Do All Webcams Have Built-In Microphones?

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My father was always ahead of the curve when it came to technology. He was always fascinated with anything new, so when the Connectix Corporation released the first consumer webcam for PC to the market in 1995, the Quickcam, he was first in line.

The camera shot in grayscale and at a 320-by-240-pixel resolution, so low that the Megapixel naming convention wouldn't come into being until later models. What's interesting is that the original Quickcam released for the Mac in 1994 and had a microphone built into it, while the following year's PC release did not come with one, at first. Even in the earliest days of webcams, a built-in microphone wasn't always a guarantee.

In modern times, just about all standard webcams will come with a microphone built into them, even cheaper webcams under $10, like the Estranst 2K Quad HD Webcam. If you don't need a microphone, just ignore or disable it. While some say there's simply no need for a traditional webcam anymore, there are real cases for when you might want or need a USB webcam without a microphone.

The AIRHUG 02 is a webcam that highlights its lack of microphone as a privacy feature, while the Aurolumiz 1080P FHD webcam does the same by including a physical mute button. Other models come with a privacy shield you can slide over the lens when not in use, which helps protect yourself from being seen if a hacker accesses your webcam. But what is often overlooked is that audio hacking also exists, with bad actors potentially gaining sensitive personal and business information by capturing your webcam's audio.

Meta's Mark Zuckerberg famously covers his webcam with tape, but this won't prevent audio hacking. This is why webcams without microphones exist today, and are even fairly popular in many sectors. Sure, you'll need a dedicated USB microphone with these webcams, but most standalone mics will provide better audio quality and more control than one in a webcam. 

In terms of video quality, webcams without microphones aren't much different. The basic Airhug webcam features 2K UHD resolution, wide-angle support, and a 5-megapixel CMOS sensor, putting it in line with the very popular Logitech C920 webcam. These types of webcams, even their 4K models, also tend to be slightly cheaper than similar products from popular brands that include a mic.