Overview

The Meeting Owl 5 Pro is the latest evolution of Owl Labs' unique tabletop conference camera — a cylindrical device that sits in the center of the table and captures a 360-degree view of every participant. While traditional video bars mount on walls or displays and look at the table from one direction, the Owl sits among the participants, providing remote attendees with a fundamentally different perspective: they can see everyone around the table simultaneously, as if they were sitting at an empty chair.

The 5 Pro upgrades the formula with a 64MP sensor delivering 4K UHD video, an 8-microphone omnidirectional array with 18-foot audio pickup, and two meaningful hardware additions that the Owl 4+ lacked: a native HDMI passthrough for content sharing and a built-in Ethernet port for hardwired enterprise networks. These aren't glamorous additions, but they eliminate the USB adapters and dongles that made previous Owl deployments messier than they needed to be.

At $2,599, the Owl 5 Pro is positioned between the Logitech Rally Bar Huddle ($1,899) and the Logitech Rally Bar Mini ($3,299). It's a pre-order product as of February 2026, shipping in 10-12 weeks, so real-world reviews are not yet available. The 360-degree form factor isn't for every room — but for hybrid teams where the table layout is circular or the seating arrangement is unpredictable, the Owl approach solves problems that no wall-mounted bar can.

Features Deep-Dive

360-Degree Tabletop Camera System

The Owl 5 Pro's 64MP sensor captures a full 360-degree view with a video pickup radius of 10 feet in every direction. The Owl Intelligence System uses AI to automatically detect and track the active speaker, displaying a focused close-up alongside the 360-degree panoramic view. This split-screen approach gives remote participants two things simultaneously: the context of seeing everyone around the table and the detail of reading the speaker's facial expressions. The AI adapts when multiple people speak, shifting focus fluidly. The 360-degree approach is fundamentally different from wall-mounted bars that can only show one perspective of the room — it's especially effective for round tables, U-shaped seating, and rooms where participants face each other rather than facing the display.

HDMI Passthrough and Enterprise Connectivity

The biggest practical upgrade over the Owl 4+ is the addition of native HDMI passthrough for content sharing. Previous Owl models required USB adapters to share presentations to the room display, creating a clunky experience that undermined the "just plug it in" promise. The 5 Pro adds a direct HDMI path from the laptop through the Owl to the display, making content sharing as simple as connecting a cable. The built-in Ethernet port is equally important for enterprise deployments: it provides a hardwired network connection that's more reliable than Wi-Fi in buildings with dense RF environments, and satisfies IT security policies that require wired network access for meeting room devices. Both additions reflect Owl Labs listening to enterprise customer feedback.

Plug-and-Play USB-C Deployment

The Owl 5 Pro maintains the series' defining deployment advantage: USB-C plug-and-play that works with any video conferencing platform. There's no room OS to configure, no compute module to manage, no platform-specific licensing to purchase. Connect the Owl to a laptop, open any meeting application, and the device is active. This platform agnosticism is a genuine advantage for organizations that use multiple video conferencing platforms or for shared spaces where different teams bring their own setups. The Owl Nest management platform provides fleet monitoring and analytics for IT administrators, but the device works without it — making the Owl the easiest conference camera to deploy in any room.

Pricing Analysis

At $2,599, the Owl 5 Pro sits in the mid-range tier — $600 more than the Meeting Owl 4+ ($1,999) and $700 more than the Logitech Rally Bar Huddle ($1,899). The price premium over the Owl 4+ buys HDMI passthrough, Ethernet, and iterative camera and AI improvements. Whether that upgrade is worth $600 depends on your deployment needs: organizations with existing Owl 4+ fleets may wait for real-world reviews before upgrading, while new deployments will benefit from the cleaner connectivity. Compared to traditional video bars, the Owl's value proposition is different — you're paying for a unique form factor that solves specific room layout challenges, not for the highest resolution or the deepest zoom. For round-table hybrid meetings, no amount of spending on wall-mounted bars replicates what the Owl provides.

Who Is This For?

Meeting Owl 5 Pro works best for:

• Hybrid teams with round-table or flexible seating where participants face each other rather than facing a wall-mounted display — the 360-degree view captures everyone regardless of seating position
• Organizations wanting the simplest deployment possible — USB-C plug-and-play with any platform, no room OS configuration, no compute modules, no platform licensing
• Shared or multi-purpose rooms where different teams use different video platforms — the Owl works with Teams, Zoom, Meet, Webex, and any browser-based platform without reconfiguration

Who Should NOT Use This

Meeting Owl 5 Pro might not be the right choice if:

• Your rooms are large (10+ people) — the 10-foot video radius and 18-foot audio radius limit the Owl to small-to-medium rooms. For larger conference rooms, wall-mounted bars like the Logitech Rally Bar or Poly X-series provide much greater reach.
• You want a permanent, fixed-room installation — the Owl is a tabletop device that needs to be placed and connected each time. For dedicated conference rooms that are always provisioned and ready, a wall-mounted bar with appliance mode provides a more seamless experience.
• This is a pre-order product — as of February 2026, the Owl 5 Pro hasn't shipped yet. If you need to deploy immediately, the Meeting Owl 4+ is the proven alternative with the same 360-degree approach, or consider a wall-mounted bar from the established competitors.

Bottom Line

The Meeting Owl 5 Pro addresses the two biggest complaints about previous Owl models — messy content sharing and Wi-Fi-only connectivity — while maintaining the 360-degree tabletop approach that no competitor has matched. For hybrid meetings around a table, the Owl provides a perspective that wall-mounted cameras fundamentally cannot. The pre-order status means real-world performance is unproven, but for organizations already sold on the Owl concept, the 5 Pro's hardware upgrades make it worth waiting for.

FAQ

Should I buy the Owl 5 Pro or wait for reviews?

If you need devices now, the Meeting Owl 4+ ($1,999) is the proven choice with the same 360-degree concept. The 5 Pro ships in 10-12 weeks and adds HDMI passthrough and Ethernet, which are meaningful improvements for enterprise deployments. If those features matter to your setup, waiting is likely worthwhile.

How does the 360-degree view appear to remote participants?

Remote participants see a split-screen view: the full 360-degree panorama of the room on one side, and a zoomed-in close-up of the active speaker on the other. The AI automatically switches focus as different people speak, creating a natural conversational flow.

Can I pair two Owls for a larger room?

Yes, the Owl 5 Pro supports pairing with a second unit via wired or wireless connection for larger spaces. This extends both the video and audio coverage, making the system suitable for medium-to-large rooms with round-table or U-shaped configurations.

Does the Owl work with room scheduling systems?

Not natively. The Owl is a USB peripheral — it doesn't run a room OS or integrate with Zoom/Teams room scheduling. For rooms that need one-touch meeting join from a room calendar, you'll need a separate tablet or room controller running your platform's scheduling interface.