The Blink Mini has been one of the best affordable and reliable security cameras in recent years. Its successor, the Blink Mini 2, doubles down on what we liked about the original camera, like its compact size and granular settings. However, it now has a wider 143-degree field of view (a huge jump from the original’s narrow 110 degrees) that captures even more space. Plus, it’s been updated with a new weather-resistant exterior that’s durable enough to leave outside all year round.
To keep the price down, the Blink Mini 2 makes some sacrifices. For example, it lacks features like a higher-resolution camera and smart event notifications for identifying packages, animals, or vehicles, things that have found their way into competing budget cameras like the Wyze Cam v3. Read on to see if the Blink Mini 2 is well-rounded enough to earn a spot on our list of the best security cameras, or if spending a little more (or even less on a Wyze or Tapo) is the better decision.
Blink Mini 2 review: Price and availability
The Blink Mini 2 went on sale on March 14, 2024, and costs $39.99 on its own or $49.98 with the Blink Weatherproof Power Adapter. You will need to purchase this outdoor power kit if you plan to use it outdoors. It’s relatively cheap compared to an indoor camera from big brother Ring and competes with budget hybrid cameras like the Wyze Cam V3 Pro.
Blink Mini 2 review: Design
The Blink Mini 2 is aptly named; It’s a 2 x 2 inch cube that’s small enough to slip into a pocket or fit between the tightest of crevices. Comes in black or white.
On the front of the Blink Mini 2, you’ll find a spotlight on top, a camera in the center, and a microphone, as well as a status LED on the sides of the camera. Flip it over and the back has a speaker system on top and the USB-C power port on the bottom. In the middle of the back is a QR code that you can scan to add the camera to the Blink app.
Hidden at the bottom is the reset button, as well as a notch for connecting it to a GoPro-like versatile ball mount. Simply place the camera on this mount and you can drill it into any surface and then rotate it at all kinds of angles to capture the areas you need to cover.
Unlike the original Blink Mini, the exterior of this model is IP65 rated (provided you purchased the 13-foot outdoor power adapter). It has a seal that covers the USB-C power port on the back of the camera, unlike the included standard cable. The USB-C cable found in the box measures just 6.5 feet, which is still enough for indoor setups, but doesn’t make it waterproof.
Blink Mini 2 review: Video and audio performance
The Blink Mini 2 has a 1080p HD camera that looks pretty good when given enough light. During the day it accurately captured motion events; you can see a person, what they’re wearing, and the text on a t-shirt, as long as the logo is big enough. The colors on this camera aren’t as vibrant as others I’ve tested, with flatter tones that can’t show variations like the range of bright-to-dark greens in the spring grass in my front yard in the video below.
The Mini 2 has problems with rooms that have natural light instead of artificial lighting. My living room has plenty of natural light from two overhead skylights and large windows, but Blink made the image look too dark. It’s still sharp enough to see what’s going on and looks normal when the dome lights are active or at night. To his credit, he did distinguish text on things like numbers on an analog watch, which is impressive at this price.
Throughout the week, I placed the Blink 2 in different locations, such as the garage, to make sure the door opened, my car’s remote start function activated, and to watch the comings and goings of members of the team. family.
Surprisingly, the Blink Mini 2 shines in low light and at night. I switched between color and infrared night vision options; With infrared alone, it was harder to make out the design and even the lettering on my shirt, but I could make out facial features like the cleft in my eyebrow and my beard.
Using the built-in spotlight to enable color night vision provided a much sharper image that highlighted missing text on my shirt and gave more overall detail to the image. You can see the difference by swiping right in the gallery below.
The Blink Mini 2’s built-in light turns bright and spreads with a wide splash of illumination that illuminated a porch path five feet away as well as the adjacent vinyl siding. With the right placement, this is very effective. This light can be activated automatically when the camera detects motion or you can control it manually from the app.
Sound is not the Blink Mini 2’s strong point, as it sounds locked in even when placed very far from a wall. Speech and even noises, like a dog barking, sound compressed and aren’t as full or natural as other security cameras I’ve used from professional brands like Arlo and Ring. You can hear someone talking to you in a two-way audio conversation, however, you may have to listen more carefully or ask them to announce certain sounds.
Blink Mini 2 Review: App
The Blink app lets you view all your cameras from one place, view recorded clips, and manage settings. It is much more agile than the competition thanks to a clean interface that does not bombard you with ads or advice. You can simply click the arm or disarm button, click the image to access your live stream with a single tap, and tap the ellipsis icon for more advanced features like setting up motion or privacy zones.
I like Blink’s zone setup because you simply tap points on a multi-point grid. There’s no fiddling around trying to draw or stretch a shape over the locations you want to select. While the camera met the zone restrictions I set, it’s slower at sending motion notifications than its snappier competitors. While it will record instantly, as I could tell by the active recording light, I didn’t get notifications sent to my phone until three or five seconds later.
The Mini 2’s new chip enables on-board computer vision processing, resulting in highly accurate person detection. Its rich notifications tell me if a person is detected and helped me drastically reduce false alerts. This feature requires the optional Blink subscription plan (sold separately).
Blink Mini 2 review: Smart home compatibility
Blink is owned by Amazon, making Alexa the primary smart home platform for the Blink Mini 2. You can use your voice or the Echo Show touchscreen to arm and disarm the camera, as well as view its live feed from a Alexa-enabled smart display (the Amazon Echo Show 5, Echo Show 8, Echo Show 10 or Echo Show 15). You can also watch up to four streams simultaneously on your TV if you have a Fire TV device or a Fire TV-compatible TV. If you also own a Blink doorbell, this camera even acts as a real-time doorbell that rings immediately after you press the doorbell.
In comparison, the Wyze Cam v3 and Tapo cameras not only work with Alexa, but are also compatible with Google Assistant and IFTTT.
Blink Mini 2 review: Subscription costs and features
Like most security cameras, the Mini 2’s advanced person detection feature and cloud video storage are locked by a subscription. This starts from Blink Basic at $3/month to store 60 days of rolling stock in the cloud.
You can store videos locally using Blink Sync Module 2 ($49.99, Amazon) and your own USB flash drive. This option is cheaper since you don’t have to pay to access your clips. However, you won’t be able to access useful features like continuous live streaming for up to 90 minutes or people detection.
Compared to another security camera storage plans, Blink is more affordable than other services. Arlo’s most basic plan gives you just 30 days of video history for $8 a month for a single camera and $12 for unlimited cameras. Google’s basic Nest Aware subscription costs $8 and also offers just 30 days of storage; however, it applies to unlimited cameras.
Blink Mini 2 review: verdict
Blink’s newest budget home security camera is easy to use and offers enough versatility for the price. Its clean app and highly customizable settings and motion detection zones are on par with professional brands, but its overall audio and video quality leaves a little to be desired. It won’t identify labels on a package that Ring Pro cameras can identify at 1536p, let alone the even higher resolution of 2K on Arlo devices. Likewise, those models cost three times as much.
This is a capable budget camera that will help you see what’s going on on your property. You simply won’t have to get up close to identify a car’s license plate or make out a smaller tattoo or scar. We slightly prefer the Wyze Cam v3 because we like its magnetic mounting bracket, its ability to recognize more than just people, and its lower subscription costs. But you can do a lot worse with cameras under $40, and if you have a smart home with Alexa, the Blink Mini 2 is a no-brainer.
