Even some of the best webcams on the market can struggle in low-light conditions, which often results in a lot of background noise. A quick fix would be to situate yourself next to a window or an artificial light source, but the Razer Kiyo webcam instead offers a rather innovative solution - why not build a ring light directly onto the camera?

When it was first released back in 2017, this was a feature unique to the Razer Kiyo, and its success has resulted in a sea of cheap webcams across third-party retailers such as eBay and Amazon also adopting some form of a built-in light. It was also one of the first webcams to target streamers as its main market, even branding a ‘Streamer Certified’ badge on the box (though this is something ‘awarded’ by Razer itself, so take that with a pinch of salt).

Does the Razer Kiyo hold up after all this time? There are a few pros and cons, but essentially - yes. With the capability to switch between 1080p at 30FPS or 720p at 60FPS, this is a webcam that shouldn’t just be on the radar of gamers and content creators, especially as its age means it's easy to find at a discount these days.

Razer Kiyo: specifications

Resolution: 1080p / 720p / 480p / 360p

Field of view:  81.6 degrees

Frame rate: 60 FPS (at 720p) / 30 FPS

Digital zoom: Yes (unspecified)

Inbuilt microphone: Yes

Autofocus: Yes

Privacy cover: No

Connection: USB-A 2.0

Key features

The main feature of the Kiyo Pro is without a doubt the built-in ring light, which results in an eyecatching and unique design. You can increase the brightness by twisting the body of the camera in a clockwise motion, and decrease it by twisting anti-clockwise, and at its brightest, the light is actually rather piercing to look into. This means that while it was designed for use in low-lit environments, you might want to switch on a few other lamps in the room to reduce the strain on your eyes.

You also can’t change the hue of the light itself between warm or cool settings like you can with some dedicated ring lights and softboxes, which might be a pain for folks who like to keep their light source looking natural, but it does help to keep footage sharp and reduce the fuzzy static of background noise.

While other webcams in the Razer product family can be managed by Razer Synapse, the brand's proprietary control hub, the Razer Kiyo is plug-and-play, which was apparently an intentional decision to make it easier to operate.

Luckily that doesn’t mean that the webcam has been omitted from the app, so you can still download it to make some adjustments to FOV, brightness, contrast levels and more which is a blessing as there is no manual zoom on the Kiyo itself.

Build and handling

The Razer Kiyo looks more like the lens of a typical DSLR camera than other webcams on the market such as the Logitech Brio, which typically have a more bar-shaped design. The ring light function necessitates this, but it doesn’t feel unwieldy or distracting when the lights are off given It only weighs around 7 ounces / 200g, with dimensions of 3.66 x 5.08 x 1.06-inches / ‎6.9 x 6.9 x 4.8 cm.

You have the option of placing the Razer Kiyo on either your screen or monitor, or attaching it to a tripod thanks to the standard thread located on the rear of the stand. This L-shaped mount can also allow you to desk-mount the webcam, but this results in a rather unflattering angle so we would suggest you find a higher point to place the webcam.

A small nuisance is the 4.9ft / 1.5m braided USB 2.0 cable as this is a smidge shorter than some of its competitor's offerings such as the Logitech C920 which measures 6ft / 1.8m, though this will only be an issue if you need to broadcast some distance away from your desktop or laptop. 

The cable also isn’t detachable as it is with more recently released webcams like the Razer Kiyo Pro, so you can’t quickly switch between peripherals if you’re restricted on ports. Still, the actual design is stunning and has certainly become something of a status symbol for entry-level streamers who are not yet ready to make the leap into a full camera setup. 

Performance

The Razer Kiyo’s autofocus lens has an 81.6-degree field of view which can comfortably fit two people in frame, and its sensor has a still image resolution of 2,688 by 1,520 pixels. Video capture is limited to either 1080p at 30FPS, or 720p at 60FPS which might fee a little dated where many premium streaming webcams can now offer 1080p at 60FPS, but you’d be surprised how little difference that will make if you’ll only be seen in a small window during a livestream.

On platforms where you might be viewed in a larger window, its also important to remember that platforms such as Google Meets cap your output resolution to 720p anyway, so even if you did invest in an expensive, professional webcam, you might be restricted by your own virtual meeting software.

Even with the ring light, the Razer Kiyo is noticeably darker than the Logitech C920, though that light does seem to help remove a lot of the background noise from the image. Video footage is also consistently smooth even in low-lit rooms so the sensor doesn’t appear to have a hard time, which makes this a fantastic choice for folks who need a camera they can use mostly at night.

