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Logitech Brio 300 Webcam Review

A decent enough option for work calls but not enough for streamers.

External webcams have seen a resurgence in recent years with streamers and home workers moving away from the in-built option. It’s created a boom of new additions to the market, including this, the Logitech Brio 300.

Unlike the Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra, this isn’t a high end offering, nor is it one that’s targeted at streamers. But not every creator wants or needs the absolute maximum and there’s still plenty of room in the market for a more ground level option.

simply put

The Logitech Brio 300 is unlikely to prompt too many gushing complements on how great you look, but it’s unlikely to draw any negative attention either. This is a tidy option for work and video calls but not really a valid option for streamers.

the good bits

Made of recycled materials
Charming design
Onboard mic does a surprisingly tidy job

the not so good bits

Only 30fps
Slightly noisy picture
Better options at a similar price

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Logitech Brio 300 Webcam

design

I have to say, as far as webcams go the Logitech Brio 300 is kind of cute. It’s only a little thing and there’s something strangely playful about its cone shape. When you compare it to the likes of the Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra or even Logitech’s own staple C920 it’s certainly a more friendly looking creature.

Available in off-white, rose or graphite, around half of the Brio 300’s body is made from post-consumer recycled plastic. The varied sources of this plastic gives the Brio 300 a slightly speckled look, not unlike a stone worktop, it’s quite pleasant actually. The Brio 300 is also certified carbon neutral with considered paper packaging, it’s great to see and there’s no reason for a device like this to not take an environmentally conscious approach where it can. 

Being small and light the Logitech Brio 300 will have no problem perching happily on the top of any monitor. The built in stand has a clever rubberised foot to stop it sliding about and I had no issues with it staying firmly in place. While there is scope to tilt up and down, it’s strange to see no option to move left or right so you’re limited to which way your monitor is facing. For single monitor setups that’s unlikely to be a problem but those running two monitors it’s a needless annoyance. I’m not a product designer but surely left and right is just as easy as up and down? C’mon Logitech, stick a ball joint or something on there.

The integrated privacy shutter is a welcome addition and pretty commonplace on new webcam designs. Less common is the reliance on USB-C as your only connection option. Yes, it’s the superior form of USB so I’ve got no issue with that as the cable of choice. However it’s not widely rolled out enough yet to be the only choice on offer here, particularly on work machines, so I’d rather see an adapter in the box too. 

performance

The outside of the Logitech Brio 300 re-using old plastic is a great thing, the inside re-using old tech isn’t. The likes of Razer and Elgato are now producing cameras that pump out video you wouldn’t believe came from a webcam, that’s not quite the case with the Logitech Brio 300. 

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I’m maybe being a bit harsh, but overall the experience is pretty good without threatening to be much more. Logitech have created a mass-market appeal webcam here that will do a decent job out of the box for most people and do it with a minimum of fuss. There’s nothing advance here though and how impressed you’ll be with the Brio 300 all depends on what expectations you have coming in.

While the Brio 300 is capable of hitting a 1080p full HD resolution, the picture won’t fool anyone into thinking it’s anything other than a webcam. There’s a fair bit of noise in the image, in bright conditions it’s not overly noticeable but it starts to become more apparent in those darker streamer setups. It’s also limited to 30fps which is fine for video calls but might look a little choppy on a Twitch stream alongside smooth 60fps gameplay.

Logitech’s RightLight 2 tech does a pretty good job of lifting subpar lighting conditions though I found the automatic white balancing never quite looked natural. The Brio 300 is capable of nice colours though, you’re just better off setting this manually if you’re concerned with looking as good as possible. There’s no autofocus on the Brio 300 though the focal range is pretty broad, for normal desk setups you’ll look sharp but without any of that pleasant bokeh depth of field blur.

There’s microphone on board and while it’s unlikely to draw any compliments for how good you sound, I actually found it surprisingly impressive for what it is. It’s a bit timid and there’s a lot of room sound picked up too, but for work meetings it’s as good as a laptop microphone. If you’re a streamer thinking of using a built in webcam microphone for Twitch or YouTube though? You probably shouldn’t be streaming in the first place.

summed up

As a webcam for work video calls, Discord chats or family catch ups the Logitech Brio is going to do a more than capable job. The HD picture is sharp if not a little noisy at times, it’s capable of reasonable colour with a little assistance and the on board microphone is passable. 

For streamers though, there’s likely better options to explore, including one from Logitech themselves. Their own StreamCam retails at £139.99 but is often found well below £100 on sale and directly in line with the Logitech Brio 300’s £74.99 price tag.

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