If you are not living under the rock, you must know the importance of webcams now, especially if your PC doesn’t have a built-in webcam, or if the built-in webcam is not capable enough. However, a ‘just working’ webcam doesn’t get the job done. The picture quality must be equally good as the audio quality. While most webcams feature a mic, they tend to include a lot of background noise and echo, thus spoiling the overall feedback.
While you can always invest in an external mic, it would mean that you will have to take care of another gadget. Thankfully, there are plenty of webcams in the market that bundles a good microphone. With these cameras, not only your voice appears loud and clear, but there is no added noise and echo to drown it out.
Below are some of our recommendations for the best webcams with quality built-in microphones. Let’s have a look.
1. Logitech Brio 4K Pro
If you want a webcam that combines quality picture quality with equally great audio quality, the Logitech Brio 4K Pro makes for a great buy. It’s a 4K HDR camera that renders crisp and beautiful images with accurate colors. The wide 90-degree camera does its job well in fitting you well into the frame. And well, you can zoom and pan as per your preference. To add to that, you also get an omnidirectional mic that produces a clear sound and masks all the background noise and chaos, be it in an office setting or a home setting.
It tries to justify its price tag by including plenty of nifty settings and features. For one, you can replace your background, just like the video conferencing tool Zoom. Nifty, right?
At 4 x 1.1 x 1.1-inch, this webcam has a small footprint, and you can clip it to the top of your laptop. Plus, it bundles a privacy shutter that you can use when you are not using it actively.
The HDR in the camera makes all your recordings and stills appear natural. Reviewers love it for its sharp picture quality. And oh, the camera support Windows Hello too. Do keep in mind that Logitech has shipped with this webcam falls on the flimsy end.
2. Logitech StreamCam Streaming Webcam
Logitech pulls out all the stops in the StreamCam. This one is a small webcam that measures 2.3 x 1.9 x 2.4-inches and is suitable for streaming your activities. This squarish camera comes with a duo of microphones that deliver clean and crisp audio. It’s further accompanied by a well-balanced picture quality.
The StreamCam bundles two mounts. You can either clip it to the top of your laptop’s screen or use the tripod mount that comes with it.
The FoV is at 78-degrees, which is a tad smaller than the Brio. As noted earlier, the picture quality is great and doesn’t need any additional tweaking.
Along with the above, you also get the option to tweak the picture quality, type of frames (PIP or side-by-side), or switch between different FPS settings.
One of the drawbacks of this camera is that the USB-C cable is built into the device. So if somehow manage to break the cable, the odds are that you might have to switch over to a new device.
3. Ausdom AF640 1080 Webcam
If you are looking for a plain webcam with great mics and minus all the fuss, you can’t go wrong with the Ausdom AF640 1080 Webcam. This one is priced below $90 and packs a FoV of 90-degrees, and omnidirectional mike and lets you record at Full HD. Thanks to a flexible neck, you can even turn it 360 degrees. Cool, right?
Similar to the Brio 4K, the 90-degree FoV means that you will be able to fit pretty much everything behind you in the frame. And the 36Db mic translates into clear and loud audio, minus the background noise.
For its price, the Ausdom AF640 has a solid build. However, the picture quality is not as sharp as the camera above, and that’s quite understandable given the vast difference in price. Nevertheless, it delivers a good video.
One of the issues with the AF640 is its autofocus. As per the folks at Toms Hardware, the focus of the camera goes off, especially if you tend to move and fidget a lot during your calls and meetings. That means the people on the other end will see blurs and weird artifacts from your feed.
On the upside, the AF640 can be fitted on top of monitors and laptops and comes with a mount for tripods too.
4. Logitech C920S HD Pro Webcam
Many YouTubers and creators often refer to Logitech’s C920S as the ultimate webcam, primarily because it brings several great features to the table for the price. For one, this HD camera delivers great audio and video. Secondly, it comes with a privacy shutter. And lastly, this camera is known for working seamlessly with apps like Skype, Zoom, and FaceTime.
The C920S bundles excellent auto white balance, and the result is a sharp and crisp picture. And unlike the webcams mentioned above, it doesn’t have issues with autofocus. It’s fast, and the focus shifts quickly, even if you move a lot in your seat.
This is an FHD camera, and except for FaceTime, you will be able to record at 1080p. More importantly, the mic works as advertised and delivers noise-free audio, and well, several reviews on Amazon back this claim.
The only issue with the Logitech C920S is that you can’t swivel the camera left and right.
5. Microsoft LifeCam Studio
The LifeCam Studio makes for an excellent choice if you are looking for a webcam purely for casual use. This one allows you to record videos at 720p at 30fps and also shoot 4-megapixel stills. A small mono mic sits at the top of the camera, and while it does a good job in capturing clear and crisp audio, it also tends to pick up some background noise.
Other than that, the 75-degree FoV lets you fit enough in one frame. And though the 720p won’t shoot sharp videos like the ones above, you can rest assured that they will be clear, bright, and non-pixelated.
The look of this webcam is slightly unique—it’s shaped like a barrel. Looks-wise it may not be much, but it affords plenty of flexibility. For one, you can turn it full 360 degrees or 180 degrees in either direction. The mount proves to be quite a task to handle. If you are not careful, the whole camera may come undone and fall off your monitor.
Till now, the Microsoft LifeCam Studio has seen more than fifteen hundred reviews with users speaking highly of its durability and picture quality for the price.
6. Vitade Web Cam with Microphone HD
If you are on a tight budget, you can go with the Vitade webcam. It’s easy to set up and brings a lot to the table, such as 1080p recording, 75-degree wide-angle lens, and omnidirectional mics with noise cancellation. The latter means your calls and video conferencing will be free of unwanted noises.
The build of the webcam is simple. The clip at the bottom lets you fix it at the top of monitors and laptop screen. At the same time, it’s pretty flexible. Not only can the camera be rotated 360-degree, but it can also be bent to suit your needs.
Installation and setup is a walk in the park, and you just need to plug in the cable to your PC.
For now, most of the users have been happy with their purchases, with people liking it for its picture quality and color balance.
For the price, you will have to sacrifice some of the features. For example, this Vitade webcam comes with manual focus. If you have short meetings and do not move around a lot, it’s not much of an issue.
Listen With All the Intent
The demand for webcams is like never before. Whether it’s for a simple demonstration or a short meeting with your team members or catching up with your loved ones, the list is long. Hence, it goes without saying that the webcams you buy should balance both audio and video.
Last updated on 02 February, 2022
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