The biggest letdown is the built-in microphone, as while the video footage still holds up, the audio quality is quiet and muffled. We won’t hold this too much against the Kiyo as webcams aren't exactly known for having incredible microphones, to the point where dedicated streaming webcams like the Elgato Facecam have chosen to simply not include one at all.

You’d easily get better results from most headsets with a built-in microphone as the Razer Kiyo’s quality isn’t much better than what you get from the microphones in modern laptops. Our suggestion for anyone looking to buy this for broadcasting would be to invest in a suitable USB microphone so that you don’t need to rely on the webcam for voice recording.

Verdict: Razer Kiyo

While it still has an official MSRP of $99 / £99, it's easy to find the Razer Kiyo listed for much less given its age, so you can snap one up for $65 / £65 these days, making it a great investment for anyone new to streaming or looking for a webcam that works well in dark rooms.

The color balance is more accurate than what you get with the Logitech C920 (another popular webcam for streamers on a budget), and its plug-and-play abilities mean you don’t have to worry about messing with any settings before you can start broadcasting. That said, if you have some extra cash to burn, the more powerful Razer Kiyo Pro will be a better option for those who want 1080p at 60FPS.

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Gaming laptops tick a lot of the required boxes for video editing laptops too, which is why the Razer Blade 17 is going to appeal to gamers and creatives alike. It's been one of the best laptops in this field for some time, and has been updated again for 2022.

This is the largest and most expensive in the Razer Blade series, which covers a number of screen sizes and a host of different configurations. If this laptop isn't exactly what you're looking for, you've got plenty of other options from the same range.

The Razer Blade 17 comes with a rather large price tag attached, which is going to limit its appeal – but it's clearly one of the best laptops on the market at the moment, and has the performance to blow almost everything else out of the water.

Specifications

• CPU: Intel Core i7-12800H (14-core, 1.8GHz)
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
• RAM: 32GB
• Screen: 17.3-inch, 2,560 x 1,440 pixel, IPS LCD
• Storage: 1TB SSD
• Ports: 2 x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), 1 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, 3 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 3.5mm headphone jack, HDMI, microSD
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
• Camera: 1080p
• Weight: 2.75 kg (6.06 lbs)
• Size: 395 mm x 260 mm x 19.9 mm (15.55 inches x 10.24 inches x 0.78 inches)

In terms of specs, the Razer Blade 17 is hard to beat: it has an Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti GPU inside, which isn't just a good graphics card, it's one of the very best (and most expensive) in the business. That's backed up by a 12th-gen Intel Core i7-12800H processor, 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage. Not only will the Razer Blade 17 cope with the most demanding games around at the moment, it'll top the benchmark charts.

As usual with a Razer Blade series, you don't have to go for those exact specs – less powerful, less expensive variations are also available, laptops which still keep the 17.3-inch display and the ultra-cool Razer aesthetic. It's really a question of balancing price against performance.

You get all the latest and greatest Nvidia graphics tech with this laptop, including DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) and 4th-generation Max-Q technology – don't worry if those terms are new to you, all you need to know is that they maximize gaming performance. Throw in support for the latest Wi-Fi 6E wireless standard and THX Spatial Audio from its eight (!) speakers, and this is a truly impressive overall package.

Key features

If you're going to buy this particular model of the Razer Blade 17, it's going to be for that phenomenal GPU that comes inside it – though you're going to have to make sure you'll be using the RTX 3080 Ti to its full capabilities in order to justify the cost of the laptop. If you don't want the highest possible frame rates on the latest games, save yourself some money and opt for a cheaper model.

The 17.3-inch display is a stunner, with a native resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels and a refresh rate that tops out at 240Hz – another spec where the Razer Blade 17 is very difficult to beat. Creatives will be pleased that there's 100 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 color space, and the laptop does a fantastic job of offering top-end gaming power while not neglecting features that matter when you're not gaming.

Port selection is good too: two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB-C) port, and three USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB-A) ports. There's a 3.5 audio jack as well that does double duty as a port for a microphone or for a pair of headphones (or for a gaming headset that may well offer both together).

Build and handling

As if the Razer Blade 17 didn't already have enough going for it, it's also really well built and stylishly finished: like other Razer laptops before it, it's a perfectly formed, smooth slab of aluminum and plastic, finished in a deep black. Perhaps more than any other laptop maker, Razer is able to make gaming laptops that don't look much like gaming laptops while keeping an ultra-premium feel.

One of the few giveaways that this is aimed primarily at gamers is the RGB lighting behind the keys on the keyboard. The laptop comes bundled with software you can use to tweak the lighting in all kinds of ways, from subtle fades to vivid flashes, and you can of course turn it off completely too (or just stick with a static white).

If you want to measure out some desk space before you pick up the Razer Blade 17, it measures 395 mm x 260 mm x 19.9 mm (15.6 inches x 10.2 inches x 0.8 inches) and tips the scales at 2.75 kg (6.06 lbs). You're never going to get a 17-inch laptop that's also ultra-portable – it's just basic physics – but this particular model manages not to come across as overly bulky or difficult to lug around.

Performance

The Razer Blade 17 with the configuration that we're reviewing is going to beat just about every laptop on the market at the moment in terms of performance and benchmarks – it's that good. From the latest and most demanding games, to the biggest image files, to the longest 4K video encoding projects, this laptop is going to take it all in its stride.

The 3DMark Time Spy benchmark score of 12,298 is almost into premium desktop gaming PC territory – which isn't bad considering the components are crammed into a laptop chassis here. The laptop scored an impressive 6,263 in our PCMark 10 test: 8,747 on Essentials, 8,069 on Productivity, and 9,448 on Digital Content Creation.

Looking at the specs of the Razer Blade 17, you probably wouldn't expect too much in terms of battery life, and you'd be right not to. When gaming, you're going to struggle to get much more than an hour away from a mains socket, though with less demanding tasks (like movie watching and word processing) you can usually squeeze out a little over two hours. That's poor battery life relative to laptops in general, but it's about par for the course for a gaming laptop.

Verdict

How much do you need to spend to get one of the most powerful gaming laptops on the planet at the moment? Well the configuration of the Razer Blade 17 that we had in for review was retailing for around $4,000 or £4,000 at the time we were writing this review, which gives you some idea.

Yes, that's a lot of money to be paying for a laptop – but you get levels of performance that are above just about everything else on the market. If you have the budget to get the best there is then the Razer Blade 17 is certainly a contender for that slot, whether you're planning on using it for high-end gaming on Steam, or large video editing projects, or both. That retail price is going to go a long way to determining whether or not this is going to be your next laptop upgrade.

Razer not only makes some of the most powerful laptops around, it also makes some of the most stylish as well, as you can see from the photos we've taken of the laptop. If you don't want to spend quite so much money, look for the lower-spec configurations and the 14-inch and 15-inch models in the Razer Blade series.

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The Razer Kiyo Pro succeeds the original Kiyo, and while the new model no longer has its predecessor’s integrated ring light, it offers high-quality video for streamers, content creators and anyone who simply wants to look better in their meetings.

For the latter, who may have been using their integrated laptop webcam for Zoom meetings through the pandemic, the Razer Kiyo Pro can offer a serious visual upgrade, thanks to Full HD at 60 frames per second, optional HDR (at 30fps), a field-of-view of up to 90 degrees, and autofocus.

For everyone else the Kiyo Pro is aimed at – streamers, YouTubers and other content creators – this is an alternative to the Brio and StreamCam by Logitech.

Razer Kiyo Pro specifications

Resolution: 1080p Full HD

Field of view: 80 to 103 degrees

Frame rate: Up to 60fps at 1080p

Digital zoom: 4x

Inbuilt microphone: Yes

Autofocus: Yes

Privacy cover: Yes

Connection: USB-C to USB-A

Key features

A high, 60fps frame rate at 1080p, along with a viewing angle of up to 103 degrees, are the two biggest features of the Razer Kiyo Pro. HDR (high dynamic range) is also on offer here, but that is only accessible when the frame rate is turned down to 30fps.

We don’t see this restriction as a major problem though. The way we see it, buyers who use the Kiyo Pro for meetings will want 1080p and HDR for optimum image quality, but care less for a high frame rate due to the lack of movement during video virtual meetings; they’ll likely be happy with 30fps.

On the other hand, the more dynamic performance of a video game streamer, for example, will benefit from turning up the frame rate to 60fps and losing HDR. In both cases, the camera can be set to 1080p Full HD, where software allows (as some video meeting apps cap resolution at 720p).

The Kiyo Pro’s autofocus is also a nice feature to have, but we found it tends to search quite often, rather than locking onto its target and keeping our face in continuous focus. We found it would frequently shift focus to the wall behind us, leaving us frustratingly out of focus. The camera would usually correct itself quickly once we moved slightly to regain its attention, so we wouldn’t say it’s a deal-breaker.

