Suddenly, Microsoft’s Surface cameras are a compelling feature

Virtually everyone now realizes that a good webcam matters. As Microsoft rolls out the spring refresh of its Surface hardware – including the Surface Book 3, Surface Go 2 and associated peripherals – you might not be aware of one particular selling point: the Surface camera. Surface user-facing cameras capture 5Mp still images and 1080p video, while the vast majority of competing laptops capture 1Mp images and 720p video.

That might not have mattered as recently as the May issue, when we reviewed the Surface Pro 7 Windows tablet. But in a world suddenly aware of what a ring light is, good, well-lit video is important. Webcams have become our window to the world. Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet or WebEx are replacing restaurants, conference rooms, hotels, cafés and coffee shops