Jabra PanaCast 20 review – Solidly built 4K business webcam tested

One of the more salient outcomes of the pandemic is a rise in video calls be it for work or to stay in touch with distant friends and family though many still rely on laptop integrated webcams which are often a crapshoot in terms of quality which is where the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam comes into play with 4K video quality and a durable design suited for heavy use on the road.

Our Jabra PanaCast 20 review puts their latest webcam to the test to see if it’s worth its lofty RM1,850 asking price.

Jabra PanaCast 20 review – Build and design

Our Jabra PanaCast 20 review sample is wonderfully appointed with an exceptionally premium design that has significant heft belying its size. The chassis itself is made of metal done up in a shade of metallic dark grey with a flip-out extension of sorts that goes out to a 90-degree angle in order to prop itself up on the edge of a laptop or PC display.

Alternatively, the extension itself can function as a stand when placed on a flat surface though this means that you have to point the webcam up at a somewhat unflattering angle to your face when in use. Assuming you have a tripod handy, the base of the extension also has a screw mount to allow you to mount it in a higher position.

Parts of the stand and its flip-out extension are lined with rubber to ensure that it stays in position when deployed. On one corner, you get the centrepiece of the design – a 13MP 4K resolution camera protected by a sliding privacy shield that is flanked by tiny pinholes for the built-in microphone.

Perched next to it is an activity light to indicate if the device is in use. On its underside next to the flip-out stand lies a vertically mounted USB-C port for connecting to a PC or laptop via the provided cable.

Beyond the PanaCast 20 itself, Jabra has also provided a sturdy zip-up case with a form-fitted cutout to securely store the PanaCast 20 and an elastic storage compartment for a 1.5-metre long USB-C to USB-A cable. Everything including the webcam itself and the cable all pack down neatly into the case which makes it very portable indeed.

Jabra PanaCast 20 review – Specifications and Performance

The Jabra PanaCast 20 business webcam is primarily intended as a better alternative to using a conventional laptop webcam and as a more stable, viable option in lieu of using a smartphone selfie camera which you’ll have to precariously prop up when in use.

To that end, it features the aforementioned 13MP F/2.25 camera which is capable of 4K resolution video capture at 30fps while featuring a 90-degree field of view. The high 4K resolution also enables the webcam to digitally zoom in the feed at up to 3x for close-ups.

It also features a trio of MEMs microphones for audio pickup. These capabilities make for impressive overkill as most video call software in current service can’t stream 4K video with Zoom mostly maxing out at 720P and only 1080P for very specific scenarios while MS Teams maxes out at 1080p. 

Jabra PanaCast 20 Specifications 

Here’s how our Jabra PanaCast 20 review sample stacks up on paper-

Price RM1,850
Camera 13MP F/2.25 w/ 3x lossless digital zoom@720P
Video 4K@30fps, 1080P@30fps, 720p@30fps with Intelligent Zoom, Picture in Picture
Audio 3 x MEMs microphones
Microphone sensitivity -37dBFS
Microphone frequency range 100Hz – 8,000Hz
Connectivity USB-C
Size/Weight 44 x 25 x 80mm / 136g

You can also install the optional Jabra Direct app that’s free for download to Windows and Apple laptops to tweak its more intricate settings including dialling the resolution down, adjusting the field of view and enabling or disabling HDR mode.

Of note is that the camera itself also has an Intelligent Zoom mode that follows a user’s face around to keep them in frame. You’re also able to enable an optional picture-in-picture mode and use a preview mode to check the feed before you go live.

Getting our Jabra PanaCast 20 review sample up and running is a simple task by simply connecting it to our Windows 11 laptop via the provided cable and propping it up on the upper edge of our laptop.

Unfortunately, the provided cable is USB-A-to-C which may complicate matters if you’re using an ultrabook on account of its typical lack of USB-A ports. A USB C-to-C cable as an additional cable or as an alternative choice before purchase would have been welcome.

When put to the test and compared with a conventional stock 720P webcam on our laptop, the footage from our Jabra PanaCast 20 review sample was quite literally as different as night and day. While you can eke out fairly decent results from most webcams in broad daylight, the PanaCast 20 edges out with more lifelike colours and more natural skin tones.

Where it especially shines is in dimly lit conditions and it even managed to serve up good footage too even under heavily backlit conditions from a neon sign looming behind me even while conducting a video call after sundown in a rainstorm.

In a room bereft of light except for what was coming from the display, the PanaCast 20 was still able to serve up a decent, if noisy video feed that’s still several grades higher than a stock webcam though a fill light or would have been a welcome addition.

The Intelligent Zoom feature works as it says on the tin and kept track of my face by panning slowly back and forth to keep me in frame during a video call. 

Audio quality from the provided microphones in the PanaCast 20 itself is markedly better than what you’d get from a stock laptop though it pales compared to a dedicated microphone or more specialised enterprise-oriented laptop models with dedicated microphone setups. Voice pickup was relatively clear and does the job for a conversation or briefing  though it’s certainly not something you’d use to master a music track.

Should you buy the Jabra PanaCast 20?

The Jabra PanaCast 20 business webcam does not come cheap but what you get is an immensely robust design suitable for the rigours of heavy use that is both easy to use and able to offer good quality footage for video calls.

If you prize a powerful, quality video call solution that is a step higher than a stock built-in laptop webcam and have sufficiently deep pockets, this comes recommended. For larger groups or a more static setup, the larger PanaCast 50 would be a more viable choice.

Jabra PanaCast 20 review sample courtesy of Jabra Malaysia. For more details please visit https://www.apac.jabra.com/business/video-conferencing/jabra-panacast-20##8300-119