Two-minute review
The Rapoo XW180 definitely has the seems of the most effective webcams in the marketplace – its design resembles a compact model of the Logitech Brio, with rounded corners and a shiny face masking the lens and sensor. It's a pretty piece of package that ought to complement a enterprise atmosphere, all whereas being small and light-weight sufficient to throw into your laptop computer bag between makes use of.
Better but, it is extremely inexpensive. The Rapoo XW180 retails for £39.99 / €49.99 (round $55 / AU$75) which makes it cheaper than a few of the least expensive model named webcams in the marketplace such because the Logitech C310 (£45 / €60 / $50), although it could seem availability is restricted to Europe at the moment.
The cable is a USB-A kind connection and measures round 60-inches (150cm) in size, although that is mounted into the again of the digicam and cannot be eliminated like within the aforementioned Brio, which could trigger points if it's worthwhile to transport the webcam round ceaselessly.
The omnidirectional microphone constructed into the Rapoo XW180 is surprisingly good for a webcam, particularly provided that even the most costly webcams in the marketplace nonetheless wrestle to offer clear audio recordings, nevertheless it's a stretch to say that the standard is pleasing to take heed to when in comparison with one thing like a devoted USB microphone or combi-headset.
You're getting 1080p decision at 30 frames-per-second (or FPS), which is greater than satisfactory for easy video throughout most purposes like Microsoft Teams or Zoom the place your most decision and framerate cannot exceed that anyway. A obtrusive concern the Rapoo XW180 does have, although, is that the picture high quality is undersaturated and much too shiny, washing out the topic of any shade or options, as you may see within the picture above.
You can alter this in sure purposes by heading into the settings, however the Rapoo XW180 does not include its personal webcam hub software program so any alterations you make will not carry over to every software. After decreasing the brightness and growing the saturation we managed to get the video high quality to look extra nice, so respectable high quality is definitely achievable with some work, however the out-of-box footage leaves loads to be desired.
Webcam Specifications
Here are the specs for the Rapoo XW180:
Connection kind: USB-A 2.0
Video Resolution: 1080p @ 30FPS
Microphone: Omnidirectional microphone
Still Image Resolution: 1920x1080
Image Quality Settings Customization: No
Diagonal Field of View (FOV): 80°
Focus Type: Fixed
Mounting Options: L-shape joint or Tripod
Cable Length: 1.5 meters built-in cable
The Logitech C920 at present sits fairly within the primary spot as the perfect webcam in the marketplace regardless of there being higher choices accessible due to its affordability for the standard you get at $90 / £90 / AU$136, which is round twice the RRP of the Rapoo XW180. By comparability, you are truly getting a reasonably whole lot by going with the XW180 when you simply want a webcam that may outperform the on constructed right into a laptop computer gadget, and whereas it does not fairly sustain with the C920's high quality, it does have a couple of small benefits.
A significant one is that the pinnacle of the Rapoo XW180 can rotate a full 360 levels, in addition to barely pivot up and down due to a ball-joint fashion mount for the digicam lens. The undeniable fact that the webcam will be maneuvered offers it a leg up over most of the well-liked Logitech webcams in the marketplace that include a set digicam, particularly if it's worthwhile to angle your shot to cover a messy background.
The Rapoo XW180 additionally has a surprisingly extensive 80° subject of view which may embody an excessive amount of your background inside the shot. This will be advantageous if it's worthwhile to do any presenting or when you use signal language to speak by the webcam, particularly as many webcams have a tighter FOV that solely frames the person from the shoulder up.
We in contrast the Rapoo XW180 to 3 completely different Logitech webcams: the Logitech 4K Brio, the Logitech C920 and one of the vital inexpensive choices, the Logitech C310. The C310 is dearer than Rapoo's providing and inferior in nearly each manner, restricted to 720p and with a 60° FOV that unflatteringly zooms proper into the topic's face.
A weird factor we observed was that a lot of the conferencing purposes like Google Meet and Streaming software program like OBS truly detected the Rapoo XW180 as a CyberTrack H7, a wholly completely different webcam. This did not have an effect on something outdoors of the identify, nevertheless it's nonetheless complicated when you're switching between completely different recording gadgets. You can use the XW180 with Windows, macOS, Chrome OS and even Android gadgets, so it is unlikely that it will not work in your {hardware} even when the identify of the gadget is inaccurate on sure purposes.
Deciding if the Rapoo XW180 webcam is appropriate for you is usually a matter of context. It does not actually honest too effectively with a very powerful job a webcam has – to offer nice high quality video for broadcasting – so it is unlikely to win over anybody on the lookout for a tool for Twitch or YouTube. But it has quite a lot of utility within the type of that rotating head, and you'll even join it to a typical tripod for a greater viewing angle, one thing not usually discovered on inexpensive gadgets.
Realistically, it is the value that may promote you on this, so when you're on the lookout for an affordable, dependable webcam and you are not too bothered about true-to-life shade (and also you're completely satisfied to make a couple of changes to the brightness) then the XW180 is completely serviceable.
Buy if...
You want an affordable webcam
No fuss or frills, the Rapoo XW180 is not going to win any prizes for efficiency, however when you want an inexpensive webcam for work or college then it is a stellar product for what you are paying.
You like a wide-angle
The 80° subject of view is spectacular for a webcam of this pricepoint, so when you want the extra recording house then the Rapoo XW180 is a superb cut price purchase
You want a bizarre viewing angle
Being each tripod suitable and having that ball-joint fashion rotation means you may maneuver the Rapoo XW180 into a particular angle, reasonably than a few of the extra inflexible rival webcams in the marketplace.
Don't purchase if...
You need buckets of options
This may be very a lot a 'plug and play' webcam, so you are not getting any software program or fascinating options to mess around with. If you want one thing with some customization you may need to look elsewhere.
You want a variable FOV
The 80° angle is fab, nevertheless it could possibly be too extensive for some, which is tough luck as you may't make any changes to it. If you want a tighter shot, contemplate one thing from Logitech as an alternative.
You need high-quality video
The Rapoo XW180 does the job, however the precise high quality of the video is pretty disappointing out of the field. If you wished to take up streaming or broadcasting you then'll want to spend so much more money on a streaming webcam, or higher but, a DSLR digicam.
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