Microsoft Modern Webcam Review
A Teams-certified 1080p webcam with a magnetic privacy shutter and a weak built-in mic, priced close to the most popular budget conference webcams.
A solid, Teams-certified 1080p webcam with a genuinely useful privacy shutter. It caps out at 1080p while several rivals now ship 4K, skips Windows Hello, and needs a separate mic for serious call audio.
Check price on Walmart →| Resolution | 1080p at 30fps, with HDR, auto exposure, auto white balance, and auto anti-flicker |
|---|---|
| Field of view | 78-degree diagonal |
| Privacy | Magnetic slide shutter that covers the lens and cuts the video feed |
| Connectivity | USB-A, plug-and-play with no driver install |
| Dimensions / weight | 2.9 x 2 x 1.4 inches, 3.4 ounces |
| OS support | Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 11. macOS 10.15 and 11 listed |
| Windows Hello | Not supported |
| Certification | Certified for Microsoft Teams |
The Microsoft Modern Webcam is a 1080p HDR USB webcam designed for video calls. Its main standout feature is a magnetic privacy shutter that does more than cover the glass: it physically blocks the lens and cuts the camera feed at the same time. For a small business standardizing on Microsoft Teams, the shutter and Teams certification are the two real reasons to choose it over a cheaper no-name webcam.
The webcam launched at a $70 list price, but street pricing has moved around since then. In other words, the number on the box is only a starting point, not necessarily what you will pay. As of this review, Microsoft's product page for the Modern Webcam no longer resolves and instead redirects to a general support page. That is worth knowing if you plan to buy or reorder it directly from Microsoft.
Setup works the way it does with most USB webcams: plug it into a USB-A port, and Windows and Teams recognize it without requiring a separate driver install. That plug-and-play approach also explains the short specs sheet. There is no companion app to configure, no firmware to update, and no separate settings panel beyond the options already available in Windows' own camera settings and Teams' device menu. For an office standardizing a batch of desks at once, the lack of setup steps is a feature in itself, since IT does not have to script a driver install across a fleet of machines.
Video Quality: A Clear 1080p Picture
The Modern Webcam tops out at 1080p and 30fps, which is enough for a clear, well-lit Teams call but a step behind the 4K sensors now standard on several rivals in this same price range, including newer conference cameras from EMEET and Logitech, according to Tom's Hardware's review. HDR and auto exposure keep a face from washing out against a bright window, which is the failure mode that makes most budget webcams look bad on a video call.
Auto white balance and auto anti-flicker handle the two other common problems on a home or office desk: warm indoor lighting turning skin tones orange, and fluorescent office lights causing a visible flicker on camera. Both run automatically, with no manual white-balance step to configure before a call.
The 78-degree field of view is wide enough to show a desk setup or a second person leaning into frame without the fisheye distortion that shows up on some ultra-wide webcams. It is not a wide-room camera. A conference room with several people around a table needs a dedicated conference camera instead.
- 1080p/30fps caps it below the 4K cameras now common at this price
- HDR and auto exposure handle backlighting well for a single-person desk setup
- 78-degree field of view fits a single desk or a two-person setup
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The Privacy Shutter Is the Best Feature on the Device
Sliding the magnetic shutter closed does two things at once: it physically blocks the lens and it cuts the camera feed, so an app cannot show a black frame and claim the camera is "on" behind it. That is a meaningfully better design than the plastic clip-on covers bundled with cheaper webcams, which block the lens but leave the sensor active.
A white LED lights up on the front whenever the camera is capturing video, giving a second, independent signal that the shutter alone does not always make obvious from across a room.
At Layer3Labs, we work with healthcare, legal, and finance clients who care about exactly this distinction: a software toggle that says the camera is off is a policy, while a physical shutter that also cuts the feed is a hardware guarantee. For a desk where client calls happen next to sensitive files or screens, that difference is worth paying for even when the resolution is lower than a 4K rival.
- Shutter blocks the lens and disables the feed in one motion
- LED indicator confirms recording status separately from the shutter
Skip the Built-In Microphone for Real Calls
The built-in microphone is the Modern Webcam's clearest weak point. Windows Central's review of the device specifically called out needing a better microphone for serious use, and that matches the general pattern with compact USB webcams: the mic is an afterthought next to the camera and lens.
For a one-off casual call, the built-in mic is fine. For daily client calls, sales demos, or anything where audio quality reflects on the business, pair this webcam with a dedicated USB microphone or a headset. Save the built-in mic for casual, occasional use.
- Built-in mic is workable for casual, occasional calls
- Pair with a separate mic or headset for client-facing or daily use
Windows Hello and macOS Compatibility Gaps
The Modern Webcam does not support Windows Hello, the facial-recognition sign-in feature built into Windows 10 and 11. That rules it out for a business trying to standardize on passwordless sign-in across desks, where a webcam like Logitech's Brio line, which does support Windows Hello, is the better fit.
