HP monitor’s built-in 5 MP webcam keeps you in frame | Ars Technica

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HP monitor’s built-in 5 MP webcam keeps you in frame

The Z40m targets professionals who don't need 4K or use more than one monitor.

HP Z24m webcam close-up
Scharon Harding

A USB-C monitor is a good way to minimize the cables needed for your setup. And if that setup is for work, where webcams have become virtually mandatory, a monitor with an integrated camera lets you skip an additional cable. The HP Z24m G3 I checked out this week seems like it will be a decent option for workers who don't need the highest-resolution panel, either because they're content with fewer pixels or use a multi-monitor setup.

At a 2560×1440 resolution, the 23.8-inch monitor still has a good pixel density of 123 pixels per inch. USB-C with the current max power delivery of 100 W makes it a good fit for Windows-based thin-and-lights and MacBooks that can charge over the port.

I didn't get the chance to analyze the Z24m's image quality, but HP said the IPS panel is aimed at professional creators. It should have sufficient color coverage for working with Windows and the web while also serving Mac users with 99 percent sRGB and 90 percent DCI-P3 color coverage. Any errors should be invisible to the naked eye, as the company says the panel has a Delta E of <2.

The Z24m supports portrait mode, -5° to 20° tilt, and 45° swivel to the left and right sides.
Enlarge / The Z24m supports portrait mode, -5° to 20° tilt, and 45° swivel to the left and right sides.
HP

The display also supports HDR, but only with an average contrast ratio, 1,000:1, and the max brightness is 400 nits. We're not expecting HDR content to look noticeably different from SDR content here. HP's Z24m is also slightly faster than the typical productivity monitor, as it has a 90 Hz refresh rate and a 5 ms gray-to-gray response time with overdrive.

Sitting atop the Z24m's panel is the non-detachable 5 MP webcam. It has an infrared sensor, so you can use it to log in to your connected PC with Windows Hello facial recognition. There's also a proximity sensor, so it can tell if you're nearby and automatically lock or awaken the connected PC if it uses Windows 11.

The camera's big black box is chunky, but the camera can tilt within its holster, and you can press the whole box down into the monitor when not in use.

But when the camera is in action, it's all eyes on you. When I saw the Z24m, its camera captured my image and followed me as I stood a few feet away from the monitor and moved from side to side. The camera even managed to keep me in frame with someone else in the shot. An HP representative said that the settings could be adjusted so the camera follows more quickly. I was in a moderately lit room, and my skin and hair colors appeared pretty accurate.

The monitor's software includes the ability to crop your image and adjust brightness and exposure levels via sliders.

The display aims to complete the conferencing package with a pair of noise-canceling microphones and recessed speakers firing down from under the bottom bezel. You can't see them when viewing the monitor head-on, but there are two 5 W speakers "with 82 dB and 200 Hz bass roll off," HP said in shared materials.

Multi-monitor setups

Keeping the speakers out of sight enabled HP to use thin bezels on all four sides of the display, which makes multi-monitor setups look more fluid. At CES in January, HP announced two other Z-series monitors. These ultrawides—the Z40c (39.7 inches, 5120×2160 resolution) and Z34c (34 inches, 3440×1440)—also have integrated 5 MP cameras. With the Z24m, HP is targeting creators who may not want a curved ultrawide and prefer having content on separate screens or flat panels.

HP showed the Z24m as part of a dual-monitor setup with the Z24q it also announced today. The Z24q is essentially the same monitor as the Z24m but without the webcam.

HP Z24m (left) and HP Z24q (right) monitors.
Enlarge / HP Z24m (left) and HP Z24q (right) monitors.
Scharon Harding

HP noted that the Z24m works with daisy-chaining, with DisplayPort 1.4 supporting up to three QHD monitors. The monitor also has HDMI 2.0, plus four USB-A ports and RJ45. Its software includes a feature to help partition screens.

With a lower resolution, thin bezels, and a less extreme camera, the Z24m should be a more affordable alternative to 4K USB-C monitors with integrated webcams, like the upcoming Dell UltraSharp U3223QZ, a 32-inch 4K screen with a 4K webcam incorporated in its thick top bezel.

Dell's U3223QZ USB-C monitor.
Enlarge / Dell's U3223QZ USB-C monitor.
Scharon Harding

HP hasn't revealed the price for the Z24m, but it should be coming in July. I'd expect it to cost more than the Z24q G3, which will release in May for $374, but it should be notably cheaper than the $950 Z34c.

Channel Ars Technica