Trust Taxon QHD Webcam review: A 2K webcam for less
Decent image and audio quality for the money, but the Trust Taxon QHD is basic in other respects
Pros
- Solid image quality
- Stereo microphones
- Integrated privacy shutter
Cons
- No accompanying app
- Privacy shutter doesn’t deactivate microphone
After going through a period of scarcity during 2020’s first lockdown, webcams are becoming easier to get hold of, and companies are beginning to launch new models as well.
One of these is the brand-new Taxon QHD, which sits at the top of Trust’s range of basic webcams and offers 2K resolution streaming for less than £100.
Trust Taxon QHD Webcam review: What do you get for the money?
As with most webcams, the Taxon QHD doesn’t come with an awful lot in the box. For your £70, you get the camera itself, which is mounted on top of a standard hinged clip stand, and a captive 1.8m USB cable.
The webcam’s stand can be mounted to the top of your monitor or laptop screen, placed flat on a desk or screwed to a tripod for more flexible mounting.
The camera itself captures video at 2,560 x 1,440 at 30fps, so it’s more advanced than the cheapest 720p and 1080p cameras. It has a middling field of view of 80 degrees, stereo microphones and a built-in privacy shield that you can use to block the camera physically. That’s not a bad selection of features for just £70.
Trust Taxon QHD Webcam review: What do we like about it?
Image quality is pretty good. The Taxon delivers an obvious advantage over most cheap 1080p webcams, with detailed video for calls and colours that are well balanced and fairly natural. It’s a touch softer than the Poly Studio P5 but that’s not much of a surprise considering that camera is £50 more expensive.
I like its 80-degree field of view as well. It’s just wide enough to allow one or two others to join a video call without being so wide you look tiny in the frame.
The microphones are decent, too. They pick up your voice clearly, with a slightly darker tone than most cheap webcams. For the best quality, however, I would always recommend using a dedicated microphone such as one of the models on our best USB microphones page or a separate headset, but you won’t have any problems being heard if you choose to stick to the integrated mic.
The privacy shield also works well: you simply slide a switch across to block the lens. A small LED glows green when the camera is active.
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Trust Taxon QHD Webcam review: What could it do better?
For a £70 webcam, I’d expect some kind of added software, which would allow for a reasonable degree of customisation, altering the field of view, sharpness, contrast or colour.
However, the Taxon is as basic as webcams get and there’s no way of adjusting the image other than tweaks you may be able to make via your video-calling platform of choice.
It’s also frustrating that, when the privacy shutter is in place, the LED doesn’t change colour and the microphone isn’t muted. In fact, it’s quite difficult to tell if the privacy shutter is in place or not, other than the fact there’s no video being streamed from the camera.
Trust Taxon QHD Webcam review: Should I buy it?
The Trust Taxon QHD Webcam does the basics well, plus it comes with a privacy shutter, a decent monitor clip and a fairly long USB cable.
There are some irritations, however, such as the lack of software, and the fact that the microphone remains active when the camera shutter is in place, but that’s not an unusual failing. Overall, it’s a decent offering for £70 and not many other webcams offer 2K resolution capture for this little money.
If you do have a bit more cash burning a hole in your pocket, however, then I’d encourage you to consider the Poly P5, the Anker PowerConf C300 or the AVerMedia PW315, all of which boast more advanced features and better image quality.