Blink Outdoor Review: A Whole Bunch of Nothing New
Blink outdoor surveillance camera
"The follow up disappoints with few new features to differentiate it."
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Loud internal speaker
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Battery life for two years
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Narrow field of view
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Soft video footage
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Muted color rendering
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Missing specifications compared to its predecessor
The Blink XT has been a fan favorite for many reasons and has also made many of our top security camera lists. This security camera is simple, durable and works great outdoors. It is therefore an ideal camera if you want to take a look at it outside of your home.
Now we have a new Blink outdoor camera that has many of the same features as its siblings – including 1080p video, two-year battery life, and weatherproof construction. With so many similarities, is it really worth upgrading?
Specifications so similar that it's hard to tell apart
Usually there is a noticeable difference between old and new, but that's hard to see with the Blink outdoor camera. It looks the same, albeit a little thinner, than its predecessor, but the same square design remains a distinctive design language for Blink. The camera lens is now right in the center of the camera compared to the offset placement configuration found on the previous Blink XT2. After all, it has the same weatherproof design as before – complete with a mounting attachment for walls.
John Velasco / Digital Trends
Aside from the design and specs, there is very little to separate the two models. In fact, the Blink Outdoor has the same camera specs as before. It offers 1080p video recording at up to 30 FPS, infrared night vision and a 110-degree field of view. With an outdoor camera, the field of view is narrow, as most cameras hover 130 degrees on average. Covering an isolated room shouldn't be a problem, but clearly covering the entire front yard with one device is not something you want to try.
In all honesty, it's frustrating that there isn't even the slightest difference between this one and its predecessor. Given that the Blink XT2 was announced in 2019, you'd think the new model would offer a heading feature.
Cloud and local storage options
What made Blink's previous outdoor cameras appealing was their free cloud storage. For new owners, however, this is off the table. Existing users will still get this with any devices they add. However, new accounts created after April 15th will not have an option for free cloud storage. Instead, they have to subscribe to a Blink subscription that starts at $ 3 per month per device or $ 10 per month for unlimited cameras in a single location.
John Velasco / Digital Trends
Fortunately, there is a local storage option that allows you to save your clips to a USB flash drive using the new Blink Sync Module 2. The beauty of this is that the recorded footage will continue to be saved until it is full, and then erasing the old one can make room for new clips. This is a wonderful option to minimize your monthly out of pocket expenses.
Not innovative enough
Setting up the Blink outdoor camera is a breeze. Therefore it must be connected to the blink synchronization module 2. Once set up, you can adjust some settings in the Blink mobile app. It's a pure matter, in all honesty, without the glitz and depth of other cameras. There are options for adjusting motion detection sensitivity, clip length, retrigger time and setting up motion zones. However, it lacks some of the advanced features of similarly priced cameras.
For starters, I would have loved to see an offline mode or the ability to set up time-lapse photography, similar to the Wyze Cam Outdoor.
The quality of the camera is passable, but has some noticeable artifacts that sometimes detract from the quality, although it tends to resolve shortly afterwards. While I can still see most of the things in the picture, it lacks the sharpness and fine detail quality of its contemporaries – with colors that appear a bit dumb.
In the dark, night vision is activated to illuminate a range of about 25 feet in front of the camera in pitch black light. It's a little softer here too, but I can still spot the occasional deer running through my back yard.
There is bi-directional audio support if you need to interact with someone or something. However, the internal speaker is surprisingly loud and powerful – so it can be used for more than just talking.
Blink's new camera is just too similar to the previous one.
Finally, there is the two-year battery life it is designed for with its two lithium batteries, just like the Blink XT2. So far, it's hard to say what the battery life is like, mainly because you don't get a percentage display in the app. Instead, everything I see so far from its use is an "OK" that is as vague as it comes. I just wish it was more than that. However, there is a micro-USB port hidden behind a plastic cover on the back that provides power to the camera.
Our opinion
The Blink outdoor camera costs $ 100 for a kit that includes the camera and sync module, while each additional camera costs $ 90. Blink's new camera is just too similar to the previous one, which makes it a memorable option when you have so many others that can afford a lot more for roughly the same price.
Is there a better alternative?
To be honest, you can save yourself the cash and still get the Blink XT2 for $ 65. This is a decent savings when you know the similarities. If you're looking for something affordable, the Wyze Cam Outdoor continues to deliver impressive performance, extensive features, and offline recording capabilities. Alternatively, the Arlo Pro 3 is a champion with its wide field of view, crisp video quality, and sharp night vision.
How long it will take?
The all-plastic construction makes it light, but still feels solid to withstand small drops. It's also rated with an operating range of minus 4 to 113 degrees Fahrenheit, so it can withstand the great outdoors year round in most locations.
In the event of a defect, there is a one-year limited warranty to cover it.
Should you buy it?
No, there aren't enough changes and improvements to warrant a purchase over the previous Blink XT2.
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