New Blink Video Doorbell promises 2 years of runtime on 3 AA batteries

Amazon's Blink division--the budget-oriented sibling of Ring in the smart home space--has announced an all-new version of its affordable battery-powered Blink Video Doorbell, which is available now for 69.99. While the price has gone up by 10 compared to the previous model, the new version's higher-resolution camera (1440 1440 pixels), 150-degree field of view, and 1:1 aspect ratio will provide a head-to-toe view of visitors. Blink is bundling the new doorbell with its new AC-powered Blink Sync Module Core, which acts as a bridge to the home's Wi-Fi network (it does not have a chime that sounds off when a visitor rings the doorbell). Blink says having the doorbell connect to the Core, instead of directly to a home's router, is what enables the doorbell's remarkable 2-year battery life. The latest Blink Video Doorbell comes bundled with the Blink Sync Core, which serves as a bridge to a home's Wi-Fi network. Since the Sync Module Core does not offer any means for local storage--unlike the Sync Module 2 (with a USB-A socket) and the Sync Module XR (with a microSD card slot)--buyers of the latest Blink Video Doorbell will need to either sign up for a subscription to store video recordings in the cloud, or they'll need to replace the Core with either of Blink's other two Sync Modules.