Arlo Pro 5S 2K camera Review 2025

I always look forward to evaluating Arlo products. Arlo is one of the best security camera manufacturers in the industry. The Arlo Pro 5S is the new version replacing the Arlo Pro 4, with many improved features. In the price range under $200, the Arlo Pro 5S 2K is a highly anticipated product.

The Arlo Pro 5 2K is now available at a discounted price of just $143 for the white version and $175 for the black version. You can create your own custom home security package by adding accessories such as a solar panel so you don’t have to charge the camera’s battery.

Arlo remains faithful to its security camera design, and you can hardly tell the difference between the Pro 5S and Pro 4 just by looking at their exterior. The camera housing measures 3.5 x 2 x 3 inches, with an elongated cylindrical shape, rounded at the back, and flat at the front. The back of the housing features a threaded mount for the included ball joint stand, allowing you to attach it to the side of your house or even on a fence, ceiling, or anywhere indoors you like.

The front of the camera has a spotlight and two infrared sensors for night vision. At the bottom of the housing, there’s a button to detach the camera from the housing, providing access to the internal battery for replacement if needed. The bottom of the housing also features some metal connectors where you can attach Arlo’s magnetic charging cable to recharge the battery without removing the camera from its position. A handy tip is to use a solar charging panel to avoid the hassle of frequently changing the battery.

Video quality reaches up to 2K HDR, and you can adjust the resolution it records videos in through the Arlo Secure app. However, video quality directly impacts battery life, so you can choose to optimize it to extend battery life. Additionally, the Arlo Pro 5S has a Power Saving mode, where the camera only takes photos instead of recording videos when activated. This feature is particularly useful when the battery is between 10-30%.

We tested the Optimize mode to balance video quality and battery life over 10 days and found that the battery decreased by 30% while the camera continued recording 2K videos.

A fun feature is the ability to zoom in and out of videos just like a photo on your phone.

Videos from the Arlo Pro 5S appear clear with vibrant color reproduction in the center of the frame, though the top corners might be slightly overexposed. The video clarity and sharpness are slightly better than those from the Wyze Cam Floodlight Pro. Videos recorded at 2.5K resolution are almost on par with Arlo’s quality, recording at 24 frames per second (fps), which is suitable for the motion of our eyes. At night, that number drops to 15 fps, resulting in more noise around moving objects.

The 160-degree field of view is preferred as it allows you to observe a wider area from a single vantage point compared to Ring’s Spotlight Cam, which has only a 140-degree field of view.

At night, Arlo’s spotlight serves two purposes: to alert anyone approaching that the area is monitored by a camera, and to enable color recording at night. This enhances the security of your home by deterring potential intruders. You can activate various alert types, and the camera can detect people, vehicles, animals, and, of course, motion. You can enable or disable alerts based on what is detected and even receive notifications if the camera detects smoke/carbon monoxide alarms or any other specific noises. You can also activate Arlo’s package detection feature to monitor areas where packages are typically left. Several reports indicate that delivery personnel handle your packages more carefully when they notice a camera recording.

The Arlo Pro 5S 2K can store footage on Arlo’s cloud using one of the company’s subscription plans, or you can purchase an Arlo Pro Smart Hub for an additional $100 to enable local video storage.

Arlo Secure Subscriptions allow you to access Arlo’s cloud storage. The basic Arlo Secure plan costs $4.99 per month per camera or $12.99 per month for unlimited cameras. You will receive video recordings with up to 4K resolution stored on Arlo’s cloud for 30 days, along with intelligent notifications and motion alerts.

Without a service plan, you will only be able to view live streams from the camera with basic notifications and no object detection—just motion alerts.

Arlo’s subscription plans are among the most expensive for security camera storage. In comparison, Ring Protect plans start at $3.99 per month for one camera or $10 per month for unlimited cameras with 180 days of cloud recording, along with a similar list of advanced features like intelligent notifications. This is certainly a downside for some users.

The Arlo Pro 5S 2K meets many criteria for being one of the best outdoor security cameras. It offers good video quality and allows you to fully monitor the activities/movements around your home.

Currently, the camera is available at a discounted price of just under $150 (originally over $250). However, a drawback is that you have to spend an additional $5 per month for Arlo Secure for a single camera to access other features, which may not be the most economical choice. If you’re comfortable with the initial and ongoing costs, the Arlo Pro 5S 2K is an excellent home security camera.

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Arlo Pro 5S 2K

$249.99