Listed macOS support covers 10.15 and 11, both several major versions behind the current release. Plug-and-play USB webcams often keep working past their listed OS ceiling. A business buying more than one unit for a Mac-heavy office should test a single camera on its current macOS version first, using Microsoft's own Modern Webcam support page as the starting reference, before standardizing the rest of the office on it.
- No Windows Hello support: a real gap for passwordless-login standardization
- Listed macOS support (10.15, 11) is dated. Check Microsoft's support page and test one unit before a bulk Mac order
Price and Where to Buy It
The Modern Webcam launched at a $70 list price, and third-party retailers have listed it lower at various points since. Microsoft's own product page for the Modern Webcam currently redirects to a general support page rather than showing the product, which suggests it is no longer being sold as a first-party listing on microsoft.com. It has still been available through other retailers as of this review.
That makes it a device worth buying from a retailer with a normal return window rather than betting on Microsoft's own store. Check the current listing and price before you standardize an office order around it.
- Launch MSRP was $70. Check the current listed price before you order, since it moves
- Microsoft's own product page no longer resolves as of this review. Buy through a retailer instead
How It Compares to the Alternatives
Against the EMEET C60E, the Modern Webcam loses on resolution (1080p versus the C60E's 4K dual-camera setup) but wins on the privacy shutter, which the C60E does not include in the same form. Against the Logitech C920x, the two are close on resolution and price, and the choice comes down to whether the physical shutter or Logitech's longer track record and wider software support matters more to you.
The Logitech Brio pulls ahead for a business standardizing on Windows Hello sign-in, since the Modern Webcam does not support it at all. Pick the Modern Webcam when the shutter and Teams certification matter most. Pick one of the alternatives when 4K resolution or passwordless login matters more.
Price runs close enough across all four that resolution, the shutter, and Windows Hello support should be the deciding factors. A mixed office can standardize on the Modern Webcam for privacy-sensitive desks and a 4K model for desks where sharpness matters more, instead of forcing one camera to serve every role.
Who Should Buy the Microsoft Modern Webcam
Buy the Modern Webcam for a Teams-standardized office where the physical privacy shutter is a real requirement and where 1080p resolution is genuinely enough for the calls it will handle. A solo desk, a small sales team on client calls, or a shared office phone booth are all a good fit.
Skip it for three specific cases. A conference room with several people around a table needs a wider field of view and better far-field audio than any single-person desk webcam offers, this one included. A team standardizing on Windows Hello for passwordless sign-in needs a webcam built for that instead, since the Modern Webcam has no facial-recognition hardware to add later. A team that has already moved to 4K conference cameras will see this as a step down in sharpness.
Two things would change this verdict. If Microsoft relists the Modern Webcam directly on microsoft.com with current, first-party support, that removes the sourcing caveat above. If a firmware or driver update ever adds Windows Hello, the biggest gap against Logitech's Brio line closes. Nothing published so far indicates that is planned. Judge it on what it does today, and treat Windows Hello support as a possible future bonus.
Where to buy the Microsoft Modern Webcam
A solid, Teams-certified 1080p webcam with a genuinely useful privacy shutter. It caps out at 1080p while several rivals now ship 4K, skips Windows Hello, and needs a separate mic for serious call audio.
Check price on Walmart →Alternatives worth comparing
If the Microsoft Modern Webcam is not the right fit, these are the other conference cameras ranking alongside it right now.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Yes. It is certified for Microsoft Teams, which means Microsoft has tested it to work reliably with Teams calls specifically, and 1080p HDR video is clear enough for standard client and internal calls. It is not a 4K camera, so a business that has already standardized on 4K conference cameras will see a step down in sharpness.
- No. The Modern Webcam does not support Windows Hello facial recognition sign-in. A business standardizing desks on passwordless login needs a webcam built for that, such as Logitech's Brio line, instead.
- Microsoft's own product page for the Modern Webcam currently redirects to a general support page rather than showing the product for sale, which points to it no longer being a first-party listing on microsoft.com. It has still been available through other retailers as of this review. Check the current listing for stock before ordering more than one for an office.
- It is the weakest part of the device. Reviewers have specifically flagged the built-in microphone as needing an upgrade for serious use. Pair the Modern Webcam with a separate USB microphone or a headset for client calls, sales demos, or anything where audio quality matters, and treat the built-in mic as a casual-use backup.
- Yes, for a Teams-standardized desk where the physical privacy shutter matters and 1080p is enough resolution for the calls it handles. It is a weaker pick for a business already on 4K conference cameras, standardizing on Windows Hello passwordless sign-in, or buying for a multi-person conference room, since none of those three needs are what the Modern Webcam is built to solve.
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