We Got Ring's Next Gen Video Doorbell Early — Our First Thoughts? Its New Camera is Worth the Upgrade

Let me start this review outright by telling you that in the video doorbell wars, I've technically sided with Ring's offering. I've used Ring's video doorbell for two or three years for my own front door at this point, having tested others including Blink, Nest and even Simplisafe. I love the simplicity, and how it's so easy to connect into my home's existing smart set-up (though that might be different if you're more friends of Siri than Alexa).

Ring may not always be rated the best video doorbell in every round-up you read, but it's undoubtedly one of the most popular — I could walk down my street right now and see at least a dozen others. And now Ring is launching the next generation of its pervasive design, shipping from September 4th, and I was intrigued to get my hands on it. From just looking at it, it doesn't look much different than its predecessor. It's almost identical bar a few cosmetic changes, which seem to have more to do with its functionality than its aesthetics anyway.

This isn't my full review yet - for clarity, I've only been using the new design for a few days - but it's been enough time to test out some features that are new to this model, as well as some others that I hadn't ever set up on my previous Ring doorbell for one reason or another. Here's a first glance at the new device, and our verdict on whether the 2024 Ring doorbell, from Amazon, is worth the upgrade.

What's different from the previous model?

The biggest feature changes come in the camera when compared to our Ring Video Doorbell 3 review. The now "head-to-toe" view translates into a 150° by 150° field of vision. This is a significant increase on the previous model, and also helps to make features like its package detect — after all, it's not much help if you can't see the the package after its been placed on your porch. There's also increased functionality with zoom, so you can keep an eye on the details.

Aesthetically speaking, there's not much difference at all, and the new model comes in the same finishes as the previous generation.

The verdict

As far as the evolution of the Ring video doorbell, the increase in video quality is all you could really wish for. Ring adds new features regardless, and installing the new doorbell (which legitimately took minutes in my existing Alexa smart home set-up) reacquainted me with some features I haven't really used before such as Quick Replies (think answering machine for a doorbell), and Privacy Zones, so you can ensure your camera doesn't capture anything you shouldn't.

It's the same base price as the previous generation at $99.99, cheaper than the more advanced Ring Pro offerings, though the previous generation Ring doorbell is currently on sale for 40% off on Amazon. I imagine these doorbells will get similar discount treatments during Amazon sales like Prime Day in time to come, too.