A doorbell so smart it's solar-powered: the new EZVIZ EP3x Pro arrives

I review a lot of smart home tech – doorbells and cameras – and there has been a notable trend toward adding solar panels to help keep batteries charged on the security cameras. EZVIZ, however, are delivering one with their new premium doorbell, the EP3x Pro.

Of course a smart home doorbell is more or less the same thing as a smart home security camera – there is two-way talk, smart human detection, and the option to integrate with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa as you'd expect. There is no reason not to add the solar panel – and as a regular user of solar-boosted security cameras I must say I do appreciate less manual charging. It is, still, very unusual in doorbells, making this a remarkable product.

The EP3x Pro also boasts a dual-camera system, which is an approach we've seen before on some other smart home doorbells (like that from Eufy). In this case a 2K camera faces forward while an additional 1080P camera offers a view of the step.

According to EZVIZ, this is supported by smart human and package detection which "will recognise visitors and packages left on the doorstep but not passing animals or vehicles."

Another unusual feature for the privacy conscious – perhaps a person alone at home not wishing to be identified – is a voice changer, so when you speak to visitors you can disguise your voice.

Another feature more common on cameras than doorbells is color night vision; a small light in the device will illuminate visitors so they can be seen in color.

Whether the device can live up to the standards it sets itself we won't know until we can test it, but this doorbell is IP65 rated and promises to be an easier install than many with an extensive feature set so we look forward to trying it out.

Perhaps, though, most impressive for a device which is being announced at a list price of £129.99 (around $165 / AU$250) is that EZVIZ has included 32GB of eMMC storage (which they say is good for around 6 months of clips), so you don't need to pay for a subscription, unlike many smart home devices.

We keep a guide to the best outdoor home security cameras and the best smart home doorbells here – will this make the list when we review it? Time will tell!