The best Ring Video Doorbell in 2021 is all about giving you a better view
Sleeker, smarter, better
Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2
Pros
- Longer color pre-roll video
- Dual-band Wi-Fi
- The most accurate motion detection
- Birds-eye view maps
- Head-to-toe video
- Alexa greetings and quick replies
Cons
- Must be hard-wired
- More expensive
- No Google Assistant integration
Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 is Ring's most advanced doorbell in every way, but it's also Ring's best video doorbell in ages. A new aspect ratio sees more than ever on your front porch, and a new, more accurate, and more sensitive 3D Motion detection feature runs circles around the old method. Just make sure you have the right cable to plug this one in.
Best for fully-wireless
Ring Video Doorbell 4
Pros
- Color Pre-roll video
- Dual-band Wi-Fi
- Can be battery-powered or hard-wired
- Easily removable, rechargeable battery
- Quick replies
- Cheaper
Cons
- Outdated aspect ratio
- Chonkier design
- No Alexa auto-replies
- No Google Assistant integration
If a battery-powered video doorbell is in your future, Ring Video Doorbell 4 is a great choice. Video quality isn't as good as Video Doorbell Pro 2, but the convenience of being fully wireless can't be overstated. You can even get a solar add-on to keep it charged forever.
On a surface level, choosing between Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 and Ring Video Doorbell 4 comes down to two fairly simple categories: price and how it's powered. Ring Video Doorbell 4 would win in one fell swoop if these two categories were the only consideration. At $50 less, Ring Video Doorbell 4 comes with an easily removable, rechargeable battery pack that makes it easy to put anywhere you could need.
But there's a lot more to the equation than just these two categories, and it's the rest of the story that shows why Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 is worth shelling out the extra cash, and that's why Ring has long made some of the best video doorbells you can buy.
Ring Video Doorbell 4 vs. Pro 2: Old versus new
In most ways, Ring Video Doorbell 4 feels like a product that didn't receive much love during the R&D phase. Except for color pre-roll footage, almost nothing looks or feels different from 2020's Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus. Sure, it's got a $30 lower price than that product when it launched over a year ago, but there's no real reason to upgrade from 2020's product to this new one. On the other hand, Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 feels like a completely new product from the company that basically invented video doorbells.
| Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 | Ring Video Doorbell 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $250 | $200 |
| Power Source | Hardwired into power | Battery-powered or hard-wired |
| Video resolution | 1536p | 1080p |
| Field of view | 150 degrees (horizontal and vertical) | 160 degrees (diagonal, wide) |
| Dimensions | 4.49 x 1.9 x 0.87 inches | 5.1 x 2.4 x 1.1 inches |
| Live view | Yes | Yes |
| Always recording | No | No |
| Pre-roll footage | Yes | Yes |
| Connectivity | 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi | 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi |
| Motion detection | Adjustable motion zones, Birds-Eye View, 3D Radar | Adjustable motion zones, Thermal |
| Privacy Zones | Yes | Yes |
| Smart Assistant Integration | Amazon Alexa | Amazon Alexa |
| Quick Replies | Yes | Yes |
| Auto Replies | Yes | No |
The spec table tells it all. Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 is a smaller, sleeker, more cutting-edge product that outclasses Ring Video Doorbell 4 in basically every area. Despite some of the massive differences, though, both products have a fair bit in common. For example, both have interchangeable faceplates and support for dual-band Wi-Fi networks, both support the privacy zones feature, and both can be used to quickly respond to someone at your door with the touch of a button.
Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2: A new view
If you're upgrading from one of Ring's older video doorbells, the first big you'll notice with Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 is the new aspect ratio. While Ring Video Doorbell 4 uses the same 16:9 aspect ratio that previous models used, the 1:1 square aspect ratio used by Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 is a far better fit for a video doorbell. Ring calls it head-to-toe video for a reason: you can see the entirety of the person standing at your door, not just their waist-up.
On top of that, the video quality difference between Pro 2 and Doorbell 4 is a night and day difference. It's not just the 50% higher resolution that does it either — that resolution increase mainly helps when zooming into the picture — rather, the camera on Pro 2 is just plain better. In addition, it utilizes HDR better than Doorbell 4, resulting in a picture that's better balanced and doesn't suffer from being overly dark or having lots of blown-out highlights when the sky is overcast.
Aside from giving you a nicer view of your front porch, Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 utilizes Ring's new 3D Motion feature. This radar-powered motion detection method is new to the industry and is now on a few Ring products but first launched with Doorbell Pro 2. Compared to the dual-camera method used in Ring Video Doorbell 1 through 4, this new 3D Motion detection is more accurate, more sensitive, and more customizable.
Ring Video Doorbell 4's motion detection method is the same as what Ring debuted in Video Doorbell 3; the doorbell works best when motion is detected between 5 and 15 ft away from the camera. Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2, on the other hand, can detect movement from up to 30ft away — or less, as it can be customized in the app — and will even display an overhead satellite view map of your home with the path taken by the person or animal that crossed within the doorbell's detection zone.
Ring Video Doorbell 4 vs. Pro 2: Convenient replies apply
Both Ring Video Doorbell 4 and Pro 2 give the ability to utilize Ring's quick reply feature when you can't — or don't want to — answer the door. From the live view, you can select pre-canned responses that will be read to the person at your door. That's great for when you can view the live feed and respond in real-time, but what if you aren't able to get to your phone in time to do this?
That's where Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2's auto-replies feature comes in. When you subscribe to a Ring Protect plan, Alexa can answer your door for you. If you just can't get to the door at all, Alexa can even take a message from your visitors just like a home phone answering machine did back in the day. From within the Ring app, you can specify how much time Alexa will wait to answer the door, or you can have it answer the door right away.
As you might surmise, Alexa can carry on a conversation with the person at the door, but this limited version of Alexa isn't used for finding out how tall the Eiffel Tower is; it's specifically designed to answer questions that might pertain to someone standing at your door. It can be used to direct a delivery driver to drop that order in the right spot or just to tell someone you're not available. It's an incredibly nifty feature that's only available on Doorbell Pro 2.
Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2: An easy decision
So long as you can hard-wire this video doorbell, there's no reason to choose Video Doorbell 4 over Doorbell Pro 2. Even if you don't have an existing doorbell to hard-wire the doorbell with, Ring sells a 15ft power cord that can be plugged into any regular old wall socket, making connection safe and easy. If there's just no way to plug your video doorbell in, Ring Video Doorbell 4 isn't a terrible choice by any means.
Let your door answer itself
Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2
Alexa meets 3D Motion
$250 at Amazon $250 at Best Buy
Can't ever seem to get to your doorbell in time? Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 can answer itself and even take messages from your visitors like a good old answering machine. On top of that, the radar-powered 3D Motion detection knows exactly where those visitors went or came from.
When you don't have a plug
Ring Video Doorbell 4
Battery-powered or hard-wired
$200 at Amazon $200 at Best Buy
Ring Video Doorbell 4 gives you the freedom to choose from a fully wireless battery-powered experience or a hard-wired one where you'll never have to worry about charging the battery.
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