AnkerWork B600 Video Bar: A Webcam That Glows (Review)

The AnkerWork B600 video bar is like no other: a 2K camera, AI voice radar (4-microphone follower), clear voice speakers and a MagicSight light bar. It’s not cheap, but at $499.95, it’s an excellent value for what it offers.

We test webcams, and this is by far the most impressive consumer and small business webcam. If you’re only buying one for conference calls or team calls, this should be it.

What is AnkerWork?

It is a specialist division of Anker focused on webcams, speakers and work headsets. It joins other Anker divisions, including Eufy (Eufy X8 Twin-Turbine Hybrid robovac/mop – a powerful little suction cup ( review ), Eufy Security, Eufy Pet, Nebula (Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K – finally, a mini-projector that sees the light of day.) (review), SoundCore, and Anker’s QI and wall 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 Specialty Retailers 1 Year ACL Warranty Country of Origin China Company Anker (Shenzhen Oceanwing Smart Innovations Technology Co., Ltd) is a Chinese electronics company that produces peripherals for to computers and mobiles, including phone chargers, power banks, headphones, earphones, etc. speakers, data hubs, charging cables, flashlights, screen protectors, security cameras and more from various brands. More CyberShack webcam news and reviews

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (exceeds expectations or is class leader) against many of the items below. Occasionally we give a grade of Pass(apt) which is not as good as it should be and a grade of Pass “+” to show that it is good but falls short of Pass.

You can click on most images to enlarge them.

What should a webcam do?

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

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

Settings – Pass

It’s not a “bunched” camera, although the wide FOV helps. And at 18 x 4.6 x 3.81cm x 299g, it’s too heavy for most laptops. It has a USB-C power supply (5V/2A/10W adapter supplied) and a USB-C cable (supplied). Note that both cables are quite short and you may need to purchase longer ones.

While you don’t need the app for basic use (it has manual controls), it’s a good idea to download the software for Windows, Mac, Android, or iOS. Accept the Privacy Policy (it’s harmless but requires an email account). It will update the firmware.

The app includes 65/78/95° and Auto, Cool 1, Cool 2, Warm 1 and Warm 2 frame and light settings.

65° 78 95° Digital Zoom 4X Cool 1 Cold2 Warm1 Warm 2 Note the color of the central image of the light bar.

Image quality – Exceed

I don’t want to explore the pros and cons of 720, 1080p, 2K, or 4K webcams. The most important thing here is to select 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 tracking is excellent.

Microphones – Pass+

There are two aspects to this: noise cancellation / echo cancellation and voice tracking.

It uses noise cancellation called VoiceRadar. Two microphones detect and block ambient background noise and cancel voice echoes. It’s pretty good.

Voice tracking uses AI and within reasoning will follow you as you move around the frame or out of about 2 meters.

Speakers – Pass+

Sound quality is pretty good with surprisingly good low mids and highs, flat to 6kHz, a dip to avoid harshness and then flat to 18kHz. It’s almost a balanced (good) sound signature.

Despite having two side speakers, it’s mono (no left-right stereo), and that’s perhaps the only minor issue. The maximum volume is 82 dB, loud for the home office.

MagicSight – Pass+

You can adjust the color temperature to suit your skin tone and tastes. The light folds up 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 more to turn the light on.
Slide the brightness bar to adjust the 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 standalone wall charger is for when USB-C can’t provide power.

CyberShack View: AnkerWork B600 Video Bar is a Rolls Royce of webcams

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