OBSBOT Meet Flip

As someone who uses a camera on a daily basis for video work, I often find myself searching for quicker and more hassle-free solutions to recording video content. There's a current push-and-pull in place in regards to the quality an actual camera provides compared to the challenges of incorporating one into your setup, namely in regards to the software, hardware, and space required to seamlessly use a camera on a day-to-day basis. We're talking mounting equipment, proper lighting, the relevant cables, a dummy battery to serve as a power pass through, and likewise room to put all of this together into one unit while still leaving space to make changes should you need to. I've been using a camera for years and yet I still find myself struggling with a way to make all of this work in one cohesive whole without it looking like a cabled and plastic nightmare.

Needless to say, I long for the days of just using a mounted webcam for any required video footage. There's something so admirable and simplistic about plugging a webcam into your computer with a singular USB cable, propping it on top of your monitor, and then carrying on with your daily business without any further hassle. However, webcams trade quality for convenience, but they are getting better and at an impressive rate.

This brings me to the OBSBOT Meet Flip. This is the latest mountable webcam system from OBSBOT, who like many other technology manufacturers these days, offers a slate of similar gadgets even aficionados will struggle to tell apart. There are smaller and more affordable webcams made for the masses, but also more established camera systems at significantly higher prices for those looking for more quality. Regardless of the product, each comes in a rather small form-factor and are designed to be plug and play, if you will.

The same applies to the OBSBOT Meet Flip, with this being part of the webcam range. It's a small device weighing less than 38 grams, and which uses a unibody stand to clip onto monitors, laptops, even tripods if you want a more stable fit. From here, it's basically a small camera module that can be flipped up and down when it's needed, adding a more comforting privacy element to the device as well. As OBSBOT puts it, the foldable architecture is made to deliver "privacy by design", and I think it's a far more aesthetically pleasing way to offer such than simply having a sliding door in front of the lens.

Anyway, the lens itself is a ½" CMOS sensor able to capture video in 4K UHD. Yep, it's a quality camera we're talking about here, one that combines Exmor RS architecture and Quad Bayer technology to offer users either 4K/30 FPS footage or 1080p/60 FPS. In my experience testing the OBSBOT Meet Flip the past couple of weeks, the video quality is quite astounding, especially if you already have a few camera tools on hand like a Ring Light to improve the lighting in the frame. Does it have the depth of an established camera? It's not quite as sharp or clear, but it's more than good enough for those looking for a more affordable and easy to use video solution.

What I will add is you can make a lot of changes on the fly with the Meet Flip. As there are no buttons or inputs on the device itself, all changes and adjustments are handled in the OBSBOT Center software, which is free to download and wonderfully effective. You can tweak lighting, white balance, colour, framing, focus, HDR, the frame itself (horizontal, vertical, or adjust to your exact liking), even move the view and gimbal. The options are incredibly extensive and the way they're all put together and presented is so straightforward you will only need a basic understanding of photography to take advantage of them. If, like me, your blood boils when you scroll through the endless settings options on a camera, OBSBOT Center will feel like a dream come true.

As an added bonus, you technically can use the OBSBOT Center for recording meetings and such too, meaning you can even circumnavigate the nightmare that can be OBS Studio, should you want to.

There are also included microphones in the Meet Flip if you want to use the device to record audio, specifically a Dual-Mic system that combines an omnidirectional and a directional microphone, with four options on hand to tailor these to your situation. It'll be useful for those searching for a seamless solution for online meetings, but if you intend to stream using the Meet Flip, for example, the microphone unit isn't too effective at cutting out the clickity-clacking of keyboard keys and such.

OBSBOT does also include a slate of artificial intelligence features with the Meet Flip of varying usefulness and accessibility. The latter point is in regards to some features requiring additional payment (i.e. the Magic Notes feature), but many are simply useful tools to eliminate the strain of getting framing correct. It's a bit like Apple's Center Stage in that the Meet Flip will analyse and study your video and zoom, refocus, and reframe the footage as you need it in real-time. It can do this with a group or with a singular person on camera, and in my experience, it works like a charm.

In fact, I'd go as far as saying the OBSBOT Meet Flip works like a charm in pretty much all circumstances. What we have here is an immensely effective webcam system that has enough technology and power under the hood to rival a lot of cameras, all while besting cameras by simply being far more streamlined and easier to use. If you're completely familiar with camera technology and can take full advantage of the plethora of settings, there is no doubt the Meet Flip cannot match up, but if you're a beginner to an immediate-level user with cameras, this device is a remarkably effective alternative, especially so when considering the price tag of $119. Even for mid-range devices, that's a very competitive price point.

I've had such a blast using this mini machine over the past couple of weeks that I'm genuinely wondering whether or not to simply replace my established camera with it. The convenience and minute form-factor are simply that much of a highlight. It's a staggeringly lovely device all things considered.