Razer Kiyo Pro
The ultimate streaming hardware for 2021 (and beyond).
The Razer Kiyo Pro is the latest product targeted towards streamers and content creators, with a fresh injection of modern technology that hasn’t been seen in the high-end webcam market for some time.
Razer has already placed itself firmly within the webcam market with the Kiyo Pro’s older brother, the original Razer Kiyo, that featured an inbuilt ring light. The original Kiyo webcam has been a fixed product on our list of the best webcams since release thanks to its sharp video and innovative design.
The latest offering from Razer promises that it’s perfect for streamers and professionals alike, with ultra-sensitive light sensors for low light conditions, HDR capability and incredibly smooth 60FPS recording capabilities.
Many of the popular choices for webcams are significantly older than you’d expect – Logitech typically dominates the market, but the fan-favorite C920 was released back in January 2012, with luxury offerings such as the Brio releasing in February 2017 and the StreamCam finally entering the market last year.
The introduction of this newer technology is a welcome breathe of fresh air in what was becoming something of a monopoly for good high-quality webcams, though this shiny new hardware comes at a steep price.
The Kiyo Pro is also being marketed towards professionals who require something powerful for video conferencing, and despite the eye-watering cost, this could be a perfectly valid investment for folk who spend a lot of time being broadcast. The wide-angle lens means you can select between three adjustable FOV (fields of view) to include several people during a group call or a single individual.
The video quality is excellent without requiring any messing around in the settings for anyone that wants a simple plug-and-go experience, and we didn’t encounter any issues when using the Kiyo Pro across a variety of programs such as Zoom, OBS or Stream Labs.
Software like Google Meets will restrict the webcam quality down to 720p, but the crisp visuals and vivid colours still shine through. A downloadable driver is available via the Razer Synapse software for anyone that likes to play with the video settings.
We can’t justify recommending something this expensive to a casual user, but for anyone looking for incredible video quality online that doesn’t want to deal with video capture cards, this webcam is an absolute beast.
The Kiyo Pro delivers a muchneeded injection of modern technology into the saturated world of webcams. The light detection sensor can run into issues, but the overall quality and recording experience is one of the best on the market.
Jess Weatherbed