iPhone Continuity Camera beats the pants off Android 14’s webcam feature

It’s uncommon to discover a laptop computer webcam that doesn’t suck. The bodily constraints, cost-cutting, and lack of smartphone-like software program enhancements imply that even essentially the most fashionable webcams aren’t all that far faraway from what you’d discover on a 2015 machine. You might, after all, spend lots of of {dollars} on a elaborate webcam that may observe you round or one which sports activities a big sensor just like the Razer Kiyo Professional Extremely.

Or you could possibly take the extra progressive route and use your telephone as a webcam. The truth is, I’ve been utilizing my iPhone as a alternative for my MacBook Professional’s horrible built-in webcam ever since Apple introduced the function final 12 months. I even tossed out my devoted webcam for Apple’s answer.

On the Android aspect, utilizing third-party software program to attain the identical impact has all the time been potential. Nonetheless, I choose native options, and Google has lastly added webcam assist to Android 14, making each up-to-date smartphone a doubtlessly unimaginable webcam.

With that in thoughts, I loaded up the Android 14-based December 2023 function drop on my Pixel 8 Professional to offer the function a whirl and pit it in opposition to the iPhone 15 Professional Max to seek out out if Google’s constructed an answer on par with Apple’s Continuity Digicam.

The pandemic is perhaps over, however video calls stay a necessary a part of work and household connections. The prospect of utilizing your telephone to enhance the video high quality sounds nice, nevertheless it must be straightforward to make use of to profit the typical mom-and-pop smartphone person. I wouldn’t count on my mother to dabble round within the settings to determine find out how to set her telephone up as a webcam, nor must you.

The iPhone takes the win right here — considerably. So long as you’re inside the Apple ecosystem, there are not any settings to be enabled. The most recent software program updates allow Continuity Digicam (Apple’s advertising time period for the smartphone as a webcam function) out of the field. If the iPhone and Mac are signed into the identical iCloud account and on the identical Wi-Fi community, the iPhone mechanically reveals up as a digital camera inside your video calling app’s settings. I discovered it to work flawlessly in FaceTime, Google Meet, and even Zoom. The draw back, after all, is the truth that Apple’s iPhone-as-webcam implementation doesn’t work on something however a Mac laptop.

In comparison with the iPhone, Android 14’s method is way more concerned. As soon as the telephone is plugged into the laptop computer, customers should faucet the USB settings possibility inside the notifications drop-down. Now choose the webcam possibility, and your Android telephone ought to begin displaying up as a webcam inside video calling apps. That setup will not be notably arduous. Nonetheless, the tucked-away nature of the settings and lack of shopper training means it may be arduous to get began for much less technically inclined shoppers. Particularly those that don’t hold a watch out for the most recent Android-related information. Google wants to noticeably rethink the onboarding course of if it hopes to make this a generally used function.

I nonetheless get nightmares about making an attempt to get my first VGA webcam working with my laptop. We’ve come a good distance since, however I don’t take seamless entry with no consideration. Continuity Digicam on the iPhone is fairly versatile, permitting you to make use of it wirelessly or wired over USB. Whereas it comes with sure restrictions, like disabling AirPlay or SideCar whereas utilizing the function wirelessly, I discovered it to work flawlessly inside my residence workplace and even whereas working from a restaurant. I solely confronted connectivity points whereas making an attempt to make a video name at a busy airport with crowded Wi-Fi channels. Connecting to the iPhone by way of its newly-found USB-C port rapidly resolved the matter. General, the expertise is strong so long as you’re on the most recent software program variations and a fairly dependable Wi-Fi community.

Google’s implementation, then again, is much more restrictive. Not like the iPhone, the function solely works over a wired USB-C connection. On the flip aspect, utilizing a wired connection means you don’t have to fret about community reliability, congestion, and even being logged into the identical person account. I examined out the function on Home windows and Mac and confronted no points. Relying in your utilization necessities, both possibility will suffice in a pinch.

Me? I’ve bought a MagSafe dock completely lined up for the right video angle, making the iPhone’s wi-fi webcam talents extra suited to my wants.

Let’s not neglect the only real motive behind this train. The bar is ready fairly low with laptops and most desktop webcams being as dangerous as they’re. Nonetheless, I’d count on two of the best-performing digital camera telephones available on the market to ship stellar outcomes for video calls.

The iPhone wins the picture high quality check by a large margin. It’s among the finest smartphones for capturing video, and it brings that very same attribute colour science to video calls as properly. Stills grabbed from video proceed to have wonderful distinction, sharpness, and element. The upper-than 1080p decision is streamed wirelessly at a silky clean 60 frames per second. I’ve completed stay TV interviews utilizing the setup with zero hiccups and no dropped frames. The picture high quality is great, although not fairly as sharp as a few of the greatest 4K webcams.

Whereas I’m not a fan of portrait mode movies, I discovered myself utilizing the Studio Gentle function on a regular basis. Just like the native digital camera app on the iPhone, the function segments the topic and background and provides extra distinction. The ever-so-slightly darker background and brightened-up face do a implausible job of giving your video calls a extra premium contact and, in lots of circumstances, could be the right various to a hoop gentle setup.

However, video high quality when utilizing the Pixel as a webcam is fairly mediocre. The video stream seems to be locked at 720p, with grainy video, smudged particulars, and extreme compression being the norm. Whereas I initially thought this is perhaps a difficulty with the video calling software program, successive testing with different telephones operating Android 14 and alternate video calling software program gave the identical outcomes. It’s nonetheless considerably higher than the built-in webcam on my MacBook Professional, however nowhere nearly as good because the iPhone. Google does supply a stay preview on the display, which comes throughout as a bit redundant because you’ll flip the telephone over anyway. Moreover, switching to a 2x crop or the ultrawide digital camera is feasible, however that makes the mediocre outcomes look worse.

There are different advantages to Apple’s vertical integration, and it comes throughout in distinctive additions just like the Desk View mode. When suitably mounted, the iPhone can use its ultrawide digital camera to beam a second stream of video with a top-down angle. It’s an excellent addition to point out off notes, a drawing maybe, and even your dinner whilst you proceed conversing by way of the first digital camera. There’s no various for this function on Android.

A lot as I welcome the addition of the brand new webcam capabilities in Android 14, all the pieces from the way in which to allow it to the precise video high quality reeks of beta software program. Can Google make important enhancements in a future replace? Presumably. However I don’t have very excessive hopes.

Because it stands, it’s a welcome addition that may be a severe improve in video calling capabilities for hundreds of thousands of customers in comparison with their primary webcams. But when the very best picture high quality, function set, and polish are what you need, the iPhone comes out on prime.