Amazon is launching a trio of new Blink cameras today, headlined by a strange-looking device that sticks two cameras into a single body. The new Blink Arc combines two of Blink’s cameras into an angled mount so that they capture different views of the same area. The cameras then stitch their footage together into a single feed with a 180-degree field of view.
The Arc is designed to get rid of “blind spots,” Blink’s marketing lead, Amy Wiedemann, said on stage this morning.
This new device doesn’t just look like two cameras stuck together — it literally is that. After the event, my colleague Jennifer Pattison Tuohy got a look at the Arc, and it turns out it really is just a mount for two Blink Mini cameras. You can buy the mount separately for $20 and use it with your existing devices, or you can get it bundled with two cameras for $100. Both the bundle and mount begin shipping on October 22nd.
Unfortunately, you’ll need to pay for a Blink subscription to get the stitched-together 180-degree footage, which puts a big asterisk beside this device’s relatively low price. The Arc mount is weather-resistant, but the cameras inside require wired power.
Amazon is also launching two other cameras, the Blink Outdoor 2K Plus and Blink Mini 2K Plus, which feature upgraded video quality. The Outdoor 2K Plus is battery-powered and offers 4x zoom (presumably digital), “enhanced” low-light performance, and two-way talk. The Mini 2K Plus offers the same features but requires wired power and is meant to be used indoors. The Outdoor model goes for $90 and begins shipping October 29th, and the Mini goes for $50 and begins shipping October 15th.
The Blink line has developed a reputation for budget prices, decent quality, and a focus on local reliability, all of which makes it somewhat distinct in the smart home world. Where a single Nest Outdoor Cam from Google goes for $180, you can buy three Blink outdoor cameras from Amazon for just $75. Even if there are feature tradeoffs between the two lines, at that price, it’s easy to forgive them.
Amazon also announced a number of new smart home products from Ring featuring 2K and 4K recording with new tech that the company called Retinal Vision, which is meant to improve video quality. It’s available on new doorbells, cameras, and spotlights.
Update, September 30th: Added release dates and more details about the Arc.
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