The best laptop webcam in 2024: built-in cameras that show you at your best | Digital Camera World

Sharpen up your video calls, with the best laptop webcams built in to computers today

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With the best laptop webcam built into your computer, you can enjoy stunning image quality, silky smooth performance, and innovative features. And with remote work and virtual meetings becoming more commonplace, that's essential for most people in 2024.

Of course, you don't just buy a laptop for its in-built webcam: you want it to do all sorts of other things too. That's why we test all aspects of the best laptops, to make sure they deliver on all front.

In this article, then, we've listed the best laptops that feature great webcams as well as fast performance, great picture quality and more besides. However, if you'd prefer to stick with your current laptop, then you could alternatively connect a separate exterior webcam (or even mirrorless camera) to your PC, and perhaps use a ring light or other illumination device too.

Best overall

This laptop is our top recommendation of webcam use. It boasts a 5MP webcam built into the bezel around its 3:2 ratio touchscreen, which is capable of displaying a 1440p picture. Read more below

Best Apple

The latest 14-inch MacBook Pro comes with a brilliant 1080p webcam. There's also the M3 chip, providing you with a huge amount of power, although this may be overkill for some.Read more below

Best Microsoft

A Windows 11 tablet rather than a laptop (the keyboard case is sold separately) the Surface Go 3 has a 5MP webcam that’s perfect for 1080p video calls and selfies. Read more below

Best ChromeOS

While a Chromebook can't run Windows software, only Google apps, it has an impressive 8MP webcam that delivers 1080p video, meaning your video calls should be clear and sharp.Read more below

Best gaming

This is a gaming laptop, but its powerful CPU and GPU makes it great for doing other things, like image or video editing, too. The 1080p camera provides excellent image quality.Read more below

Best meetings

This is a gaming laptop, but its powerful CPU and GPU makes it great for doing other things, like image or video editing, too. The 1080p camera provides excellent image quality.Read more below

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The HP Dragonfly G4 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 G4 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.

Our expert review:

We got our hands on the latest MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023) back in December, and our reviewer found a lot to love. The screen is stunning, and the new M3 chip absolutely blows old Intel chip-equipped MacBooks out of the water. Plus when it comes to the webcam is has a high quality 1080p camera.

Overall, this is a hugely powerful laptop, although may be overkill for some many, especially if you're not doing a lot of resource-intensive tasks like photo or video editing. So if you want a 1080p webcam, you may prefer to save a little money and opt for the 2021 24-inch M1 iMac or 2022 M2 MacBook Air instead.

See our full MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023) review

A Windows 11 tablet rather than a laptop - the keyboard case is sold separately - the Surface Go 4 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.

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 has a spec that a budget Windows laptop would be envious of, and its 1080p webcam means your video calls should be clear and sharp.

The Razer Blade series 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 16’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.

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.

Most laptops come with 720p HD webcams these days, though some higher-end models may have 1080p or even 4K webcams. The resolution offered will obvious impact on the quality of your videos, although bear in mind that some services won't support higher resolutions. For example, Zoom does not currently support 4K video. The highest possible resolution you can achieve on the platform is 1080p.

Yes, you should be able to. Nearly all laptops allow you to disable the webcam through software settings. Many also have a physical privacy shutter or removable cover to block the camera lens. Ultimately, if neither of these things are available, you could simply place some sticky tape over the lens.

Built-in webcams are more convenient because you don't have to attach anything to your laptop. However, external webcams tend to have better image quality, more features like autofocus, and greater adjustability for positioning. For more see our article on The best webcams.

When choosing a laptop webcam, there are several key factors to consider. First, resolution: look for at least 1080p full HD resolution, as this will provide sharp, detailed video suitable for professional video calls and streaming. Low-light performance is important if you frequently have video calls in dimly lit rooms. Also, consider privacy features like camera shutters or kill switches to disable the webcam when not in use for security. Finally, prioritize laptops with high-quality microphones if you need excellent audio capture.

We put each webcam model through rigorous real-world testing to thoroughly evaluate its performance. We make video calls and participate in virtual conferences using each webcam to assess video and audio quality in real meeting environments. We stream live video using the webcams to judge their suitability for applications like game streaming. We record video of ourselves with the webcams under different scenarios to critically analyze footage quality. We don't just focus on video: audio quality from the webcam's built-in microphones is also carefully evaluated during testing for clarity and noise cancellation.

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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.