Maxhub UC W21 4K Business Webcam Review: A capable webcam that’s almost ready to take on the big boys

Pros - 4K recording at 30fps with HDR   - Wide Field of View can accommodate larger groups of people - Autoframming feature - Uses a detachable cable that plugs into a USB-C port - Integrates well with most video-calling apps as well as OBS Cons - Price - Wide field of view can cause distortions - Lacks autofocus - Weighs over 200 gms Price: Rs 24,999 Rating: 3.75/5 Webcams are a sort of tricky business for device manufacturers. Most laptop makers nowadays provide a built-in webcam into their devices, which, may not be great, but they do get the job done quite sufficiently. There are also smartphones to consider, and the numerous ways one can use their smartphone as a webcam. So where do legacy manufacturers like Logitech and Maxhub, companies who have been making webcams and other accessories go? Towards the enterprise market. [caption id=“attachment_11429311” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Image Credit: Tech2 | Mehul Reuben Das[/caption] “Business webcams” or the more premium webcams from these companies offer a neat feature set that make some of their offerings the best in the market, something that no integrated camera can ever match up to. But of all the professional league, business webcams, how does the Maxhub UC W21 hold up?   Maxhub UC W21 Review: Key Specifications The Maxhub UC W21 comes with a 1/2.8” sensor from Sony that can capture videos at up to 30fps, at a resolution of 3840X2160. Megapixel-wise, we are looking at a resolution of about 8.5MP. The good thing with that though, is there’s no crop to deal with so you get to use the entire sensor. Basically, that’s proper 4K recording, none of the upscaling trickery that you get to see from most webcams. It has a fixed focus lens, which is locked in at about 1.5 metres, and has a field of view of about 120 degrees or about 2.26mm at an aperture of f1.8. For audio, you get two microphones, which have a range of 4 metres that cleans up the ambient noise a little. For connectivity, the UC W21 gets a USB-C port and a detachable cable. [caption id=“attachment_11429351” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Image Credit: Tech2 | Mehul Reuben Das[/caption] Maxhub UC W21 Review: Built quality The Maxhub UC W21 is certainly one of the most well-built webcams I have ever come across. The camera housing is solidly built. What I really appreciate, is the fact that the UC W21 has a detachable cable, that’s about 1.5 metres long. However, given that this particular webcam is bound to be mounted up on a TV in a boardroom, we think it would have been better if it came with a longer cable. Now, for the mount itself. The clasp is designed in such a way that you can just position the webcam on to the top bezel or edge of a screen and use the flap to secure it to the display. The unit itself weighs about 200 grams or so, so we don’t recommend using it on a laptop with a weak screen hinge.   The base of the webcam also has a ¼-inch socket, so you can mount it permanently using a tripod or something similar.   Maxhub UC W21 Review: Performance As a webcam, the UC W21 performs really well. The video that it generates is sharp, sharp, but there is some sort of smoothening filter pre-applied, that does not look overdone. It also records the videos in HDR so that’s a plus point.   Installation is pretty straightforward, all you need to do is plug in the cable to the camera, mount it to your conference room TV, desktop or laptop, and plug the other end of the cable into your PC and you’re good to go.   [caption id=“attachment_11429341” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Image Credit: Tech2 | Mehul Reuben Das[/caption] You don’t need to fiddle around in an app, changing or tweaking various settings to get the best image quality -  it does everything that you want it to, as soon as you plug it in. It also supports all of your popular video conferencing apps and does not lose any of its features.   It also behaved well with OBS, something that cannot be said of a lot of webcams. In fact, we would go along and say that if you want to start streaming on a budget, the UC W21 would be a great option to start with, if you’re looking for awesome video quality without having to spend a ton of money on a high-end camera and a capture card.   Across platforms and applications, the video quality is sharp and noticeably better than most built-in webcams you get on laptops.The output from the camera is pretty good. The colours may not be absolutely accurate, but they are vibrant and properly saturated. In short, they do not look washed-up. Even in dimly lit rooms, it performed better and decently well. Thanks to the UC W21’s Digital Noise Reduction algorithms, grainy footage was not something that we had to deal with.     A group video call on a large-screen TV was quite enjoyable, as it would be the most realistic setting where such a webcam might be deployed. The mics were also pretty good at picking up sound at a distance of about 10 feet, without having to raise your voice above normal. [caption id=“attachment_11429321” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Image Credit: Tech2 | Mehul Reuben Das[/caption] There are a few issues though. At this price point, we would have loved to see some form of autofocus being an option. And although the UC W21 has an auto-framing we did see it glitch out once or twice during our testing. Another issue that comes naturally with any webcam that has this wide a view of the field is that anything that is not at the centre of the frame, has some distortion. As for issues with audio, it does a pretty good job of isolating unwanted noise but again, that does glitch out at times.   Maxhub UC W21 Review: Verdict The Maxhub UC W21 has an MRP of Rs 24,999. At this price point, it becomes a little difficult to recommend this webcam, especially when you consider that it has fixed focus, and that the auto-framing option is a little slow.   On a number of e-commerce platforms though, it is usually available for less than Rs 18,000 at which price, we can actually recommend this webcam wholeheartedly, especially when you consider options from Logitech that offer nearly the same video quality, go for that price.