External webcam or laptop camera: which gives a better picture on video calls?

For occasional calls, a modern laptop camera is enough, especially with good light in front of you. For daily calls, interviews, teaching or streaming, an external webcam almost always gives a better and more flattering picture, because of its larger parts, but most of all because you can put it where it belongs: at eye level.

A laptop lid is only a few millimetres thick, so the camera module has to be tiny. A tiny lens and sensor collect little light, which gives grain and softness in anything but bright rooms. Many laptop cameras are still 720p, though newer models have 1080p ones.

The position is the second problem. A laptop camera sits below your eye line when the screen is in front of you, so it looks up at your chin and the ceiling behind you. That angle is unflattering and is the most common reason that people look bad on calls, whatever the resolution.

An external webcam usually has a larger sensor and a better lens, with options such as autofocus, a wider or narrower view, and a microphone. More important, it clips to the top of a monitor, or sits on a small stand, so it can be at eye level and a comfortable distance away.

The extras vary a lot by price. A basic 1080p webcam is a clear improvement over most laptop cameras; spending much more brings better low-light performance and more control, which matters mostly if you are on camera for hours.

A 4K webcam does not guarantee a better call, because most call apps send 720p or 1080p anyway, and USB bandwidth and compression limit the picture before it leaves your computer. Sensor size, lens quality and light matter more than the number on the box. Our guide on why a 1080p camera can look worse than a 720p one explains this in detail.

Raise the laptop on a stand or a pile of books so that the camera is at eye level, and use a separate keyboard if you type. Put a lamp or a window in front of you. These two changes improve the picture more than most people expect, and they cost nothing or very little.

On a Mac with an iPhone, Continuity Camera lets the phone act as the webcam on recent versions of macOS and iOS; its camera is much better than a laptop's. Check Apple's requirements for your devices before you rely on it.

Run a camera test with your laptop camera in the lighting you use for calls. Look at grain on a plain wall, sharpness around your eyes, and how the picture changes when you move. If the problem is a dark, low-angle picture, fix the light and the height first. Buy an external webcam if the picture is still soft or noisy afterwards, or if you are on camera every day.

Laptop camera plus good light plus eye height is enough for most calls. Add an external webcam when you present, teach, sell or stream, where the picture is part of the work.