Amazon’s Blink Outdoor (3rd Gen) has been one ofour favorite outdoor security camerasfor some time. Now, as that camera approaches its third birthday, Amazon’s releasing an updated version: the Blink Outdoor 4 is available starting today for $120. The new model is largely the same as the last one, sporting updates like enhanced night vision, better motion detection, and on-device image processing that can identify people — but that hardware-level feature is, annoyingly, limited to Blink Subscription Plan holders.
Blink Outdoor 4
Amazon’s Blink Outdoor 4 offers 1080p video, night vision, motion detection, and more. Compared to the Blink Outdoor (3rd Gen), the Outdoor 4 has a wider field of view, and better image quality and motion detection. It also supports person detection with on-device image processing, though the feature requires a paid Blink Subscription Plan.
There are a few marquee new features for this release. The Blink Outdoor 4 is capable of differentiating people from other objects using on-device processing, which will allow for more customizable notifications — you can opt to only be notified when the camera spots a person, rather than motion generally. Despite this being a hardware-level feature, it requires a paid subscription. The new camera also comes with “advanced motion detection” that Amazon says should detect motion more accurately and result in fewer false-positive motion alerts.
Image quality has apparently gotten a boost, both in daylight and night vision, but the Outdoor 4 records in the same 1080p resolution as the last generation. This generation does have a significantly wider field of view, though: 143 degrees diagonally to the 3rd Gen’s 110 degrees. The Blink Outdoor 4 is still powered by two AA batteries, and Amazon says that, like the 3rd Gen, it can last up to two years on a single pair. That’s under near-ideal circumstances, however; real-world battery life will be shorter.
The Blink Outdoor 4 is up for sale on Amazon right now for $120, bundled with the same Sync Module 2 as the Blink Outdoor (3rd Gen). If you’ve already got a Sync Module 2, you can grab the camera on its own for a small discount. Coincidentally, the previous generation fell in price to just 50 bucks this morning — which, depending on your needs, might be a better bargain for you.
