Today, Nest announced its third and most high-end home security camera to date: the Nest Cam IQ ($299). Compared to Nest’s previous Cam Indoor ($199) and rugged Cam Outdoor ($199), the Cam IQ has improved microphones and more speakers (which are also louder); the design has also been updated with an articulating stand. The big draw for the Cam IQ, however, is its superior image quality and intelligence.
The Cam IQ has a 4K HDR image sensor and a unique feature called Supersight that allows the camera to identify, track and zoom in on a certain person (or pet) when they enter the frame. And the camera’s 12x digital zoom will enable you to enhance imagery — allowing you to really see what your dog is chewing on.
Unlike Nest’s other cameras, the Cam IQ will send you personal alerts without a Nest Aware subscription. With the subscription, however ($10/month or $100/year), the camera will be able to identify familiar or unfamiliar faces. It will also be able to pick up sudden noises, like alarms or innocent barking, and intuit which ones to alert you about. (Note: All of Nest’s cameras require a Nest Aware subscription for users to be able to look back at up to 30 days of video recordings; without a subscription, only the last three hours are saved.)
That said, the Nest Cam Indoor is still the more affordable option ($200). Both cameras support 24/7 live video and will record video up to 1080p at 30 fps; they also both have a 130-degree field of view. The newer camera, with its improved intelligence and tracking abilities, is Nest’s best all-around security camera; but if you’re just looking for something to occasionally spy on your dog at work, the Nest Cam Indoor still might be the more prudent investment.
The Nest Cam IQ is available for preorder now and ships at the end of June.
