Cisco Webex DeskPro: Work. Elevated. (Literally)

Those of you that know me well, know that I have a bit of a gadget problem. My first desktop video unit was the EX90, then the DX80 and then the DX70. The DX series served me well for 5 years+, except that I really wanted 4K resolution and Webex Assistant. Alas, the Webex Desk Pro is finally here and the product development team at Oslo has really hit it out of the park.

So, what is a Desk Pro? First, let me tell you what it's not - its not a PC or a Mac, it's not just a nice display and, its definitely not a replacement to the DX80; if anything it gives you a glimpse into where Cisco is taking its hardware and software design next. This high-end video unit is definitely a premium device - designed for the executive's desk or for use in small shared spaces. It is purpose built, has a modern physical design, fresh UX, great resolution, amazing sound and of course, a great 4K sensor. Let's unpack all this goodness.

Design

The Cisco Desk Pro is a beautiful and well-crafted device from the front and from the back. Just like the jumping into the seat of a new car, you instantly know where everything is. On the front, there is a new camera, but this one doesn't move up and down like the DX series - this one is a fixed 4K camera with a special version of Webex Board's Best View people-tracking feature. The volume buttons on the front aren't mechanical buttons, which makes it a great candidate to be used in healthcare environments. The cloth grille that covers the speakers can be removed and replaced with a metal grille that can also be used in healthcare or clean room environments.

The back of the Desk Pro is sculpted like a piece of art, and its because it kinda is. I chose to mount my Desk Pro on a Human Scale M10 arm, on to my new Vari Sit/Stand desk, and the nicety of the new quick release mechanism is that I can go from stand to VESA mount to wall mount in a matter of seconds - really great tool-less design. Everything on the back is well laid out, from USB ports to HDMI and all the other usual suspects. This is why Cisco wins all those Red Dot design awards - goodness is on the inside and out.

Fresh UX

The DX series already had a great UX - simple to use, intuitive etc. but the Desk Pro takes things to a whole new level. If you are familiar with Cisco Webex Room devices, imagine what would happen if you took RoomOS and BoardOS and jammed them together; well, you would then have the new UX on the DeskPro. It is intuitive, it is nimble and it loaded with AI. Sure, it has Best View - which automatically moves the camera digitally, so that you are always in the picture; it also has great whiteboard software and and wireless sharing. It's got Face Recognition to automatically stick your name at the bottom of your video feed so people know who's speaking, along with intelligent framing etc. But the big deal for me, which I had been waiting for, was Webex Assistant.

I'm no stranger to Webex Assistant; I've had it on my Webex Room 55 since it went into beta; so after the Desk Pro arrived, I've embraced it as my daily workhorse, and retired my DX70 and Webex Room 55 entirely, and it is game changing. Running late to a meeting? "Ok Webex, start my meeting." Need to jump into a coworker's personal room? "Ok Webex, call John Coleman's Personal Room." You get the idea, Webex Assistant is now my gold standard and a critical component of my video experience. Cisco is just getting started on this, and there is so much more coming.

Great Resolution

Ok, so some of you will look at this setup and think that its overkill, but everyone has their favorite workflow and this just happens to be my new favorite. I'm a Mac user, so while my MacBook Pro is the center of my compute universe, the Desk Pro is the center of my video universe, and they work really well together. The Desk Pro is essentially a 27" 4K UHD monitor which matches up really nicely with my LG 4K UHD monitors, but here is the icing on the cake; the Desk Pro has Touch Redirect, which is a game changer. It does come with its own pen, so in meetings, if I want to jot down something in Microsoft OneNote - boom, I can do it on the Desk Pro screen. Obviously any app can be used in touch mode, but I use it mostly for OneNote.

Amazing Sound

You know what? I knew this thing had great speakers. I did hear it in early trials and it was impressive. But when I set this up, the sound was so good, I ended up pairing it to my iPhone to play music throughout the day. Yes, that's how good the bass is; Cisco did an exceptionally great job on the audio performance of the Desk Pro. Obviously, while it sounds great for music, it's really meant for video calls, and it does that exceptionally well; people on the call sound like they are right in front of you, and the audio even pans on the left or the right, corresponding to which person on video is talking - from the left or the right, so you experience a video call in the best possible manner.

Great 4K Sensor

Every amazing 4K screen deserves a 4K sensor, and the one in the Desk Pro definitely screams premium. I've had the Desk Pro almost two months now and I continually get asked what video camera I'm using, because the video quality that gets sent out of this unit is pretty amazing. Best View helps keep my video in the picture, centered, and gradually moves if I start pacing around the room. There is a built in background blur as well as a number of scenes that takes away my messy office and makes me look somewhat organized.

Another huge plus is that the camera connects to your PC or Mac as an external camera - so now you can use that great 4K sensor on app-based video conferencing platforms. For example, if someone sends me an invite for a MS Teams meeting or a Zoom meeting; no problem, just fire up the app and choose the Desk Pro camera and boom, it all works well together.

The Cisco Webex Desk Pro is best-in-class, and that's coming from someone who has been using it for almost 40-60 hours a week on video calls. It is my new workhorse and has literally elevated my work experience. If you are looking the deploy the best desktop video experience on the planet - this is the device you want.

You can preorder the Cisco Webex Desk Pro today and will be available in the US in the summer of 2020.