EDIT 2/28/20: While this has been launched, supplies are limited and it is possible that the availability may not be extended when the supply is exhausted.
EDIT 11/25/19: Check wyze.com at 12 AM EST (9 PM PST) on November 29th!
We launched Wyze Cam Black as a special edition product for Black Friday. You can find more information about it here.
We recently sold out of our stock and don’t have a timeline for when (or if) we’ll bring it back. But we’re open to the idea and want to keep track of interest. So if you would like for us to sell more Wyze Cam Black cameras, please vote here!
Personally, I would be willing to pay $25 for a black version vs $20 for the white. I don’t need all my cams to be black so the premium would only be for cams where black suits the location better.
If it cost, say, $30 for black that’s half the cost of another white one so I would probably find another way (print an all-black “costume” and/or buy black cords, matte black spray paint for $5, etc). But even then, depending on the look and location and how much time I want to spend modding, it might still be worth it for me to spend $30 in certain situations on a black version.
I think the more difficult question would be how Wyze markets the black version and justifies the higher price. Most consumers aren’t going to read about Wyze’s manufacturing costs, they’ll just 1) complain that the black one isn’t $20, or 2) expect the black one to have some special features because it’s more expensive (and be disappointed when it doesn’t).
Please bring back the black. The white cam reflects off window glass if positioned by a window creating a reflection that looks like a white haze. Nice product otherwise.
No backlight or on top and I assume the IR refers to the night vision mode which was also turned off. The reflection off the window glass with the camera lens reflecting the white cam is double pane and it is during the daylight hours that this problem occurs. I tested it briefly by covering with a dark sheet of paper and that actually removes the haze from the video that is caused by the reflection. This is why I believe the black cam would be the difference in my case and others experiencing similar. Any further advice?
Why not offer it right now, at a price that is profitable? Definitely don’t offer it at the same price as the white, because it has already been determined people will pay more for it. It has already been sold in the past, so how difficult could it be to bring it back?
My suggestion would be to bring it back at $5 more and use that money to invest in app development.
Just learned about the black cams, would definitely have purchased them over the 6 white ones I got. Entertainment areas, windows, ect all look less conspicuous in black.
It’s probably marked maybe-later because producing the black Wyze Cam v2 requires a separate production run that has to be coordinated with the manufacturer. It’s not something that can just be ordered.
The black version also costs more to manufacture than the white regardless of quantity and introduces additional distribution/inventory costs. Because of that finding “a price that is profitable” is a bit more involved when talking about a permanent addition to the product line vs a limited Black Friday run.
A $5 premium seems to be the cost most people feel is reasonable, but we have no idea if that would cover the additional costs to Wyze or leave anything left over “to invest in app development”. If the additional cost to Wyze is actually less than $5 then I would be happy to see any extra go toward product development.
