Neewer X11 2-in-1 review: This teleprompter is just the ticket for more than simply talking to camera

Talking to camera comes naturally to some but others are less comfortable. No matter where you sit on that scale, being able to talk directly to the camera is key and being able to read from a script is also vital for some but how do you do both? Well, that is where a teleprompter comes in handy. In essence, a diagonal mirror sits in front of your lens, with a screen at 90 degrees, reflecting your script so it appears in your eyeline, allowing you to both read and keep contact with the viewer.

Teleprompters are a fairly niche item, even in a niche field like filmmaking and photography but there is an ever increasing need for them, as more people take to social media and youtube in an attempt to build audiences. This means people seek ways to level up production value and one way to do this is to make sure you can talk directly to the audience/camera with as few retakes as possible. Rerecording ‘um’s and ‘er’s is a pain but it is worth removing them, as it builds trust that you know your topic well and don’t need to think too much about what you are saying. You just know it.

There are a handful of teleprompters on the market at wildly varying price points but in reality the feature sets don’t stray too far from each other. Neewer, ever the champion of the budget conscious filmmaker, has come out with its X11, which manages to be a teleprompter for the most part but with some useful extras, which we will get into.

A teleprompter should really be one of those buy it, set it and forget it devices that get out of the way, letting you focus on the important stuff, like delivering the best video performance you can. I’ve been using the X11 for some time now and I have feelings…

Neewer X11: Specifications

Neewer X11: Price

The X11 is available now, either directly from Neewer, or form a range of resellers and it comes in at £229, which places it well within reach for many small studios, YouTubers and similar. It sits favourably in the market too, with rivals priced higher, sometimes significantly. Options are available without a screen, for less, so if you already have a small monitor it could be worth looking into,a although the X11 does make for a well fitted, complete solution.

Neewer X11: Design & Handling

The X11 ships well protected, with everything coming in fitted foam insert, so no worries about screen safety or damaged parts. There’s a little paperwork but no real instructions. More of a parts list and a look at how things fit together. Luckily it’s a really simple process that takes just a couple of minutes. You have an option for mounting to a camera, or a phone and this is done with an adapter that fits to the main body using velcro, replacing the lens sock. It’s not the most elegant solution but it is fast and it works well enough.

That seems to be the story here. Everything does its job well but there’s nothing inspiring about it. Plastics feel a bit cheap but then it has to be manufactured for sale at a pricepoint, so that’s hardly a surprise. That said, the camera mount, which is an arca swiss type, is good quality, full metal and has a rotating lock, to prevent accidents. This mount can move both front to back and up and down, so it is easy to line up your lens with the opening in the X11. The range of motion should be broad enough for most small to medium cameras but if you use a battery grip or have a particularly tall body, you might want to measure up first.

I found that to use my A7RV I didn't need to remove the cage. The size was fine but the arca fitting on my Smallrig cage runs along the bottom of the camera, rather than being square, like the corresponding base. The X11 does come with a plate though, so that could be added if needed, or for those who don’t use a cage.

The screen slots neatly into the front with a satisfying click and there are a couple of marks to help line it up. It’s held firmly in place and leaves the controls nicely accessible on the side, next to the ports for USB-C and HDMI. The screen is nicely built too, with a metal back and it feels good quality. The glass is quite shiny but that didn’t seem to be a problem at all, with no noticeable glare or reflections.

Once everything is together the whole unit feels good. Heavy enough to feel solid and reduce any micro jitters but not so weighty that it will cause any stability issue on a tripod. I like the pair of cold shoe points on top too, ideal for mounting a mic or a receiver, or even a small light. This hood also has a flip down mount allowing you to use a webcam, so that you can use the X11 for video calls, which is a nice touch.

The X11 does come with both HDMI and USB cables but I’d have liked to have seen longer ones. The quality is fine but not everybody is going to be able to set up their source device that is close to the teleprompter. Not an issue for phone users though.

Neewer X11: Performance

Setting up the X11 is a simple plug and play affair. Simply pop your camera on the acra adapter and line it up with the opening on the rear, plug in the cables and off you go. If you are using the X11 for video calls this is all you need and it gives you excellent video quality using your pro camera but will anybody use it for this? I tried it and it works really well, however I can’t see myself using it for this all that often. It is a useful feature to have though.

For most, I imagine the main use case will be for reading a script while keeping eye contact with the camera/audience and for this the X11 excels. It’s a simple case of connecting the device with your script on to the screen and using the button on the side to flip it so that you can see it on the angled mirror. What you use as the host for your script is up to you and there are options but even a simple google doc works well and allows you to retain eye contact with the camera for much more natural and engaging content.

Viewing the script could be tricky in certain lighting conditions but the X11 has just the right balance of brightness, screen materials and shielding of ambient light to never allow this to be problematic. I tried in various conditions from a dark room to a strongly lit, with no issues whatsoever.

The resulting video lost nothing in quality either. No stray light or unwanted reflections showed up in any situation.

Filming with my phone yielded similarly good results, although I’m far less keen on the mountinig system here. It’s not easy to accurately align and I’ve never been fond of hook and loop for this kind of thing. That said, once it was in place there were no problems with the output. Similarly, using the X11 for a video call gave great image quality but I really don’t see many people wanting to do this. We are so accustomed to video calls on our phones or webcams that this feels overkill. Speaking of webcams, if you did want to use one for this you can mount one directly to the X11 using the supplied mount.

I used both my Macbook Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max for script duties and both worked flawlessly but, if you plan to use a phone, check the Neewer site for compatibility, as not all phones support the correct output to work with the X11. This is down to phone developers, not Neewer themselves.

It’s also worth noting that lenses with a max front element of 72mm are able to fit the opening in the X11. Anything larger and you may run into vignetting issues.

Powering the device is done via USB-C 5V, so you can operate it from a wall charger, battery bank, or directly from a computer, so long as it has USB-C. I’m always appreciative of various methods to power devices and while that’s less important here, it is nice to see.

Lastly, while we have mostly moved to USB-C for many things, some people will still be using older computers that don’t have it and for them, HDMI is the way forward. This will work just the same but will mean loading a driver to ensure everything is setup correctly.

So, it may have screen mirroring and video calling features but the main act here is for teleprompting and the X11 does a splendid job of it. I can certainly see myself using it for my ‘to camera’productions and with full confidence that it will do the job with little fuss.

Neewer X11 Verdict

The X11 is built to a price but still manages to do the job well. It is easy to set up, simple to use and produces exactly the results you would want from it. It has some extra utility and while those features may not be used by all they don’t detract from the overall package and you never know, you might need them in the future. Yes, some of the materials are somewhat cheap feeling but not where it counts. Camera mounting is rock solid and that is where you need confidence. All in all, an excellent teleprompter that could find a home in any studio space.