Quick Verdict

The Poly Studio X72 wins on framing quality and deployment simplicity thanks to its dual telephoto cameras and integrated compute. The Logitech Rally Bar wins on platform breadth, fleet management, and expandable audio. Choose the X72 if you're committed to Zoom or Teams and want a zero-PC deployment for large rooms. Choose the Rally Bar if you need Google Meet support, want the Logitech Sync ecosystem, or need expandable microphone coverage for very large spaces.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Camera and AI Framing

The X72's dual 4K 20MP cameras with independent wide-angle (120°) and telephoto (70°) lenses represent the most sophisticated camera system in the conference room category. AI Director switches between cameras in real time, using the telephoto to capture distant participants with native resolution rather than digital crop. For rooms where the back row sits 25+ feet from the camera, this produces noticeably sharper individual framing.

The Rally Bar takes a different approach: a single 4K sensor with 15X HD zoom (5X optical, 3X digital) and motorized pan/tilt (±25°/±15°). The total coverage area of 132° x 82° is impressive, and the RightSight 2 AI suite — including Grid View for individual framing — handles most rooms well. However, the single-sensor approach means distant participants are captured via digital crop, which produces softer results than the X72's dedicated telephoto at the same distance.

Winner: Poly Studio X72 — the dual-camera architecture provides superior framing quality at distance, which is the primary challenge in large rooms.

Audio Performance

The Rally Bar's 6 beamforming microphones pick up voices at 23 feet, and the expandable Mic Pod ecosystem (up to 4 pods plus 2 hubs) means there's virtually no room too large. The RightSound AI auto-levels voices and suppresses ambient noise effectively.

The X72's second-order gradient microphones with NoiseBlockAI and Acoustic Fence reach approximately 25 feet — slightly further than the Rally Bar — and Poly's noise intelligence is demonstrably more aggressive at suppressing specific distracting sounds. However, the X72's expansion options are limited to Poly table microphones, which are less modular than Logitech's Mic Pod system.

Winner: Tie — the X72 has better noise suppression and slightly more reach, but the Rally Bar's Mic Pod expansion system provides more flexibility for very large or unusually shaped rooms.

Platform Compatibility

This is the Rally Bar's clearest advantage. It runs Zoom Rooms, Microsoft Teams Rooms, and Google Meet natively in appliance mode, plus USB BYOD mode. The X72 runs Zoom and Teams natively on its integrated compute but requires a separate module for Google Meet.

For organizations standardized on a single platform, this distinction may not matter. For multi-platform environments — particularly those with Google Meet in the mix — the Rally Bar's broader support eliminates the need for platform-specific hardware decisions.

Winner: Logitech Rally Bar — native support for all three major platforms on a single device.

Setup and Management

The X72 ships with integrated compute that runs Zoom or Teams natively — no external PC, no NUC, no compute module. Mount the bar, connect power and Ethernet, and the room is live. Poly Lens provides cloud management.

The Rally Bar can run in Android appliance mode (native Zoom, Teams, or Meet) or connect to an external PC. Logitech Sync provides fleet management that spans the entire Rally family (Bar, Mini, Huddle). For single-room deployments, the X72's integrated compute is simpler. For fleet deployments across room sizes, Sync's ecosystem breadth is the stronger management story.

Winner: Poly Studio X72 for single-room simplicity; Logitech Rally Bar for fleet-scale management.

Value and Total Cost

The X72 costs $6,999 without a touch controller (TC10 adds ~$800-1,000). The Rally Bar costs $4,199 without a controller (Tap adds ~$1,200-1,500). The X72's integrated compute offsets some of the premium by eliminating a room PC, but the price gap is significant — roughly $2,500 per room.

At 20 rooms, that's a $50,000 difference. The X72 justifies this premium in large boardrooms where the dual-camera telephoto advantage is genuinely transformative. In rooms where participants sit within 20 feet of the camera, the Rally Bar delivers comparable results at a significantly lower price.

Winner: Logitech Rally Bar — unless your rooms specifically require the X72's telephoto reach, the $2,500+ per-room premium is difficult to justify.

Who Should Buy the Poly Studio X72?

• Organizations with large boardrooms (14-20+ seats) where participants sit 20-30+ feet from the camera and the telephoto advantage is measurable
• Zoom or Teams environments that want zero-PC deployment with integrated compute
• Companies that prioritize audio intelligence — NoiseBlockAI and Acoustic Fence handle challenging environments better than standard noise suppression
• Executive meeting rooms where video quality directly impacts business outcomes

Who Should Buy the Logitech Rally Bar?

• Multi-platform organizations running any combination of Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet
• Enterprise IT teams deploying across rooms of different sizes, wanting a unified Sync management platform that covers Rally Bar, Mini, and Huddle
• Organizations with very large or irregularly shaped rooms that need expandable microphone coverage via Rally Mic Pods
• Budget-conscious deployments where the $2,500+ per-room savings over the X72 compounds meaningfully across multiple rooms

The Bottom Line

These are both excellent devices aimed at the same room size but serving different organizational priorities. The Poly Studio X72 is the technology leader — its dual-camera system and integrated compute represent the most advanced approach to large-room video conferencing. The Logitech Rally Bar is the ecosystem leader — its platform breadth, fleet management, and expandable audio make it the most versatile and scalable choice. Most organizations will find the Rally Bar sufficient; those with large boardrooms and demanding video quality requirements should consider the premium for the X72.