Razer Kiyo review

The Razer Kiyo is an ideal webcam for gamers that want decent quality and a built-in light for use in all conditions.

Razer Kiyo review
(Image: © Razer)

Top Ten Reviews Verdict

The Razer Kiyo has an innovative and unique feature in the form of the ring light, which turns out to be more than just a gimmick. No other webcam offers built-in lighting of this quality and it’s a real standout feature - it’s just a shame the lackluster microphone lets the side down.

Pros

  • +

    Ring Light

  • +

    Good quality camera

  • +

    Stylish design

Cons

  • -

    Poor microphone

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The Razer Kiyo, despite now having a more powerful Pro sibling, is still one of the best webcams out there for gamers. This, rather rarely, offers a built-in light ring that is able to offer a balanced image no matter the lighting conditions. So if you're gaming in a low-lit room, but still want to stream clearly, this is your cam.

The quality is great, with a 1080p feed at 30fps or 720p at 60fps. That's not as good as some of the competition on this list, but is still more than enough for most users. And when you take into account the built-in light that enhances the image, this can balance out for a similar finish to competitors.

The microphone leaves something to be desired, but Razer likely didn't spend much in this area, knowing that gamers will have their own headsets in use anyway. The camera itself looks great, is built to a high-quality and is very easy to setup – all making for a portable system that can be used as and when needed, wherever you go.

Razer Kiyo: Design and features

  • 1080p at 30 FPS or 720p at 30 FPS.
  • Innovative ring light.

Right out of the box, the Razer Kiyo is a visually striking bit of kit. The unique ring light which encircles the camera lens means that it looks like no other webcam on the market. It’s also small and compact, folding away neatly into something akin to a hockey puck in shape and size. There is a 4.9-foot braided cable which connects the webcam to your home computer via USB 2.0. That should be long enough to fit into any desk setup.

The camera itself is a fairly standard setup for this price range - we’re looking at a full HD camera capable of streaming or recording video at either 1080p resolution at 30 frames per second or 720p resolution at 60 frames per second. If you’re taking still images content, the 4-megapixel camera is even better and can capture at maximum resolution of 2688 x 1520.

Razer Kiyo webcam

(Image credit: Razer)

That distinctive ring light isn’t just to help the Razer Kiyo standout from the crowd though, it’s there to make sure you’re perfectly illuminated when you’re in front of the camera. It also features a dual microphone setup which should in theory provide higher audio quality (we cover this later, but the short version is that the microphone seriously disappoints.)

Razer Kiyo: Performance

  • Excellent image and video quality.
  • Poor microphone.

There’s very little to complain about when it comes to the camera half of this webcam. The Razer Kiyo takes beautiful images when used as a camera, with the ring light working wonderfully to illuminate the subject of the picture. Likewise, when used for video calls it also works a treat, with a clear image and the option for 60 frames per second video if you’d prefer a smooth image over a higher resolution.

Colors are bright and vibrant and the auto-focus does a great job of keeping the camera centered in on the target so you don’t look like a blurry mess.

Razer Kiyo webcam

(Image credit: Razer)

The only real stumbling block for the Razer Kiyo is its microphone. While it has a dual-microphone system which typically improves audio quality, the Razer Kiyo’s is sadly subpar and records audio much quieter than we expected. 

Perhaps Razer is hoping you’ll shell out for one of its premium gaming headsets to go with your webcam? Who knows, but it’s a disappointing shortfall on an otherwise excellent webcam.

Razer Kiyo: Price

  • $99.99 MSRP.
  • One-year warranty.

The Razer Kiyo has an MSRP of $99.99, which puts it at the same cost as the Logitech C922 Pro Stream, our current webcam top pick. Putting the two devices side by side, there isn’t much in it though and the nifty ring lighting feature of the Razer Kiyo could easily swing the choice for a lot of consumers. The Razer Kiyo also comes with a one year warranty as standard.

Razer Kiyo Webcam

(Image credit: Razer)

Razer Kiyo: User reviews

User reviews for the Razer Kiyo are positive for the most part, with an average rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars on Amazon. Of those reviews, 65% rated the Razer Kiyo at 5 stars. Users were impressed with the lighting and camera image quality, but some people stated that it’s not really good enough for streaming. Numerous reviews also picked up on the lackluster microphone.

Razer Kiyo webcam

(Image credit: Razer)

The general consensus seems to be that the Razer Kiyo is a great webcam with a mediocre microphone, but that it’s aspirations of being a streaming camera are a little lofty. 

Should you buy the Razer Kiyo?

The Razer Kiyo is an ideal gamer webcam that features a built-in ring light for the best finish, even in low-light conditions. The mic isn't great and the 1080p tops out at 30fps but for the price, this does a lot and is built to a high standard.  If being well lit and looking your best on camera is important to you, and you don’t want to shell out for an expensive studio lighting rig, then the Razer Kiyo is a great choice. 

If this product isn't for you

For streamers, the Elgato Facecam is a camera built to task with a superb Sony sensor that makes the 1080p and 60fps video a fantastic quality. There is a lack of microphone and this won't autofocus, but then for streamers with a fixed setup and dedicated mic that's ideal – all the money is going on the video quality instead of those extras. For YouTube and Twitch streamers, this is the webcam for you.

For the very best resolution, the Logitech Brio Ultra HD Webcam stands out thanks to a 4K UHD sensor which is ideal for blowing up video feeds on large screens without listing any quality at all. The camera itself is built to a high standard and looks as well as performs professionally. Features like auto focus, digital zoom and smart light adjusting software all make this ideally suited to all environments. They also add up to make this a more expensive option.

Ian Stokes

Ian Stokes is the Tech Editor here at Top Ten Reviews. He has extensive experience in tech and games journalism, with work published on IGN, Kotaku UK, Waypoint, GamesRadar, Trusted Reviews, and many more. You'll find him covering everything from smartphones and home computers to 3D printers and headphones. He's also our resident cocktail expert.