After announcing the $40 Cam last year, Petcube is back with a new twist on its signature treat dispenser. The most important feature of the Bites 2 Lite is its price. At $125, it costs half as much as its predecessor did at launch. Naturally, that means some compromises. What you won’t find on the Bites 2 Lite is Alexa. Amazon’s voice-activated assistant made the Bites 2 into more than just a treat dispenser and home camera. You could also use it as a smart speaker with all the usual functionality that comes with an Echo device. It also came with a Petcube-specific Alexa skill that allowed you to sling treats at your pet.
Other compromises include a camera with a narrower 160-degree field-of-view and no support for 5GHz WiFi connectivity. On that front, the Bites 2 Lite limits you to a slower 2.4GHz connection. Beyond those missing features, there aren’t a lot of meaningful differences between Petcube’s newest device and its predecessor.
It comes with a 1080p camera that features automatic night vision and 8x digital zoom. It also comes with support for two-way audio. If you want to customize your new Bites 2 Lite, Petcube plans to sell separate treat containers that come three new colors: pink, blue and orange. Like with Petcube’s other products, paying for the company’s Care subscription service unlocks perks like the ability to upload video clips to the cloud. Similarly, you can use Vet Chat, Petcube’s other paid feature to book telehealth appointments for your pet.
The Petcube Bites 2 Lite is available to buy today exclusively through Amazon.