Webcam company Obsbot recently launched two new gimbal-equipped webcams, the $349 Tiny 3 and the $199 Tiny 3 Lite. It claims that the priciest model is the smallest pan, tilt, zoom (PTZ) 4K webcam ever made, weighing 63 grams. Ironically, the Tiny 3 Lite is heavier and bigger. I’ve been testing the Tiny 3 for a couple of weeks, and here’s what you should know about it.
Compared to Insta360’s newish $249 Link 2 Pro, the Tiny 3 has a slightly bigger sensor and more AI-powered features, including voice control and voice tracking. It also has MEMS mics, which are supposedly better than condenser mics at filtering unwanted noise, and Obsbot claims they’re as good as a dedicated microphone. I only have my Insta360 Link from 2022 on hand to compare it to. And while the Tiny 3 can produce a sharper image than the Link, it’s not a night-and-day difference based on my testing with final retail hardware.
You can boss both the Tiny 3 and the Lite around with preset questions (“Hi, Tiny” to turn on, “Sleep, Tiny” to turn off, “Track Me” to turn on AI-powered face tracking, “Position 1” to snap to a saved camera position, etc.), but only the pricier model has Desk Mode that lets it look downward because the Lite’s base is too thick (the original Link has a Desk Mode, too). The Tiny 3 listens remarkably well, even when I sort of mutter the commands. Although, seeing it start to track my face when I uttered the phrase “track me” during a meeting was weird enough that I turned off the voice control feature. They both advertise 4K / 30 frames per second video capture and up to 120 frames per second at 1080p. They also support the Switch 2, but require the companion app to toggle on the mode. Enabling that mode sets 1080p as the maximum resolution on PC until you disable it.
The Tiny 3 has a slightly wider field of view, and its ISO can go higher (12800 versus 6400 maximum ISO) in dimly lit rooms. It packs a 1/1.28-inch sensor with an f/1.8 aperture and a 24-millimeter equivalent focal length, which are improvements over the last-gen model, however incremental. Bigger sensors can capture more light, presenting images with less noise. Those gains weren’t all that noticeable during my testing, but they might be for others, since everyone’s work area looks different.
Video capture at 4K / 30 frames per second looks fine on the Tiny 3 in video calls. It produces sharper footage than the Lite and the Link, and as seen in the raw stills captured through Obsbot’s software, it’s better at resolving shadows seen in my wrinkled long-sleeve shirt. The stills should illustrate just how close they all are in visual quality. There are differences in how they handle contrast, but I don’t think the $350 model is the clear winner in either snapshot sample. That’s really notable considering my Insta360 Link is about 3 years old.
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As previously mentioned, the company claims the webcam’s MEMS mic array (two directional, one omnidirectional) can rival performance from a standalone mic. They sound good, but I couldn’t tell the difference until I picked up my guitar and started strumming. I could hear individual plucks of guitar strings through the Tiny 3’s mic better than the Link that I have on hand. The extra detail is nice, although if you’re primarily using the Tiny 3 for video calls, it’s likely to get compressed, sadly. Also, most people who care about how their voices or instruments sound likely already have a standalone mic.
I’d be more impressed with the Tiny 3 if it were priced more competitively. But even then, I’d be reluctant to recommend it given the state of its companion app. To put it lightly, it’s an overstuffed mess to navigate, with useful features nested in tough-to-find places next to ones you’ll likely never touch again.
I get that webcams increasingly have a ton of features, and while I’m not arguing against more features to justify high prices, it’s up to these companies to make a webcam’s features easy to use, especially when you’re in a rush before or during a call. Insta360 has figured this out, and Obsbot has not.
