Introduction
A4tech is a Taiwanese brand that was founded in 1987 in New Taipei. It is one of the few brands that has been operational in Pakistan since as long as we can remember. A4tech offers a wide range of products such as speakers, keyboards, headphones, mice, and webcams. In 2011, A4tech switched their focus towards gamer centric products through the introduction of the Bloody Gaming brand which we know and love. However, we are reviewing their PK-940HA webcam today.
Ever since the pandemic started, webcams have become immensely important. In the daily affairs, you need a webcam to attend classes or join a meeting while you’re working from home. As the lockdowns are ever increasing, interacting with your friends can only be done via video call these days as well. The sudden surge in demand led to a drastic increase in price where some models were going upwards of $200, if you were able to find one.
The A4tech PK-940HA
We are taking a look at the PK-940HA by A4tech today. In our review, we’ll be comparing the features and capture quality to the Logitech C920. It is important to note that there is a drastic price difference between the aforementioned cameras as the suggested retail price for the PK-940HA is Rs. 5,000 whereas the C920 released at a price of Rs. 11,000 ($70), however, it has since been discontinued and used units still cost around that much.
The A4tech PK-940HA has a myriad of features including:
- Full HD 1080p Resolution @ 30FPS
- Rapid Auto Focus
- Single-Directional Digital Mic
- Tripod Support
- Wide Angle Viewing Distance at 75 Degrees
- Dust-Resistant Glass Lens
- USB 2.0
- Driverless Compatibility
- Focus range from 10cm
Dimensions
Packaging and Contents
The A4tech PK-940HA comes packaged in a white box with x accents. On the front, you can find an illustration of the webcam alongside with few listed features and the usual branding.
Once you lift the flap open, you can see the webcam encased in a hard-plastic dust cover through the cutout. The inside of the flap mentions the specifications of 3 different models with ours being highlighted in Orange.
On the right side, you’ll find few features, a logo and a QR code that leads to you A4tech’s website.
Whereas on the opposite side, it depicts the mounting mechanisms that the PK-940HA supports including a 360 degree horizontal and a 40 degree vertical rotation.
On the back, it reiterates the features and specifications and you can also find the contact and warranty information.
The PK-940HA is securely fitted into a plastic housing that protects it from any bumps and drops during shipping.
The webcam has a grooved finish on the front while the rest of the body is made up of matte black plastic.
It features a hook base design to latch onto laptops, LCD screens or even CRT monitors. Furthermore, to prevent it from slipping or scratching, it comes with dual-material silicon padding.
As the PK-940HA supports 360° Horizontal and 40° Vertical rotation, you can easily adjust it to your preferred angle.
Picture and Sound Quality
For the sake of comparison, we won’t be altering any settings so the images you’ll see will be on stock settings straight out of the box.
Average Lighting Scene:
A4Tech PK-940HA
Logitech C920
Even with a glance, we can notice few stark differences between the two units. The PK-940HA presents a clearer image with deeper blacks but we can also notice some over-sharpening taking place throughout the image. The difference in the FOV is also noticeable as the C920 has a 3° wider shot. While the PK-940HA provides a clearer image, the C920 keeps a more natural skin tone.
Low Lighting Scene
A4Tech PK-940HA
Logitech C920
In terms of exposure, both of the webcams did a similar job. As we noticed previously, the PK-940HA maintains a clearer image at the expenses of over-sharpening. Furthermore, the PK-940HA does not blur the background at all, whereas the C920 maintains a slight blur which is evident by the poor legibility of the text on the box.
Nighttime Scene – Ample Background Lighting
A4Tech PK-940HA
Logitech C920
We see a more drastic difference between the images once the lights go off as the PK-940HA presents a darker image compared to the C920. While the C920 does a better job with the exposure, especially with highlighting the boxes in the background, the PK-940HA keeps far more details on the face and neck.
Nighttime Scene – Worst Case Scenario
A4Tech PK-940HA
Logitech C920
In the absolute worst case scenario, the PK-940HA falls behind by a significant margin as it is only able to highlight the face while the rest of the image is slowing falling into the void. Given the price difference between the two webcams, the PK-940HA did a commendable job against the renowned C920.
Streaming/Video Performance
The story was similar during our testing with its recording functionality. The video was noticeably clearer compared to the C920 but it still had to aforementioned caveats. Furthermore, neither webcams disappointed us with the tracking even though they both sometimes did go out of focus even something came near the lens. The Nighttime performance also remained the same.
Audio
Up until now, both of the webcams were neck and neck depending on the scenario and personal preference. However, when it comes to recording audio, the PK-940HA simply cannot compete with the Dual-Mic Stereo setup that comes with the C920.
A4Tech PK-940HA Audio Snippet *Headphone/Audio Warning*
Even though no one uses the built-in microphone to communicate, it is still worth nothing that the PK-940HA is borderline unusable.
While you’re still stuck in lockdowns, why don’t you check out our Quarantine PC Build Guide.
