Fresh new look for Owl Labs

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Owl Labs has introduced the Meeting Owl 5, a significant update to its iconic portable conference room camera, at a more accessible price than the first of this new generation.

This will come as welcome news for many. I've recently reviewed the powerful Meeting Owl 5 Pro, which brings a lot of power to the range, but also costs $2,599 and isn't the lightest weight device in the range.

By contrast, the new Meeting Owl 5 is much more accessibly priced, and built a little more simply, while still putting out 4K video. The new design also lowers the center of gravity, making it safer.

The sharper new design is – according to Owl – echoed with sharper video, even when people are sat further from the camera. Presumably that is in part assisted by that Qualcomm processor, though the company also makes a point of the AI-powered audio processed by the 8 beamforming microphones.

Admittedly, the inner components might also be a little more modest – the camera's resolution is a lower 20MP – but this is adequate to supply video for a 4K video stream, while the 28.5cm / 11.25 inch tall.

An interesting aspect of the design, which has always had more than a wink to nature thanks to its light-up 'eyes', is that the plastics making up the new design are 45% post-consumer recycled content.

The device is still a little heavier than these at 1.9kg (4.2 lb) , though that is less than the Pro version, already out there, which comes in at 2.0kg (4.4 lb). Admittedly, the original model, and the Owl 3 are more portable 1.2kg (2.6 lb), but can only manage 1080P video.

Owl Labs is keen to indicate the wide compatibility of the new Meeting Owl 5 with professional setups, even if it leaves out the Ethernet port (without an adapter).

Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, Webex, GoToMeeting, Slack are all supported, though the device can be plugged straight into a laptop and act as a webcam too.

At launch, this model has one key thing in common with the non-pro predecessor: if used, it has to be the only camera. The premium pro camera can be connected to an additional model to cover a larger meeting room.

That means it is best suited to sitting in the middle of a huddle meeting of around 8 people, though apparently a software update in 2027 will mimic the features of multi-device pairing from the Meeting Owl 5 Pro.