A lot of people use their PC’s and laptops for work meetings, streaming and more and rely on the built-in camera to produce the video images required. Unfortunately, many of these cameras are lacking, especially those on laptops.
To produce high-quality video, you typically need a premium aftermarket webcam. This is especially important in the professional environment where first impressions count. After all, your first impression with someone might be through a video call.
Dell has just released a camera that fits the bill: the Dell Pro 7 Webcam 4K (WB726), and although it looks basic, it is anything but.
As you may have suspected from the name, it offers 4K resolution at up to 60 fps thanks to its Sony STARVIS sensor. With added features such as AI-enhanced visual and audio processing and advanced presence-aware security, you would expect it to present you in the best possible light to the parties on the other end of the video.
Other features include:
- AI-powered imaging with Smart DOL-HDR, Smart Auto Exposure, and Smart Auto White Balance for balanced, true-to-life visuals
- Hyper-speed autofocus, auto-framing, and gesture controls for seamless on-camera presence
- View-focused dual microphones with AI beamforming for clear voice capture and reduced background noise
- Windows Hello facial recognition plus presence sensing, privacy shutter, and secure anti-spoofing technology
I have tested out a Dell 4K webcam before and although it was great, it was lacked a microphone, and although many users will use a headset or the like anyway, it is nice to have a microphone to provide audio in the same device, especially in this case with the AI voice enhancement feature.
After using the Dell Pro 7 Webcam 4K (WB726) for the past week or so, I can say this webcam is a vast improvement with great video quality, audio that is excellent given how far away the microphone is from the user (ie. not a boom mic), a tiny footprint and support for Windows Hello.
Design and setup
The webcam is a tiny, black, cloth-covered model with a physical mechanical shutter on top to turn the video off for those concerned about someone hijacking their webcam. It screws onto a standard V-mount that sits atop your monitor, at whatever angle you need it to. I have a45-inch curved gaming monitor that is fairly thick in the middle but the camera was still able to attach to it so you should be right with most modern monitors. If you want, you can also mount/screw the webcam onto a standard tripod.
If you are buying it to stick on top of your laptop, check that the lid/hinge strength is enough to hold up the webcam. I had to not open the laptop all the way on a couple of tests as the webcam was too heavy for the hinges and pushed the screen backwards. The option here is to use a tripod next to the laptop instead of mounting the camera on the laptop itself.
The webcam connects using the included USB-C to USB-C cable but there is a USB-A adapter included if you need to connect using that. I connected mine to my Thunderbolt dock via USB-C. It is important to keep in mind that to access all features of the Dell Pro 7 Webcam 4K, you will need to connect it via USB 3.0.
Setting up the device is super simple, though I did need to install the Dell Display and Peripheral Manager app to get all the features working. Once you have installed the camera in the app, you are good to go.
If you just want to record a video, you can do that in the Dell app. The Dell app is good because it allows you to adjust the camera settings such as colour saturation, brightness, sharpness, and more.
Here you will find shortcuts to set up presence sensing and Windows Hello, and to adjust your microphone settings for features such as View-based Beamforming and Mic Noise Reduction.
One thing to keep in mind, when you are using a meeting app such as Zoom, Google Meet or Teams, the image will show in that app, and not the Dell app but adjusting the settings within the Dell app does adjust the video quality etc in the meeting app.
Autoframing works well in all the messaging and video chat apps I have tested it on and is great, especially for folks like myself who find it difficult to sit in one position for extended periods of time.
Video and audio quality
The video quality of the camera is exceptional, and at 4K you would expect so. The audio quality is possibly even more exceptional — not so much in its purest form but in its software enhancements. I was in a meeting with the dogs going berserk just a few metres away from me, I could barely hear the other end but they could hear me clearly, without any dog barking.
“Dual microphones with visual-based beamforming, supported by AI-based technology, detect only human voices within the field of view while filtering out background noise”
Too right it filters out background noise. This was incredibly surprising to be honest, much better than I expected it to be. If you work in a noisy environment, you should definitely consider this.
Windows Hello
I hate that my PC doesn’t have Windows Hello, but then I’m not sure how it would (although maybe it’s time monitor manufacturers started building in Windows Hello-compatible cameras?), so for a webcam that supports this security feature is a must for me.
The Windows Hello feature on the Dell Pro 7 Webcam 4K works exceptionally fast, in any light and consistently – although it struggled when I logged in this cold morning, with my beanie pulled low over my head.
This is an added bonus for this camera and is, for me, something that sets it apart from so many other webcams on the market.
Presence Sensing
The new Dell Pro 7 Webcam 4K features a new presence sensing technology that ties into that feature in Windows 11. You set all this up in the Windows 11 settings (the Dell app links you into the Windows Settings app) where the screen will turn off when the camera considers you gone from the front of it.
You can set how far away you need to be for the camera to consider you gone. The camera can also conversely detect your presence and wake your PC when it detects you there. I really like this feature – although I don’t need it for security, but more for power-saving.
Final thoughts
I have been waiting for a 4K webcam with excellent video and exceptional noise-cancelling audio for a long time — especially one that supports Windows Hello. Well, my wait is over with the Dell Pro 7 Webcam 4K (WB726). It delivers what it promises, and then some, with some excellent features that you never knew you needed.
If Dell end up asking for this review unit back, I will be buying one: that’s how impressed I am with it. The Dell Pro 7 Webcam 4K (WB726) is available now at Dell Australia for $311.30.
Scott is our resident open technology expert. If you can mod it, or want to use it your way, Scott has probably done it. From Laptops to phones, headphones and game consoles, he’s played with it and wants to see the next generation.
