JOBY Beamo MagSafe Ring Light Review: Creating Content on the Move
Tom Payne
JOBY Beamo MagSafe Ring Light Review: If you want to improve your travel content for social media, you’ll need one of these.
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In this article:
JOBY Beamo MagSafe Ring Light
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
My recent reviews on JOBY devices demonstrate that they’re all about creating devices that help users to produce fantastic content while travelling.
The JOBY Beamo Ring Light is a portable ring-shaped light that attaches to an iPhone 12 or later to provide additional lighting for photos and videos.
It has a rechargeable battery, adjustable brightness and colour temperature, and it can also be used as a flashlight. It’s designed to be lightweight and portable, making it easy to take with you on the go.
If, however, you don’t own an iPhone with MagSafe, or even an iPhone for that matter, JOBY includes a sticky magnet adapter, so its Ring Light will work with any smartphone.
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Features //JOBY Beamo MagSafe Ring Light Review
At just 9mm, the Beamo Ring Light is a slim MagSafe accessory with a built-in Lithium battery that will deliver up to 4 hours of use in between charges which is done with the built-in USB-C port on the side.
In the centre of the hard silicone frame, JOBY has mounted a mirror and a single control button just below this.
This mobile Ring Light works with both Front and Rear cameras thanks to the hinge mechanism.
At its smallest and least intrusive, the MagSafe Ring Light will fold flat against the back panel of your smartphone for either storage or to be used with the rear camera. Folding the Ring Light open by 180° stands the light and mirror over the top of the phone at just the correct position to light your face for when you’re filming from the front-facing camera.
The JOBY MagSafe Beamo Ringlight comes in a choice of colours, Grey or White, and has a soft felt travel pouch included.
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Perfect Fit
For this review, I tested the JOBY Beamo Ring Light using an iPhone 14 Pro with a Nomad Rugged case. This is important to note as the 14 Pro has a 6.1″ display and an overall length is 148mm. The Pro Max is larger at 161mm and might result in the light only just clearing the top of the phone.
This will not be a problem for bigger Android devices as the adapter can be applied further up.
Ring lights, in general, are helpful because they provide even, consistent lighting for photos and videos. They help eliminate shadows and can also add a professional, polished look to content.
The JOBY Beamo Ring Light emits soft 5600K Daylight over four brightness levels ranging from dim to very bright, and I found the highest level a bit too bright for my eyes, yet if you’re filming in a dark space, it will be a welcome addition.
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Switching between the light modes was easy for me as I’m righthanded; however, ‘lefties’ might not feel the same and need to bend their index finger back slightly.
If you’re righthanded, the button placement is perfect, and I found my finger sat naturally over the button, making controlling the brightness level simple.
Turning the Ring Light on and selecting the lowest brightness level took one press, with a further three presses, to cycle up through the levels. A final fifth press turns the light off again.
The strength of the MagSafe connection and the build quality of the hinge was very impressive. Even with a MagSafe-compatible case on.
I even used the Beamo Ring Light as a handle (not recommended) to prove the connection’s strength. I moved the light to a 90° angle from the phone; it held the iPhone and connected PodZilla™ Flexible Mobile Tripod Kit easily.
Power
Power performance wasn’t an issue. I spent most of my time moving between levels 1 to 2 and averaged around 3 hours before needing to recharge.
JOBY states at its brightest, the Beamo Ring Light will deliver 50 minutes.
Charging the light was straightforward, and although it ships with a small USB-C cable with a 5V/1A input requirement, any charger capable of USB-C charging you may already have in your travel tech pack will do the job.
MagSafe Connection
MagSafe Mount
iPhone Pro Connected
In the Box
Specifications //JOBY Beamo MagSafe Ring Light Review
