Anker's Eufy Video Doorbell S4 Brings VR Viewing and OmniTrack, But Is It Worth $299.99?

Anker has expanded its smart home lineup with the Eufy Video Doorbell S4, part of the new Edge 5.0 series, as reported by TechRadar. The S4 is now available for pre-order at $299.99 and is expected to ship at the end of October. It ships with the Chime 2 and promises a range of advanced features, including a headline-grabbing VR viewing mode.

According to Anker, the S4 is the world's first video doorbell with VR viewing. When someone approaches, the Eufy app sends a video-call-style notification. Opening it reveals a 180-degree field of view, both horizontally and vertically. By moving your smartphone or a VR headset, you can look around the scene from different angles. This could reduce the need for extra security cameras, though it remains to be seen how practical this is for everyday use.

Beyond VR, the S4 records 3K video at 3072 x 3072, capturing a subject's full body. Eufy's OmniTrack technology uses AI to follow a person as they move, and Auto-Framing crops the panoramic view to keep them centered. To cut down on false alerts, the doorbell combines radar for long-range detection with dual PIR sensors for closer human movement.

The S4 works with Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit, but there are caveats. Apple HomeKit requires the Eufy HomeBaseS380 hub. VR viewing and OmniTrack are exclusive to the Anker Eufy app, so third-party platforms only show a fixed live view. The doorbell is subscription-free and includes 4GB of built-in memory for local storage, a notable advantage over many rivals.

At $299.99, the S4 is a significant investment. Its features are impressive on paper, but the VR viewing may be more of a novelty than a daily necessity. The core improvements—wide field of view, AI tracking, and false-alert reduction—are more likely to matter in regular use. For those heavily invested in the Eufy ecosystem or wanting cutting-edge features without subscription fees, the S4 could be appealing. However, for most users, a less expensive doorbell like the Philips 7000 Series, which TechRadar currently ranks as its overall best pick, might offer better value. As always, potential buyers should weigh the cost against the actual benefits they'll use.