You can always switch off autofocus in Razer’s Synapse application, used to configure the company’s various gaming and streaming accessories. It is worth noting, however, that the current version of Synapse for Mac is a generation behind its PC equivalent and doesn’t yet work with the Kiyo Pro. Mac users will have to adjust settings in their video conference app, or via a third-party app like CameraController.

Build and handling

You will have surely seen by now from the images – the Kiyo Pro is a big webcam. Almost the diameter of a tennis ball, the circular device at first seems to have a manual focus ring on its front, but this is purely aesthetic and doesn’t rotate, which is slightly disappointing. 

The large size isn’t too much of a problem, since the top of your computer monitor isn’t usually space to be fought over by anything else, but the height of the camera means the lens itself might sit slightly higher than you are used to. We certainly found the camera looks down on us more than a shorter webcam from Logitech. You might need to adjust your monitor or chair accordingly.

The camera comes with a folding monitor mount and can be adjusted left, right, up and down. This mount attaches to a standard tripod mount in the base of the webcam, and the mount itself has the same screw thread, so can also be attached to a tripod if you so wish. We feel like Razer has really thought all this through, making it easy to mount to a monitor or a tripod.

As for dimensions, the camera measures 68.7 x 68.7 x 48.5mm and weighs in at 196g. It comes with a 1.5m, braided USB-C to USB-A cable. A detachable lens cap is also included in the box.

Performance

If you want to keep things simple, the Razer Kiyo Pro can be plug-and-play on both PC and Mac. Just connect it to a free USB port, open your video conference app of choice, and you’re good to go, But if you want to tinker with the settings you’ll have to install Razer’s free Synapse application.

As we said earlier, the Mac version doesn’t yet support the Kiyo Pro, but on Windows you can adjust the brightness, contrast, saturation and other parameters, as well as switch HDR on or off, and adjust the resolution and field of view.

To our eyes, the default image seemed a little too dark, but to its credit was very well balanced, with a good amount of detail retained in the light and dark areas of our room. Even the view out of a window behind us was retained on a bright and sunny day, without plunging the rest of the scene into total darkness. That said, we preferred to manually up the brightness a little to get the image we wanted.

Once tweaked to our preferred look, image quality from the Kiyo Pro is excellent. Footage from an integrated laptop webcam is usually very easy to spot, owing to its low quality, poor handling of exposure and grainy look. But with the Kiyo Pro we felt our appearance in Zoom and Teams meetings had been treated to a major upgrade.

Verdict

The Razer Kiyo Pro is an excellent webcam that looks and feels premium, is easy to use and produces great video quality. But then so it should, given the $200/£200 recommended retail (although thankfully you can find this on sale for almost half this amount). This is substantially more than the cheapest USB webcams out there, and on par with the Logitech Brio, which has a 4K resolution and works with Windows Hello – both things the Kiyo Pro misses out on.

That said, the Kiyo Pro is primarily aimed at gamers and streamers, and for them the 60fps frame rate at Full HD will be ideal, while those who want to look their best in meetings, or just less dynamic live streams, can look their best with HDR and Full HD at a still-respectable 30fps.

If you have the budget to spend on a high-quality webcam, and are perhaps already invested in Razer’s PC accessory ecosystem, then the Kiyo Pro makes a lot of sense.

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We have seen a lot of great Prime Day deals already today, but we rather like the look of this great discount on this Razer Blade 15 laptop. Today you can pick it up one of these for just £799.99 if you are a Prime Member - which we are told is a $550 saving off the RRP.

The Razer Blade 15 is sold as a gaming laptop - give you a great spec for handling the needs of today's top games. But this power is equally useful when cutting together a movie - so that is why the Razer Blade 15 is, we reckon, one of the best laptops for video-editing.

• Not an Amazon Prime member? Sign up here for free trial to get this deal.

• See: All the best deals on Amazon Prime Day

The Razer Blade 15 Base Model features NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics and the new 10th Gen Intel Core i7 6 core processor, to deliver amazing power and portability. The 15.6" smooth 120Hz Full HD display provides an immersive and insanely fast visual experience for gaming and more. It comes with with an open M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 slot for easy SSD upgrade if you need more storage - and it is housed in an anodized aluminum frame. 

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We have seen a lot of great Prime Day deals already today, but we rather like the look of this great discount on this Razer Blade 15 laptop. Today you can pick it up one of these for just $949.99 if you are a Prime Member - which we are told is a $550 saving off the RRP.

