The best smart home security cameras offer two things: solar charging and color night vision. 4K video is a nice add-on, but in most cases, 2K will do the job. My firsthand experience with handling nighttime footage on a home security camera (providing nighttime footage to a police officer after I was a victim of a robbery) shows that color in low-light footage is especially useful for identifying vehicle colors or clothing.
So, a camera like the EufyCam S3 Pro checks every box. Visiting the charger every two months is not necessary (something required by my Google Nest cameras), thanks to the integrated solar panels. And there’s new and improved color night vision, dubbed MaxColor by Eufy, and 4K as a cherry on top. But at over $500 for two cameras and a base station, is the S3 Pro worth its price?
Staff pick
EufyCam S3 Pro
The EufyCam S3 Pro is one of the most capable security cameras I’ve ever used, combining an actually useful suite of AI features with stellar color night vision and sharp 4K daytime streaming. Most importantly, you can use all these features without a monthly subscription. (Some require the home base, though.) These cameras are a costly solution, but a powerful one.
- Consistent facial recognition
- No monthly fee
- Detail-rich, vibrant night vision
- Expensive
- Some features require the home base
Price, availability, and specs
The EufyCam S3 Pro requires a Eufy HomeBase to function, and the smallest kit available is a two-camera, one-base bundle costing $550. The three- and four-camera kits jump up to $700 and $800, respectively, and another bundle option includes a 1TB hard drive. Additional add-on cameras are available for $220.
One of the easiest places to shop for the S3 Pro is Eufy’s US site, but other major electronics retailers, including Amazon and Best Buy, also have the camera in stock.
What’s good about the EufyCam S3 Pro?
Useful AI features and excellent night vision
My EufyCam S3 Pro test kit included two cameras, two mounts (and the necessary hardware), and one HomeBase S380. Installation is painless and typical of any other solar-powered camera setup; the cameras and base paired with my app after pressing a button and scanning a QR code.
Choosing a mounting location may add more time to your installation, depending on your familiarity with the best locations for direct sunlight. If those spots contradict where you want the cameras installed, there might not be enough solar exposure to charge the batteries (in which case, you must pull the cameras down and charge them via cable).
Despite being neck and neck with the Argus 4 Pro in terms of 4K performance and overall video quality, a few details push the S3 Pro into a narrow lead.
The location I chose for the S3 Pro received about three to four hours of direct sunlight, and another four to five of indirect sunlight, every day. I didn’t fully charge the device before installing, so the cam went up with 80% battery, and the panel had no problem charging it up to a full tank on the sunniest days, and up to about 95 to 97% on overcast ones. In my experience with the S3 Pro, using it on moderate notification and recording settings, the device used anywhere between 7 and 15% of its battery reserve daily.
Before the S3 Pro, the last 4K security camera to impress me was the Reolink Argus 4 Pro. Despite being neck and neck with the Argus 4 Pro in terms of 4K performance and overall video quality, a few details push the S3 Pro into a narrow lead. For one, the S3 Pro’s integrated solar panels work better for my setup than the detached panel used by the Argus 4 Pro. There are probably circumstances where independent solar panels are more useful — if you need a camera in a shady area, but have a sunny spot nearby, the Argus 4 Pro may work better for that design.
Read our review
Reolink Argus 4 Pro review: 4K security backed by local storage
What’s the recipe for an excellent security camera?
Eufy’s companion app is easier to navigate than Reolink’s, as well, with generally more refined English and more fleshed-out menus and functions. Neither comes close to Arlo’s security companion app, but there’s been little frustration in my years using Eufy’s app.
Daytime footage on this 4K camera is beautiful and sharp. In the S3 Pro’s location on my garage, people usually don’t come within about 10 to 15 feet of the camera, but it still consistently recognizes known faces. Its long-distance performance is about on par with the Argus 4 Pro’s.
This camera’s best feature is its night vision, thanks to what Eufy calls MaxColor, which describes the camera’s f/1.0 aperture, 1/1.8-inch CMOS sensor, and AI digital image processing. The EufyCam S3 Pro offers four different night vision modes: standard, day-like, spotlights, and infrared.
The day-like picture, while a bit grainy at times, is excellent for capturing more space, light, and color, even in low-light conditions. Infrared night vision looks exactly like infrared night vision should. Spotlight mode kept the image sharp, but only cast light on a portion of the frame. Standard mode is what I eventually defaulted to, though — it was a happy medium between viewing my driveway in full light at midnight and losing details to graininess.
Eufy puts AI to work in the S3 Pro. Its MaxColor night vision, for one, is bolstered by AI-powered digital color enhancement, and Eufy’s Local AI detects faces, discerns between strangers and known residents or visitors, and minimizes false alarms. As a security camera tester who’s seen cameras bamboozled by snowflakes, bugs, and swaying tree branches, the false alarm reduction is especially impressive.
Another one of Eufy’s AI features would be particularly useful to people with bigger homes, pools, outbuildings, or other spaces on their property where another camera could be needed. If you’re using multiple S3 Pros, and someone walks up your driveway, through your backyard fence, and toward your shed, Eufy can stitch all appearances of that person across every S3 Pro in the system to create one cohesive video following the person’s motion.
What’s bad about the EufyCam S3 Pro?
No shortage of more affordable options
You get what you pay for — a dual-sided adage. Usually, higher prices signal a greater overall value in a product. That’s what we hope for, anyway, but it’s not always the case, infamously so in tech.
However, the EufyCam S3 Pro is no rule-breaker in this regard. This camera set justifies its price, but that price is a hang-up all the same. Some folks need all that the S3 Pro offers — the gorgeous night vision, the AI-powered facial recognition and clip stitching, the home base that can add terabytes and terabytes of local storage — but others might not need more than one lone, quality security camera.
Eufy has some competitors in that midrange. Wyze, SwitchBot, Reolink, and Arlo are all options for great security cameras under $200.
Price aside, there is essentially nothing to complain about with the S3 Pro. Its facial recognition is consistent, the solar panel maintains battery levels as expected, and the app is plenty easy to use.
Should you buy it?
Easy to recommend
Most users will want for nothing with the EufyCam S3 Pro, unless there are some more advanced features on your wish list, like FTP transfers and motion following. I am normally skeptical that a device’s AI features will be a gimmicky ploy to mark up the price tag, but the EufyCam S3 Pro is a rare example where those features actually are worthwhile. That, combined with an effortless installation, a home base with expandable local storage, stellar night vision, and no monthly fees, puts Eufy’s latest camera in my top spot for consumer-grade surveillance.
On the other hand, you can spend much less than this and get a decent security camera with a lower resolution, like the SwitchBot Outdoor Spotlight Cam 2K.
If money were no object, though, I’d recommend the EufyCam S3 Pro two-camera bundle to anyone in the market for home security, especially if you’re in a bigger house and need to enhance your setup. While multi-camera systems may be overkill for smaller houses, Eufy’s new MaxColor night vision can’t be beaten.
Staff pick
EufyCam S3 Pro
The EufyCam S3 Pro’s night vision is its crown jewel, but there’s a lot to enjoy with these cameras, including a scalable system, no monthly subscription requirements, and useful AI-powered tracking features.
Related
Best outdoor security cameras in 2024
Smart cameras are more powerful, accessible, and affordable than ever
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings