Amazon’s budget-friendly smart home brand, Blink, has just unveiled the second generation of its popular video doorbell, bringing some significant upgrades to this affordable security camera. This new model keeps the core value proposition – incredible battery life at a low price – while adding a much-needed head-to-toe view and smarter alerts to help you see exactly who or what is at your front door. It aims to make monitoring your porch easier and less annoying.
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The key upgrades include a taller view, sharper video quality, and smart person detection (with a subscription). It remains one of the most affordable video doorbells available, starting at $59.99, but now requires a new, simpler hub called the Sync Module Core, which is included in the $69.99 bundle.
What’s New and Improved?
The most noticeable changes in the new Blink Video Doorbell focus on what you see and what triggers an alert.
- See Everything with Head-to-Toe View: The camera now boasts a 150-degree field of view with a 1:1 aspect ratio. What does this mean for you? Instead of a wide, horizontal view like the previous model, you get a taller, square-like view. This is crucial for seeing the full height of a person standing close to your door or easily checking for packages left right below the camera. It’s a big step up from the older 16:9 ratio.
- Sharper Picture: Blink has boosted the video resolution from 1080p (standard HD) to 1440p x 1440p. This means your video footage should be clearer and show more detail, making it easier to identify faces or read labels on packages.
- Smarter Alerts with Person Detection: Tired of getting notifications for every car, animal, or leaf that blows by? The new doorbell adds person detection, powered by on-device technology. This means the camera can tell the difference between general motion and an actual person. While the feature itself works without the cloud, getting these specific “person” alerts and saving the video clips requires a Blink subscription plan. Blink has been adding this popular feature to its other cameras, like the Blink Mini, Outdoor 4, and wired floodlight camera, so it’s great to see it come to their doorbell too.
The new Blink Video Doorbell in black and white, shown next to the required Sync Module Core.
What You Need to Know About the Hub
Unlike the first-generation model, the new Blink Video Doorbell must be used with a Blink Sync Module. This new doorbell bundle includes the new Sync Module Core.
According to Blink, the Sync Module helps improve the doorbell’s battery life and wireless range. It also enables essential features like accessing the live video feed on demand and using two-way audio.
However, the new Sync Module Core is simpler than the older Sync Module 2; it does not offer the option for local video storage using a USB drive. If you already own a Sync Module 2 or the newer Sync Module XR and prefer local storage over a cloud subscription, don’t worry – the new doorbell is compatible with those hubs as well.
Design, Battery Life, and Power Options
The second-gen doorbell is slightly larger than its predecessor. This is to make room for three AA lithium batteries instead of two. Blink says the extra battery is needed to power the improved image quality and the new person detection feature while still maintaining its industry-leading two-year battery life. This is a major selling point, as many competing battery-powered doorbells, like some from its sister brand Ring, typically only promise 6 to 12 months of battery life. Blink achieves this impressive longevity thanks to its custom-designed chip that’s highly efficient with power.
If you don’t want to rely on batteries or want to use your home’s existing indoor chime, the doorbell can still be hardwired to low-voltage power.
The Blink Video Doorbell installed on a front door, showing its weather-resistant design for outdoor use.
The device is also rated IP65, meaning it’s built to withstand typical outdoor weather conditions like rain and dust.
Where It Still Falls Short
While the upgrades are welcome, Blink hasn’t changed everything. The doorbell still uses the older 2.4GHz Wi-Fi band, which can sometimes be less reliable or slower than the 5GHz band found in some other smart home devices (though 2.4GHz generally has better range).
Video recording is also limited to 30-second clips when triggered by motion. The two-way audio is still a “push-to-talk” system, similar to using a walkie-talkie, rather than “full duplex” audio, which allows both parties to speak simultaneously like a regular phone call. These limitations are likely compromises made to help achieve that fantastic two-year battery life.
The Verdict: Still a Top Budget Pick?
Despite some ongoing limitations, the second-generation Blink Video Doorbell packs valuable improvements into the same affordable package. The taller, 1:1 view makes seeing people and packages much more practical, and the clearer 1440p resolution is a solid bump. The addition of person detection, while requiring a subscription for alerts and storage, significantly reduces false alarms and makes the alerts you do receive much more relevant.
When you combine these upgrades with Blink’s standout two-year battery life and low price tag (making it one of the best budget video doorbells), it remains an incredibly compelling option for anyone looking for an easy-to-install, low-maintenance security camera for their front door without breaking the bank.
The second-generation Blink Video Doorbell is available to buy now on Amazon for $69.99 with the new Sync Module Core, or $59.99 if you already have a compatible Blink Sync Module.
