Microsoft has today announced a new accessory for the Surface Hub 2S, dubbed the "Smart Camera," which has been designed from the ground up for hybrid work in mind. This means it has optimizations and features built-in to enhance meetings where some members of your team are working from other locations.

Microsoft says this is its first webcam powered by artificial intelligence, allowing it to do things such as adjust lighting, automatically zoom and pan on the group when people enter and leave the room, and more. Featuring a sharp 12MP 136-degree sensor, this camera has a super wide-angle lens that allows the entire room to be in the shot, including people and items as close as 0.4 meters from the Surface Hub 2 as far away as 8 meters.

Here are the highlights of the Smart Camera from Microsoft:

The AI that Microsoft is packing into this Smart Camera allows everyone in the shot to remain in focus. A new algorithm automatically compensates for tilt, distortions, and wide-angle corrections. Hence, objects and people appear as they would in the real world.

This webcam aims to enhance the viewing experience for people who are not physically in the room. If you work on a team with some members working remotely, it's essential for those working elsewhere to remain included in team meetings. The Smart Camera will help ease the transition to hybrid workflows, which so many people are doing now.

Steven Batchie, VCP of Windows and Devices at Microsoft, said the following:

Surface Hub 2 Smart Camera is more than a professional grade camera. It is the first AI-powered camera from Microsoft. Surface Hub 2 Camera reframes, adjusts lighting, and enables incredibly wide angles of view, all without any warping, distortions, or depth-of-field issues that might otherwise limit what is visible. The team put tremendous work into tuning the experience to capture and frame what is occurring in the room while being smooth and natural for remote viewers or participants. Whether someone leaves the room, enters, or walks up to interact with the display, everyone in the room is in view and in focus.

Now, the Smart Camera does not come cheap, and it's priced at a crazy high $799.99, which is quite a lot for a glorified webcam. But it's important to remember that the Surface Hub 2 is a unique device purchased primarily by business and enterprise customers, not individuals. That $799 price tag ends up being nothing more than another necessary expense for most companies looking to invest in improving hybrid workflows across their teams.

You'll be glad to hear that customers looking to buy the $21,999 85-inch Surface Hub 2 this new Smart Camera will come included with all new orders starting May 31. It's compatible with both 50-inch and 85-inch models and connects magnetically via the three USB-C ports located on the device's top, right, and left.

Microsoft is also highlighting several recent software updates to the OS that runs on Surface Hub, all designed to improve productivity for those in the workplace. Here are the highlights:

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