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Most people can benefit from having a great webcam in this day and age, but you don’t have to spend a ton.
The OBSBOT Tiny 2 4K webcam I reviewed is still my favorite webcam of all time, but it’s also a $300 camera — more than many will want to spend.
Now, though, we have the OBSBOT Tiny SE, a distilled version of my top choice that trades some resolution, features, and refinement to hit a third of the price of its big sibling, and it’s genuinely amazing.
For just $100, you can get an AI-powered webcam with 2-axis gimbal tracking, and there’s no webcam I’d rather recommend at this price point, unless you really need 4K recording.
There are some weaknesses of which you should be aware, but the Tiny SE is easily one of the best webcams you can buy for video conferencing or streaming.
I’m no streamer, but I do have more meetings than I can count, so I need a great video and audio setup so everyone can hear and see me clearly. Headsets, speakers, and microphones can be important, too, but the webcam is the first place to start when building your video conferencing or streaming setup.
This review was made possible thanks to a review sample provided by OBSBOT. OBSBOT had no input nor saw the contents of this review prior to publication.
OBSBOT Tiny SE review: Cheat sheet
- What is it? A 1080p webcam with 2-axis gimbal tracking and AI-powered software features.
- Who is it for? Those who want an excellent, intelligent webcam for video conferencing and streaming on a budget.
- How much does it cost? The OBSBOT Tiny SE webcam only costs $99 at Amazon. You can also get the OBSBOT TIny SE for $99 at OBSBOT, where you may find even more optional accessories and bundles.
- What did I like? The excellent image quality in various lighting conditions, smart gimbal tracking, and compact design.
- What did I not like? The less reliable software and gimbal tracking versus the more expensive OBSBOT Tiny webcams.
OBSBOT Tiny SE review: Specifications
|
Spec |
OBSBOT Tiny SE |
|---|---|
|
Camera sensor |
1/2.8-inch CMOS, f1.8 aperture, FHD (1,920 x 1,080) resolution, up to 120 FPS, 16:9 aspect ratio, 78-degrees FoV, 26mm focal length, 10cm minimum focal distance, auto/manual focus, staggered HDR support, dual native ISO |
|
Hardware features |
2-axis gimbal tracking (panning & tilting), built-in mount, single microphone w/ noise cancelation & automatic gain control, 1/4-inch mounting thread |
|
Software features |
Smart AI tracking, manual & remote control, gesture controls, 4x digital zoom, image quality controls, filters, NVIDIA Broadcast integration, Stream Deck & OSC support, virtual camera mode |
|
Connectivity |
USB Type-C 2.0, Windows & macOS support |
|
Dimensions |
64.2 x 48.4 x 46.5mm (2.5 x 1.91 x 1.83in) |
|
Weight |
94g (0.21lbs) |
|
Warranty |
12-month standard |
In the box, you’ll find the OBSBOT Tiny SE webcam, a USB Type-C 2.0 to USB Type-C 2.0 cable, and a USB Type-C to USB Type-A adapter. This webcam’s mount is built-in, but there’s still a 1/4-inch tread for tripods and other mounting solutions. Unlike the OBSBOT Tiny 2, you won’t find a travel case in the box.
OBSBOT Tiny SE review: What I like
The OBSBOT Tiny SE fits its name, with compact dimensions courtesy of a design that closely resembles its more expensive siblings. Plenty of smaller details differentiate the more premium Tiny webcams from this one, but the Tiny SE still boasts excellent build quality.
The mount is no longer magnetically attached and is now integrated into the webcam’s body, giving you slightly less flexibility but helping lower that price tag.
The 2-axis gimbal is the same, a compact mechanical tracking system that gives you around 140 degrees of panning in each direction, and around 70 to 90 degrees of tilting up and down.
The Tiny SE able to automatically turn on when needed and pivot to keep you in frame, with a visible LED clearly indicating if the camera is on or not.
That gimbal tracking is (mostly) smooth and accurate, too, only occasionally wandering off and easily brought back with manual adjustment. The Tiny SE also supports OBSBOT’s remote control if you want more power over the camera.
Connectivity is handled by a simple, detachable USB Type-C 2.0 cable that works with both Windows PCs and macOS. You can even install the optional (but highly recommended) OBSBOT Center software to access the plethora of options and features.
It’s a practical design, with the Tiny SE able to automatically turn on when needed and pivot to keep you in frame, with a visible LED clearly indicating if the camera is on or not. It turns to face straight down when turned off to assuage any privacy concerns.
The star of the show is the camera sensor, of course. It’s smaller than the 1/1.5-inch sensor of the OBSBOT Tiny 2, but the 1/2.8-inch CMOS sensor of the Tiny SE isn’t a slouch.
