MacBook Air 2020 shows blurry when doing FaceTime

Currently with my 13-inch 2019 MacBook Pro I use a Logitech C922 Pro Stream Webcam and it works great for me. Definitely much sharper then the built in one.

And the only thing you can do is but a big bright light on your head. Only than the quality is somewhat acceptable......

I recommend using FaceTime on your iPad or iPhone if you have one. MacBook cameras are not great. I’ve heard something about maybe the next MacBooks getting improved cameras.

I have bought 3 2020 MacBooks so far and all of them have had this issue. First I had the 10th gen 2020 MBP which seemed defective not just cause of low resolution webcam but also performance and overheating issues. Then I exchanged it for base model 2020 MBA and it ran fine but had webcam issues again and now I exchanged it for 2020 10the gen MBP again and it runs fantastic but has low resolution webcam and looks super grainy. My 2015 MBP has better quality than this one in terms of webcam and I have compared it side by side. Both laptops are supposed to have 720p resolution webcam so people saying all webcams in MacBooks suck are wrong. This one seems like 480p quality. Something is wrong and either apple will fix this with a software update or some YouTuber or tech journalist will find this and blow this up leading to a recall program cause if I found 3 MacBooks within a span of a week having this webcam problem then this isn't a isolated incident. I will contact apple care tomorrow and if they can't fix this through software then I will return this for good.

I think the best best is to return.. it's not a solution to buy an extra hardware piece to carry around to attach to what is an already very expensive laptop. The point is portability and it's completely not acceptable for Apple to regress in their technology and think the consumer should be ok with it... I've returned my Macbook Air... I'm waiting for a replacement Macbook Pro... if it's the same issue, it's going back too...

I am absolutely shocked and horrified that the camera on the 2020 Macbook is so bad. It is pretty much consistent with the rest of 2020. I held up my device with my friend's device which is the 2017 model. The difference is unbelievable and not in a good way. I have had the 2015 and 2017 models and they are so much better. What in the world???

I don't think apple is watching the community pages - I was told by support person to give this feedback by going to

https://www.apple.com/feedback/

Mostly based on the feedback, apple may come out with some program similar to replacing faulty iphone battery

Hi

Very sorry that you have had to make this discovery. I am working with teachers to help improve online teaching and using the wretched MacBookAir myself. My students have the same problem. I can show you how to use an external high quality webcam and why it should be wide angle. Your pedagogy will improve. One reasons is you will no longer be 2ft from the students face.

Not only is the apple camera poor quality it is not the right type of camera for online teaching. Let's have a zoom. contact me at mhmvr and we'll make things happen. It's using my BBC training asa an education producer.

I don't think apple is watching the community pages - I was told by support person to give this feedback by going to

https://www.apple.com/feedback/

I just called tech support and they are telling me it's just the way it is.... it gets better with good natural light. Unacceptable!!! My 2017 are way better quality

Yes I have the same issue with the quality of the image from the camera of my new MacBook Air 2020. I spent a long time on the phone today with a member of the Apple support team who was extremely patient and supportive but could not tell me why the image quality was so poor. This is the first time I have bought a MacBook and at the moment I am regretting doing so. My new iPad, bought 3 weeks ago, has a far superior image quality. And the webcam set up on my PC is many times better as well. And finally my daughter has a MacBook that she bought several years ago and the image quality with this is far better than with my new version. I am particularly disappointed because given the COVID 19 crisis at the moment I wanted to use the computer to deliver webinar coaching training.

I just received my brand-new MacBook Air 2020 and I was shocked about the HD camera quality. This isn't HD, this is not 2020, this is not Apple, this is a 2005 old windows laptop webcam. The camera quality of my old Macbook Air from 2014 is 10x better than this!

Has anyone else the same problem with the new Macbook Air 2020?

I will contact the support tomorrow and see what can be done.

They are sending me a box with pre-paid shipping labels to ship to the nearest apple repair store. Should take a few weeks which sucks.

Apparently they were 100% confident that it could be fixed but the tech person, as usual, denies knowing of any issue. Anytime I've called Apple, including for notorious issues like 'stain gate' where they had to eventually do free repairs on all retina displays, they deny any knowledge of an issue even though I can see so many people complain about it online. They just like to bury their head in the sand and quietly try to settle things on the side. A bit of a rant but it's been 3 hours of hold and talk with several people just now and I'm a bit fed up.

Anyways, the options are return and order new or repair or full refund. Once I get the repair back will I know if it's been solved.

Same EXACT problem. MacBook Air 2020 webcam is awful, horrendous, unacceptable. I am so incredibly disappointed. I just got my MacBook two days ago and paid over $1,400 for it. I am outraged by the low-quality webcam. My MacBook Air 2014 model had 10000x better camera quality than this. So unbelievably unacceptable.

A multi-million dollar company doesn't have the decency to add normal webcams to their products? Put aside the fact that webcams are needed more than ever during this pandemic. Focusing ONLY on the price we pay, the fact that it's 2020 not 2001, and Apple's reputation, I really did not expect this.

So, so, so disappointed and angry.

I completely agree! I just unpacked my brand new Macbook air 2020 and am seriously shocked by the unbelievably bad camera quality. The macbook air I purchased in 2015 is far better. The only thing I can do to help ease the grainy-dark-1970's look to this camera is to turn my diva light on the highest setting and place it right behind my laptop (shining directly on my face).

This really is unacceptable as this fix is not sustainable (the bulbs for the diva light are expensive and the light is really hot). I'm leading zoom calls all day (literally 8-10 hrs per day) and am so glad I haven't sent my old macbook air in for trade yet because I've had to go back to using it for my zoom calls. So disappointed.