Camera · 30 seconds
Is the camera the one this Mac shipped with?
This model was sold with a 720p camera. If the stream comes back below that, the sensor is either faulty or has been replaced with a cheaper part — both of which are worth knowing before you pay.
Resolution
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Frame rate
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What to look at while it is running
- Wipe the lens first. A smeared camera is the single most common reason a Mac “has a bad webcam”.
- Cover and uncover a window. Exposure should settle within a second or two, not hunt back and forth.
- Look for a fixed dark speck that stays put as you move — that is dust behind the lens, not on it.
- Check the image is not tinted. A strong colour cast that never corrects is a sensor fault.
How does the picture look?
Worth buying alongside it
Warranty-backed alternatives and the accessories most Macs arrive missing
Best in Europe · From $579Refurbed — Graded MacBooks with a 12-Month WarrantyEuropean marketplace with transparent A/B/C condition grading, 30-day returns and a 12-month minimum warranty on every Apple Silicon MacBook.View ›Fixes a 256GB Mac · ~$99Samsung T7 Shield Portable SSD (1TB / 2TB)Apple Silicon SSDs are soldered to the logic board, so a 256GB Mac can never be upgraded internally. A 1,050 MB/s external drive is the only way to add space.View ›High Performance · ~$50Thunderbolt / USB4 Hub for M-Series MacBooksAdds HDMI 4K@60Hz, an SD card slot, USB-A ports and 100W passthrough charging to a Mac that ships with two ports.View ›
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