The best laptop webcam in 2023: built-in cameras that show you at your best

Woman using her laptop webcam for video conferencing
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Video conferencing was on the rise even before the Covid pandemic pushed many of us out of our offices and into cosy spare bedrooms to work, but since then it has become an essential way for middle managers to keep an eye on their employees and for those employees to get some much-needed face-time with one another.

For every meeting that could have been an email, the fact you’re seeing the faces of your co-workers instead of communicating purely by text-based means improves relationships and makes working from home feel less lonely. When you’ve got nobody to talk to except the cat and the fridge, it can get a little stressful.

These meetings, so essential for running distributed teams, wouldn’t be possible without webcams, and the state of these small front-facing cameras in the laptops we use every day has been dire. The grainy, noisy, blurry monstrosities we trust to project our image to our co-workers and family members have been in need of considerable improvement.

Even Apple, which usually rides the crest of the technological wave, was still putting 720p webcams into its expensive laptops up until a few years ago. The new FaceTime HD camera is much improved, but there are even better options out there if you want to improve the way you look on the other end of the conversation, but don’t have the space for a separate webcam, or even mirrorless camera connected to your PC, and a ring light or other illumination device.

Best webcam laptops in 2023

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(Image credit: HP)

1: HP Elite Dragonfly G3

The best laptop webcam for most people

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i7-1255U
GPU: Intel Iris Xe
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB
Screen: 13.5in 1920x1280 touchscreen
Dimensions: 29.74 x 22.04 x 1.64 cm
Weight: 0.99kg
Webcam resolution: 5MP (2,560 x 1,920 pixels)

Reasons to buy

+
5MP webcam
+
Great camera software

Reasons to avoid

-
Relatively expensive

The HP Elite Dragonfly G3 is a lot of laptop, and you’ll need to want the entire package to justify its asking price, but you do get one of the best built-in laptop webcams on the market if you do decide to go for it.

The days of low-res webcams are thankfully behind us, but the G3 takes it a step further than 1080p with a 5MP webcam built into the bezel around its 3:2 ratio touchscreen that’s capable of giving a 1440p picture. 

The enhanced detail of the camera is great to have, and though it’s not the highest resolution on the market, it also benefits from HP’s excellent software, which allows it to detect and frame the speaker, smooth their appearance, and blur out the background.

(Image credit: Future)
The best Apple laptop webcam

Specifications

CPU: Apple M2
GPU: Built-in
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 256GB
Screen: 2560x1664 IPS
Dimensions: 30.41 x 21.5 x 1.13cm
Weight: 1.24 kg
Webcam resolution: 1080p (2 megapixels,1920x1080 pixels)

Reasons to buy

+
New 1080p webcam
+
Apple’s best laptop for most people

Reasons to avoid

-
A 13in screen may prove too small

It took Apple a long time to get here, but the old 720p camera has been replaced by a new 1080p model on the 13in MacBook Air. There's also an image signal processing chip on board that helps enhance the image, leading to a very clear and bright picture from the built-in camera.

It also helps that this is one of the best laptops you can buy at the moment. Apple’s M series of processors are making great gains in performance and battery life, while the software they run is among the most capable out there.
See our full Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022) review

(Image credit: Microsoft)

3: Microsoft Surface Go 3

The best 2-in-1 laptop webcam

Specifications

CPU: Intel Pentium 6500Y
GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 615
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 64GB
Dimensions: 245 mm x 175 mm x 8.3 mm
Weight: 790g
Webcam resolution: 5MP

Reasons to buy

+
Small and light
+
Reasonably priced

Reasons to avoid

-
Perhaps too small
-
Underpowered

A Windows 11 tablet rather than a laptop - the keyboard case is sold separately - the Surface Go 3 is underpowered in its Pentium incarnation unless all you’re doing with it is surfing the web. Luckily, there are upgrades to the CPU, RAM and storage available that turn it from a touchscreen triviality into a seriously useful machine - though you’ll pay for the privilege.

That goes for the webcam too. It’s a 5MP model that’s perfect for 1080p video calls and selfies, and as it’s a tablet there's another 8MP camera on the back too. You also get Windows Hello functionality, where the Surface Go is unlocked using facial recognition.

(Image credit: HP )

4: HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook

The best 4K laptop webcam

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i5-1235U
GPU: Intel Iris Xe
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 256GB
Screen: 2,560 x 1,600
Dimensions: 31.5 x 22 x 1.74cm
Weight: 1.5kg
Webcam resolution: 8MP

Reasons to buy

+
Excellent spec
+
8MP webcamEmpty List

Reasons to avoid

-
Likely to be expensive
-
ChromeOS has its limitations

Chromebooks - laptops that run the lightweight ChromeOS from Google - tend to have lesser specifications than Windows laptops, as all they’re going to be asked to  do is run web apps through the Chrome browser. This doesn’t mean they’re any less capable, as there are full office suites and image editing apps available for them, but they’re not expected to work as hard.

This model from HP, being sold through Google when it becomes available, has a spec that a Windows laptop would be envious of, and a whopping 8MP webcam that, while only producing 1080p video, means your video calls should be clear and sharp. It’s available in the US for $999, so expect to pay something similar when it comes on sale in Europe.

(Image credit: Razer)

5: Razer Blade 15

Mighty processing power behind an excellent webcam

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i7-12800H
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB
Screen: 16in 2560x1600 240Hz
Dimensions: 35.5 x 23.5 x 1.7cm
Weight: 2kg
Webcam resolution: 1080p

Reasons to buy

+
Powerful chips
+
Good screen

Reasons to avoid

-
Expensive
-
Mainly aimed at gamers

The Razer Blade range are all gaming laptops, but having those powerful CPU and GPU chips just makes them better for doing other things, like image or video editing, too. The 1080p camera found at the top of the Blade 15’s screen provides excellent image quality and Windows Hello functionality. It’s a great step up from the 720p models that have been so prevalent, and does a good job of maintaining sharpness and colour even in low-light conditions. There's no privacy shutter on this laptop, however, so keep an eye out for the white LED that lights when the camera is active.

(Image credit: Lenovo)

6: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10

A top webcam laptop for business meetings

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i7-1255U
GPU: Intel Iris Xe
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 1TB
Screen: 14in 3840 x 2400 IPS
Dimensions: 14.95mm x 315.6mm x 222.5mm
Weight: From 1.12kg
Webcam resolution: 1080p

Reasons to buy

+
Business pedigree
+
Good performer

Reasons to avoid

-
Expensive

Lenovo’s ThinkPad line - gained with the company bought out IBM’s laptop line - are business-oriented machines with a reputation for having everything you need to be an executive on the move, and that goes for the webcam too.

The display on the X1 Carbon is sharp and bright, and that’s mirrored by the 1080p camera that pierces the screen’s bezel. It’s a Windows Hello compatible model, so you can unlock your laptop with just your face, and while it may not be the cheapest laptop out there it has a very serious specification to match its serious status, easily performing all day in video conferences and office work.

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Ian Evenden
Freelance tech journalist

Ian Evenden has worked for newspapers, magazines, book publishers, and websites during his almost 25 years in journalism, and is never happier than when taking a new piece of expensive technology out of its box. When he's not slaving over a hot keyboard, he lies in wait for wildlife before shooting it with a long camera lens.