# Webcams for video calls

Many older and cheaper laptops have 480p or 720p cameras. On a call they look soft and grainy, and no setting fixes that. A basic external webcam is one of the few purchases that makes an obvious difference.

![A woman on a video call in a grainy, soft, low-resolution image.](https://checkyoursetup.com/images/low-quality.jpg) (Old 480p laptop camera)
![The same woman in a sharp, clear image.](https://checkyoursetup.com/images/base.jpg) (1080p webcam)

*Illustrations. Same person, same room, same light.*

## Do you need one?

Maybe not. Recent MacBooks (the MacBook Pro from late 2021 and the MacBook Air from 2022) have 1080p cameras, but many other laptops, including the M1 MacBook Air, have 720p. If yours is 480p, or 720p and you're on calls often, an upgrade is worth it.

It's also worth it if you take calls on a second monitor. With the camera on your laptop, people see you looking off to the side the whole time. A webcam on top of the monitor you look at fixes that.

## Try these first

Add light. Small cameras get grainy in dim rooms, and a lamp in front of you makes any camera look better, though it can't add detail a low-resolution camera doesn't have.

If the picture looks hazy rather than grainy, wipe the lens. A fingerprint on a laptop camera makes everything look foggy.

It's also worth checking your call app's video settings. Some apps have an HD option that's off by default.

## Buying one

1080p is enough. Call apps rarely send more than that, so a 4K webcam is money wasted for calls.

Look for one that copes with ordinary indoor light, since that's where most calls happen. Reviews that include a sample from a dim room are the useful ones.

It should clip onto the top of your screen, so the camera sits at eye level. You can ignore the built-in microphone: webcam mics are far from your mouth, and your laptop mic or wired earphones will usually sound better.

Expect to pay about $40 to $70 for a good 1080p webcam.

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