Imou Doorbell 2S review: Rotating smart doorbell camera beats Ring on features
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It rotates, it tracks, it looks slick – and it undercuts Ring. The Imou Doorbell 2S packs in high-end features like AI tracking, a 2K camera and a smart chime, all for under £80.
It's always welcome to see true innovation in the world of household technology, and the Imou Doorbell 2S is a prime example.
Unlike normal video doorbells which have fixed cameras, the Doorbell 2S has a rotating camera. This means it can track people as they move around on your driveway.
It sounds really simple, one of those "why did nobody think of that" moments, but is it any good? I've been living with one for a while, and it's pretty impressive.
The sensor built into the Doorbell 2S has three megapixels and 2K resolution, and that's nothing to write home about these days, but it does deliver crisp and clear footage.
The headline act, of course, is the rotating camera, and it allows for a 180 degree field of view. It's important to point out that, as remarkable as that sounds, a Ring video doorbell has a 160 degree field of view, and I've tested an Arlo doorbell before with 180 degrees from a static camera.
However, quite importantly, the outer extremities of any static camera will be distorted, and you won't get HD resolution in the widest parts of the field - let alone 2K or 4K.
This panning system, then, even though it only moves through 30 degrees, allows for crystal clear footage from all angles across the spectrum, and it really can make a difference.
It's backed up by a built-in AI system that recognises when someone is approaching and activates a tracking system that moves the lens from side to side.
There are other things I like about the Doorbell 2S. It looks really smart. Some doorbells are quite bland and boxy (I'm looking at you, Ring). The Imou's brushed steel, sculpted housing looks premium, and the mirrored button looks fab.
The night vision is superb, and there's also a chime included, which doubles as a WiFi extender - another neat touch.
The 5,000mAh rechargeable battery should give you at least a couple of months between charges, and the app isn't one of the best on the market, but it's good. Response times are decent enough too.
There's no support for Google and Alexa, which is a shame, and the cloud-based features are via a subscription, but you can use an SD card for local storage.
You might expect all this technology to come at a premium price, but it really isn't. Currys seems to be the best place to buy one from, and it's currently £79.99.
Compare that to a Ring Wireless Video Doorbell, and it's £20 cheaper, despite the fact it doesn't come with a chime, it only supports 1080p footage, and you really do need to pay for a subscription to get the best out of it.
So while it might seem like the Ring doorbell is the default choice, you'd be daft not to shop around. And I personally think you'd be mad to overlook the Imou Doorbell 2S. It's very good.