit 20 Pro compared to the Logitech.
My tone was afar and sharp, its bassier notes turned into piercing trebles. There was too a hint of scratchiness, the sort of grating noise you get from a video shot on an former cell phone. On the C920, my vocalization had a deeper, more than relaxed tone.
ClearOne Unite twenty Pro: Software
At that place isn't whatever utility software for the Unite 20 Pro, all the same, ClearOne has its own video chat app called Collaborate Space. It combines video meetings with cloud collaboration tools. Think Google Hangouts or Microsoft Teams. Y'all can read more than nearly it on the ClearOne website.
Normally, it wouldn't carp me if a webcam didn't come with an app — after all, in that location'south only so much tinkering y'all can do with a webcam. However, I did see 1 abrasive hiccup with the Unite 20 Pro; switching to the external webcam when using the Windows Camera app led to an error message claiming there was a conflict because another app was using the webcam.
Off-white enough. However, it however didn't work after I closed every app that could possibly exist using the camera. And when I plugged in the Logitech C920 with all the same apps running? The Windows 10 Photographic camera app lets me switch right to information technology, no questions asked.
Bottom line
If you absolutely demand a wide-bending webcam with good video quality, the ClearOne Unite 20 Pro is a solid, if overpriced, option. It delivers a bright, sharp picture whether you're taking photos or in a video meeting with colleagues. And while it's considerably bulkier than other options on the market place, the Unite 20 Pro has a flexible mounting system and feels sturdy.
And yet, about people shouldn't spend $105, or even $89 (if you lot notice it on sale), for the Unite xx Pro. Yes, the picture quality is good, but the microphones are poor, and the unit is chunky. Instead, you could get the legendary Logitech C920 HD Pro for $79. Yous'd exist saving money and getting a webcam with a more than compact pattern, like if non amend picture quality, and much cleaner microphones.
But as I mentioned, if you absolutely need an extra wide-angle lens and a lens embrace — or if the Logitech C920 HD Pro is sold out (which it frequently is) — the Unite xx Pro will do the job — and exist a huge step up from any integrated laptop webcam.
Source: https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/clearone-unite-20-pro
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