This new Dell webcam could finally make video calls bearable - but you won't be able to buy it

Dell Pari webcam concept
(Image credit: Dell)

You know how it goes: the fifth video conferencing meeting of the morning is rolling around and you’re worried you look blurry, no thanks to your laptop’s ageing webcam. Luckily, Dell has you covered with its neat new concept: Pari. 

Ahead of CES 2022, Dell is showing off Pari to a few lucky journalists and, well, we want one. The cleverest thing about the webcam is simple: it sits in a cradle atop your monitor, where it charges, but can detach, giving you new angles or privacy (by turning it towards a wall), all while delivering crisp video. 

We’re surprised that more webcam makers — we’re looking at you, Logitech — haven’t adopted this nifty design but perhaps it took some outside-the-box thinking from Dell to get there. (And, also, this is only a concept.) If you need to move your webcam around, for example to show off things on the table, then the Pari will be for you. 

Dell Pari

The uses are pretty much endless: designers, teachers, and anyone who is tired of their crappy laptop webcam. Being able to detach the webcam and show off new angles is pretty revolutionary and has only really been possible with either custom setups or by taking calls on your phone, neither of which are ideal. 

Dell Pari webcam concept

(Image credit: Dell)

The portability of the Pari, combined with the 1080p quality video (at least compared to many business laptops), means this could turn out to be a killer device, easily usable in whatever setup you want, anywhere you want. The only downside is our eyes is that you can’t actually log onto Dell.com and buy one of these. 

Dell showed off a few other gadgets, including a smart desk and its environmentally-friendly Luna laptop concept, but for us, the Pari webcam is the star of the show, mostly because it actually improves the thing many of us spend our days doing: video calls, video calls, and more video calls. 

Max Slater-Robins has been writing about technology for nearly a decade at various outlets, covering the rise of the technology giants, trends in enterprise and SaaS companies, and much more besides. Originally from Suffolk, he currently lives in London and likes a good night out and walks in the countryside.