Dell’s new 4K UltraSharp might be the best webcam in the world

(Image credit: Dell | YouTube)

The world of webcams is mostly dominated by the likes of Logitech and Razer, but there's a new challenger.

Dell has announced the UltraSharp Webcam, a 4K camera with HDR and AI auto-framing housed in an all-aluminum cylindrical body. The Austin-based computing company is positioning the UltraSharp as the world's best image producing and most intelligent 4K webcam. It is available worldwide now, for $199.

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Dell claims it created the UltraSharp to entice professional photo enthusiasts. It utilizes a Sony 4K Starvis CMOS sensor and a multi-element lens to capture more light. DSLR cameras tend to have multi-element lenses to ensure all light is coming in perpendicular to the sensor. Dell had challenged its engineering team to create a webcam that "delivers DSLR-like image quality while being intelligent and easy-to-use."

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For at-home office workers and anyone else still in the work-from-home grind, Dell believes its new webcam will make anyone, including competitive gamers, look their best. Dell claims the UltraSharp is ideal for video conferencing, but also great for livestreaming esports on Twitch.

Aside from the sensor tech, Dell is also boasting that Digital Overlap HDR "helps preserve true-to-life colors and balance exposure." There's also video noise reduction to remove graininess in darker environments.

However, the killer feature in the UltraSharp is not its resolution, but rather its AI Auto-Framing. This technology parrots the iPad Pro 2021's best feature by ensuring the subject stays within the frame as much as possible.

The UltraSharp has Windows Hello for quick and secure sign-in and also offers Dell ExpressSign-in, a similar feature to Hello that works with Dell PCs to help users log in users and also log off once they've stepped away. Lastly, there's a magnetic privacy cover that snaps on to the back.

We plan to test the Dell UltraSharp soon, so stay tuned for our full review.

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Imad is currently Senior Google and Internet Culture reporter for CNET, but until recently was News Editor at Tom's Guide. Hailing from Texas, Imad started his journalism career in 2013 and has amassed bylines with the New York Times, the Washington Post, ESPN, Wired and Men's Health Magazine, among others. Outside of work, you can find him sitting blankly in front of a Word document trying desperately to write the first pages of a new book.