AnkerWork B600 Video Bar – a webcam that shines brightly (UC review)

17/10/2022
By Ray Shaw
In Reviews

The AnkerWork B600 Video Bar is like no other – a 2K camera, AI voice radar (4-mic tracker), dual clear-voice speakers, and MagicSight light bar. It is not cheap, but at $499.95, it is excellent value for what it offers.

We test webcams, and this is by far the most impressive consumer and small business webcam. If you buy just one for teleconferences or Teams calls, it should be this.

What is AnkerWork?

It is a specialised division of Anker focusing on webcams, speakerphones, and work headsets. It joins other Anker divisions, including Eufy (Eufy X8 Twin-Turbine Hybrid robovac/mop – a powerful little sucker (review), Eufy Security, Eufy Pet, Nebula (Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K – finally, a mini-projector that sees the light (review), SoundCore, and the Anker brand wall and QI chargers, cables, power banks and USB-C adapters.

Australian review – AnkerWork B600 Video Bar

Website	Product range and product page
Price	$499.95
From	AnkerWork online and specialist retailers
Warranty	1-year ACL
Country of Origin	China
Company	Anker (Shenzhen Oceanwing Smart Innovations Technology Co., Ltd) is a Chinese electronics company that produces computer and mobile peripherals, including phone chargers, power banks, earbuds, headphones, speakers, data hubs, charging cables, torches, screen protectors, security cameras, and more under multiple brands.
More	CyberShack webcam news and reviews

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed.

You can click on most images for an enlargement.

What should a webcam do?

At the base level, it should give a clear image in office light. But this has added so many more features

2K@30fps camera (while 4K is nice, it chews up too much internet bandwidth)
Adjustable field of view (65/78/95° and solo frame)
Subject tracking and autofocus
HDR capture (more details in shadows and highlights)
4-mic array with auto gain control (enables noise cancelling and voice tracking)
2 x 2W clear voice speakers with a sound stage
MagicSight automatic ambient light adjustment
Privacy Bar (light folds over the camera when not in use)
Built-in monitor clamp and ¼” tripod mount
And the App adds value

Setup – Pass

It is not a ‘huddle’ camera, although the wide FOV does help. And at 18 x 4.6 x 3.81cm x 299g, it is way too heavy for more laptops. It has a USB-C power (5V/2A/10W adapter supplied) and a USB-C cable (supplied). Note that both cables are pretty short, and you may need to buy longer ones.

While you don’t need the App for basic use (it has manual controls), it is wise to download the software for Windows, Mac, Android or iOS. Agree to the Privacy Policy (it is harmless but requires an email account). It will update the firmware.

The App includes 65/78/95° and solo frame and light settings auto, cool 1, cool 2, warm 1 and warm 2.

Image Quality – Exceed

I don’t want to explore the pros and cons of 720, 1080p, 2K or 4K webcams. What is most important here is selecting the resolution that suits your NBN bandwidth. This can include 360, 720, 1080 and 2K. I have NBN 100, which supports 4K (25Mbps) quite well, but many of my video conferences limit the bandwidth to 360/720 (Zoom and Teams).

Face follow is excellent.

Mics – Pass+

There are two aspects to this – noise cancelling/echo cancelling and voice follow.

It uses noise-cancelling called VoiceRadar. Two microphones detect and block out ambient background noise and cancel voice echoes. It is pretty good.

Voice follow uses AI and, within reason, will follow you as you move around in the frame or out to about 2 metres.

Speakers – Pass+

Sound quality is pretty good with surprisingly good mid-high-bass, flat to 6kHz, a dip to avoid harshness and then flat to 18kHz. It is almost a balanced sound signature (good).

Despite having two side-firing speakers, it is mono (no stereo left-right), and that is perhaps the only minor issue. Maximum volume is 82dB – loud for home office use.

MagicSight – Pass+

You can adjust the colour temperature to suit your skin tone and tastes. The light folds over as a camera cover when not in use. We found the light unnecessary in typical office lighting (400 lumens).

Manual controls – Pass+

Mute / unmute the microphone by pressing the button on the left side.
Turn the edge light on/off by pressing the button on the right side.
Rotate the edge light 135° or wider to turn on the light.
Slide the brightness bar to adjust brightness.

Power – Pass+

It can draw power from the USB-C port to control the camera and light as long as it provides 5V/1A/5W. The separate wall charger is for when the USB-C cannot provide power.

CyberShack’s view – AnkerWork B600 Video Bar is a Rolls Royce of webcams

The question is, do you need a Rolls Royce to do the shopping? Yes, it is expensive, but the light, mics, speakers and AI justify the price. If you are tired of looking bad in video conferences, this will help improve your image.