The Razer Blade 15 is sold as a gaming laptop - give you a great spec for handling the needs of today's top games. But this power is equally useful when cutting together a movie - so that is why the Razer Blade 15 is, we reckon, one of the best laptops for video-editing.

• Not an Amazon Prime member? Sign up here for free trial to get this deal.

The Razer Blade 15 Base Model features NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics and the new 10th Gen Intel Core i7 6 core processor, to deliver amazing power and portability. The 15.6" smooth 120Hz Full HD display provides an immersive and insanely fast visual experience for gaming and more. It comes with with an open M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 slot for easy SSD upgrade if you need more storage - and it is housed in an anodized aluminum frame. 

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Coming from one of the best-known names in computing, the Razer Ring Light is the latest big-brand challenger in an arena dominated by cheap products and no-name companies. 

The Razer Ring Light, like the Lume Cube Wireless Ring Light before it, brings with it the reputation and quality that mainstream manufacturers are known for. And, in so doing, it delivers one of the best ring lights on the market. 

This 12-inch USB affair ranks among the best video lights for streaming, video calls and vlogging, and under the right conditions can serve as one of the best LED lights for shooting stills either as a key or fill light. 

Razer Ring Light: specs & features

The Razer's 192 LEDs are good for 500 lumens of brightness and 10W of power, which is dimmable from 10-100% for granular control of light intensity. It boasts three color settings – 3,000K (Warm White), 4,500K (Balanced White) and 6,500K (Cool White) – so that you can balance the illumination with daylight, ambient and artificial light, and it's CRI rated to >80%.

The light itself has an outer diameter of 11.8 inches / 30cm, with an inner diameter of 9.5 inches / 24.1cm, and weighs in at 0.57 lbs / 260g. It comes bundled with a very good tripod, which is adjustable from 15.8-53.2 inches / 40-135cm and weighs 1.21 lbs / 550g.

Also included is a removable padded and expandable camera phone holder, along with a 1/4-inch tripod ball mount that can accommodate smaller DSLRs, mirrorless cameras and action cameras. 

Razer Ring Light: build and handling

The Razer Ring Light couldn't be simpler to use. The wired remote enables you to increase or decrease the brightness, cycle between the three color temperatures and turn the light on or off – and its one-handed operation means you can discreetly make adjustments off-camera when presenting, or while brandishing a camera in your other hand while you're shooting or filming. 

The light itself is very solid, despite the largely plastic construction, and while it's not going to put up with the heft of medium format cameras or chunky sports cameras, mirrorless cameras and smaller DSLRs will be right at home (an Olympus PEN E-PL7 is mounted in our main images above). Alternatively, the flexible and expandable smartphone holder works brilliantly and any phone will fit comfortably.

Of special note is the included tripod, on which the ring light mounts. It's a real rarity for a ring light to come with such a sturdy, substantial tripod – you won't be replacing your camera tripod with it, of course, but this one isn't at all the rickety cheap affair that comes with most lights. It stands firm and proud on your desk or floor, with plenty of control to articulate the light in almost any angle or direction.

Razer Ring Light: performance

As a USB-powered device, the Razer Ring Light obviously isn't going to kick out as much brightness as its mains-powered rivals – but it still does a darned good job of delivering impressive illumination. Used in bright daylight it delivers the fill you need to lift unwanted shadows, and in gloomy or dim conditions it's a fantastic key light that instantly makes your stream or footage look more professional. 

Equally impressive is the quality of the light. Many cheaper ring lights are far too harsh, specular and have poor color balance. Not the Razer, though – the light is softly diffused for a gentle and flattering look, and the temperatures really do run true to kelvin. 

The articulating head of the included tripod means that you can angle the light 90 degrees to shoot vertically downwards, ideal for flat lays or unboxings. And in such situations, the USB power becomes a real boon as you aren't slave to reaching the mains power or even the USB port on your laptop – connect this to a power bank and your lighting becomes as versatile as your shooting demands. 

Razer Ring Light: verdict

There are plenty of options out there for smaller ring lights, but they're mostly of the cheap and cheerful variety that always fall short in at least one area, whether it's power, performance or price. 

The Razer Ring Light delivers excellent light quality, trustworthy color temperature, brilliant build quality and a shockingly good tripod – all for a very reasonable price tag. If you're in the market for a portable 12-inch ring light for streaming, video conferencing and vlogging, this won't let you down. 

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