It is becoming more common to work from home, at least part of the time. And that means sometimes conducting meetings virtually over Zoom or another video conferencing service. Even though we might not be ready to head to the office, we still want to look our best. Part of that includes having the right camera angle and business-appropriate attire (from the waist up, at least!) and having a favorable background and good lighting.
The best ring light for laptops is not a ring at all but rather shaped like a rectangle. The Lume Cube Broadcast Lighting Kit offers adjustable brightness and soft lighting. It can run from its extended built-in battery or via USB, making it ideal for working from home and on the go, and you even get a tripod included in the box. But there are other good options worth considering as well.
All the best ring lights for your video conferencing needs
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Best overall
Lume's Cube Broadcast Lighting Kit isn't a ring-shaped light, but it works much better than a typical ring light anyway. You can mount it to your laptop or a tripod, use it wirelessly, charge it over USB-C, and soften the light with the included diffuser.
Best for phones
Evershop's Ring Light with Stand has a unique design. The rectangular flat stand acts as a clamp as well as a phone stand, so you can use it with plenty of different-sized devices easily. It's not the tallest ring light, but the versatility and price are fantastic.
Best budget
The budget-friendly Cyezcor Video Conference Lighting Kit comes with a clamp, so you can attach it to your tablet or laptop with ease. There's a rotating ball joint for angle adjustment and the light's temperature and brightness are also customizable.
Best for creators
Logitech released the Litra Glow along with a compatible webcam that hooks onto the square-shaped light. This makes it the ideal ring light for content creators. All the controls of the light, including the power, temperature, and brightness buttons, are on the back of the light.
Best RGB light
The Sensyne 10'' RGB Ring Light with 50'' Extendable Tripod Stand is an RGB ring light that comes with a stand. The tripod stand can mount phones and you can extend its size from 10 inches all the way up to 50 inches.
Best for tables
It's cheap, it's easy to install, and it's even easier to use. The Woputne Desk Clip on Lamp can be attached to any table or edge. It has a long, malleable gooseneck arm that can be morphed into the weirdest angles imaginable. You get three light modes and multiple brightness modes.
The best ring light does not necessarily have to be ring-shaped
The shift towards the work-from-home paradigm post-pandemic means that we all participate in video calls a lot more than we ever did. So many people worry about having a suitable background when making video calls from their laptops or shooting videos but forget about another important factor: lighting.
When it comes to lighting, there are lots of ways you can make it better, including webcam lighting. However, one category, in particular, is ring lights, and it's totally worth investing in.
The best ring lights are a simple way to enhance the lighting, so your face looks natural and soft without harsh lights or darkened tones. And while the best ring light chosen in this guide isn't technically shaped like a ring, it functions in the same way as the others. It offers some really great features that put it a cut above the rest, including adjustable brightness from 1% up to 100%. You can also adjust the color temperature from warm orange to cool white and use the built-in frosted lens and white diffuser to create further soft and professional-looking light flattering to the face.
Shipping with a computer mount, the Lume Cube Broadcast Lighting Kit has a suction cup on the end to easily affix to any laptop and a desktop computer or virtually any flat surface. Lume also includes a standing mount and a light diffuser if you want a soft glow. The built-in extended lithium-polymer battery lasts for up to 14 hours, but you can also plug it in via USB to use external power if the battery is running low.
Sure, it's more expensive than some of the others. But if you are doing a lot of video calls and meetings, vlogging, or other activities that require great lighting with your laptop, it's a no-brainer investment. If you're on a budget, though, or have less frequent lighting needs, any of the other options are worth considering.
Once you've grabbed the best ring light for your home office needs, be sure to pick up a few handy tips and tricks for Google Meet. Decent hardware isn't always enough to get the best video conferencing experience; software is important too.