Image and recording quality are fantastic for a webcam in this price range, with excellent clarity, detail, and color reproduction. You get automatic focus, exposure, and white balance, as well as granular sliders for editing contrast, saturation, sharpness, and hue.
Those base settings are enhanced by optional beauty filters and effects, including integration into NVIDIA Broadcast for more advanced background blurring.
All of these features should work with basically any software, too, as the Tiny SE supports OBSBOT’s virtual camera feature, as well as Elgato Stream Deck and OSC integration.
This is a very balanced, value-driven AI webcam.
One area where you’d expect a more affordable webcam with a smaller sensor to struggle is in low-light situations, but the Tiny SE performs very well here, too, with no excess noise or crushed detail.
Impressively, you still get dual native ISO and staggered High Dynamic Range (HDR) support in the Tiny SE, too. These are performance and image quality-enhancing features you don’t often find in budget webcams.
As far as pure image quality at 1080p is concerned, I found the OBSBOT Tiny SE to be more consistent than the Insta360 Link 2 I reviewed, a great webcam that costs twice as much as this one.
This webcam is equipped with a single microphone rather than the dual, omnidirectional recording setup of its big siblings. Clarity and depth certainly take a hit, but it still gets the job done.
Automatic noise cancelation and gain control work well, and you have a variety of basic options for customizing your microphone experience. It’s better than your average webcam, at least, which is more impressive at this price.
In general, it’s hard to criticize any of the cuts OBSBOT made to get the Tiny 2’s platform down to a third of the price. Image quality is still great with this downgraded sensor, and the OBSBOT Tiny SE can actually record at up to 1080p and 100 frames-per-second (FPS) or 720p and 120 FPS versus the 60 FPS maximum of the Tiny 2.
Crucially, you’re also saving yourself $200. This is a very balanced, value-driven AI webcam.
OBSBOT Tiny SE review: What I don’t like
Since I was already comparing the two, I’ll break down exactly what you lose when you go from the flagship OBSBOT Tiny 2 to the entry-level OBSBOT Tiny SE.
The camera sensor is smaller, has a lower resolution, and is more cropped. Meanwhile, the design is less premium since you drop a microphone and miss out on features like faster USB 3.0 data transmission, voice control, and desk/whiteboard presentation modes.
Those are all completely understandable downgrades, especially considering the quality of that camera. I won’t complain about Windows Hello facial recognition also missing from this OBSBOT camera, because I don’t expect such luxury features at this price point.
Of course, this is a 1080p camera where many of the most popular webcams support 4K. Some people will really miss the extra detail and zooming capabilities of a larger, higher resolution sensor, but for the most part, the Tiny SE packs all the features people need and then some.
This webcam does possess one weakness of its own, though, and that’s how it often takes multiple attempts to properly communicate with its software. Firmware updates frequently fail to install successfully, too, and the software sometimes feels slow to navigate.
The gimbal tracking on the Tiny SE is slower and less responsive than the Tiny 2, as well, and occasionally drifts off randomly. That all being said, the OBSBOT Tiny SE never felt like a burden to use; there were just some minor annoyances every now and then.
OBSBOT Tiny SE review: Also consider
OBSBOT Tiny SE review: My final thoughts
✅You should buy this if …
- You want a webcam with smart tracking capabilities.
- You don’t want to spend more than $100 on a webcam.
- You need a webcam you can use with any software or app.
❌You should not buy this if …
- You absolutely need a 4K webcam.
- You’d never use any of the extra AI features.
I wasn’t confident OBSBOT could really make a $100 gimbal-tracking webcam I’d actually want to recommend to people, but the OBSBOT Tiny SE offers an experience so similar in quality to the $300 Tiny 2 that I was completely caught off guard.
Sure, it’s only 1080p, but the Tiny SE offers some truly great image quality in a wide variety of lighting conditions, and it backs that with plenty of customization options and extra features.
On top of that, you’re getting true, AI-powered 2-axis gimbal tracking, a hardware feature normally found in $200+ webcams. Getting such a quality product for just shy of $100 is one hell of a deal.
The OBSBOT Tiny SE makes the Tiny 2 look overpriced in comparison, although that webcam is still objectively superior. For most people, though, the OBSBOT Tiny SE is an unbeatable value for $99 at Amazon.
There’s also the OBSBOT Tiny 2 Lite for $179 at Amazon, a 4K webcam that’s supposed to straddle the gap between the SE and 2, but I haven’t personally tested that webcam. I can still recommend the OBSBOT Tiny 2 for $299 at Amazon, but that’s only for those who need the absolute best and are willing to pay for it.
A crisp $100 bill can get you an intelligent, feature-packed webcam with hardware-based smart tracking and top-notch image quality, but only one: the OBSBOT Tiny SE. This is a fantastic, value-driven webcam that earns one of my most enthusiastic recommendations of the year.
