Viofo A229 Pro (unboxing & first impressions) (Novatek NT96529, Sony IMX678/IMX675/IMX307, HDR³, GPS⁴, 5Ghz WiFi, 4k front + 2k rear + 1080p cabin)

[Agie]

Out of curiosity, ran some more tests this morning regarding microSD cards. Have the Viofo 128GB A2 V30, Lexar 633x 256GB A1 V30, and Samsung EVO Plus 256GB A2 V30. All testing was conducted using the SanDisk SDDR-B531 (official quote of transfer speeds up to 170MB/sec)

Viofo came out on top with consistent and strong read/write speeds, and was interesting to see that despite the A2 V30 branding of the Samsung card, it still performed quite poorly in terms of write speeds, even if it was consistent. The Lexar was all over the place when it came to write speeds.

IOPS were strong for the Viofo also, while the others performed a couple of rungs down the ladder. It appears that the Viofo-branded microSDXC card is quite a strong performer

Purchase link for VIOFO card here: https://viofo.com/accessories/136-v...pter-support-ultra-hd-4k-video-recording.html

@viofo @VIOFO-Support



UPDATE 21st October 2023:
---------------------------------------------

Bit the bullet and conducted some further testing today, with the recently announced Samsung PRO Ultimate microSDXC card line. Acquired the 128GB A2 V30 variety, and performed the usual tests above and also with BlackMagicDesign Disk Speed Test.

Results shown below paint a similar picture as to what was found with the previous cards comparison. The claims provided by Samsung that it can read up to 200MB/sec and write up to 130MB/sec - these are obviously conducted with Samsung's own microSD-USB-A card reader. And enabled using DDR technology (by SanDisk but which other manufacturers such as Lexar, Kingston and Samsung have used) that serves as a halfway point towards the claimed theoretical speeds of UHS-I and UHS-II.

Unfortunately in real-world tests is where this all comes to light, so despite performing better than their own EVO Plus line, the PRO Ultimate is in reality not much different from that line in terms of speed only. Core specifications with regards to durability in storage and operating conditions remains the same between the two lines, and hence, the Viofo line.

IOPS are much stronger in the Viofo-branded memory cards, that's one aspect that I've found as a constant in my testing.

 

[speedingcheetah]

nd the extensive testing done by Viofo along with their warranty

What testing? Can you please elaborate on this? I do not see any thing posted on VIOFO website in regards to their testing methods, scale, datasheets, or anything to prove their claims that their cards are better or that other cards mention are bad. Only thing i have seen in comments here is said they do not recommended certain cards based on customer return/complaints.

VIOFO Warranty? You mean their 1yr warranty? Samsung cards have 3yr/5yr warranty.
(there are at least a few Amazon reviews of users that have had VIOFO's sd cards fail in under 1yr)

I have never had a Samsung card fail, but have had many Sandisk cards, even usb sticks, or 2.5in ssds fail under various use cases.

Having used Samsung Evo and Evo+ cards in my 2 dash cams since 2016, excessive temps, dropped them between the seats into the void and dug them out with a plires.. even laundered one of them... they still going strong.

@viofo could you please link to or provide actual documentation as to your "extensive testing" of sd cards for you dash cams? I would like to see how you came to your conclusions.

 

[Agie]

As if this isn't a misleading video, had to laugh when I saw this

 

[kamkar]

I am pretty sure that the controller and memory in Nextbase or for that matter any other dashcam brand of memory card, will be the same as in at least some memory cards.
CUZ i very much doubt they have a in house designed controller or memory chips, they like any other just go to the open market and mix / match what they like to make.

I am more inclined to think some brands go out of their way to try and ensure that only their own memory cards work in their cameras, and really i can not recommend brands i suspect of such behaviour.

I also think all dashcam maker should have a QVL of cards for their individual models, and if that list just say our own cards and maybe 1-2 more ( which those own brand cards are probably made off ) Well then i will personally go elsewhere.

 

[Agie]

I am pretty sure that the controller and memory in Nextbase or for that matter any other dashcam brand of memory card, will be the same as in at least some memory cards.
CUZ i very much doubt they have a in house designed controller or memory chips, they like any other just go to the open market and mix / match what they like to make.

I am more inclined to think some brands go out of their way to try and ensure that only their own memory cards work in their cameras, and really i can not recommend brands i suspect of such behaviour.

I also think all dashcam maker should have a QVL of cards for their individual models, and if that list just say our own cards and maybe 1-2 more ( which those own brand cards are probably made off ) Well then i will personally go elsewhere.

Exactly, they wouldn't have the funds to make their own controller or chips as you say or to even develop it.

Just the stupid footage inside the video got me, like 2400MB/sec read and writes after the guy mentioned the words read and write. Clueless people wouldn't know the difference when they saw that.

 

[Nigel]

like 2400MB/sec read and writes

What sort of dashcam video requires 2.4 Gigabytes per second?

The 64GB microSD memory card shown in the video is going to be full in 24 seconds, so how can you get a 1 minute loop recording? That is not going to work!

 

[Agie]

What sort of dashcam video requires 2.4 Gigabytes per second?

The 64GB microSD memory card shown in the video is going to be full in 24 seconds, so how can you get a 1 minute loop recording? That is not going to work!

Obviously not, just a stupid marketing video where they thought "well let's put in flashy video of it hitting breakneck speed, so the consumer thinks it's a super-fast whiz-bang memory card". It's just the internal NVMe SSD of the Macbook firing up, duh.

 

[ozguy]

What testing? Can you please elaborate on this? I do not see any thing posted on VIOFO website in regards to their testing methods, scale, datasheets, or anything to prove their claims that their cards are better or that other cards mention are bad. Only thing i have seen in comments here is said they do not recommended certain cards based on customer return/complaints.

VIOFO Warranty? You mean their 1yr warranty? Samsung cards have 3yr/5yr warranty.
(there are at least a few Amazon reviews of users that have had VIOFO's sd cards fail in under 1yr)

I have never had a Samsung card fail, but have had many Sandisk cards, even usb sticks, or 2.5in ssds fail under various use cases.

Having used Samsung Evo and Evo+ cards in my 2 dash cams since 2016, excessive temps, dropped them between the seats into the void and dug them out with a plires.. even laundered one of them... they still going strong.

@viofo could you please link to or provide actual documentation as to your "extensive testing" of sd cards for you dash cams? I would like to see how you came to your conclusions.

That was with 1080p dashcam?
according to Viofo, their cards and sandisk Max endurance are the only ones they recommend.
So are samsung EVO cards ok with 2k video or 4k?

 

[Agie]

That was with 1080p dashcam?
according to Viofo, their cards and sandisk Max endurance are the only ones they recommend.
So are samsung EVO cards ok with 2k video or 4k?

A 256gb Evo plus worked fine for me before I moved it to pro plus in my Vantrue. I had decent experiences with Samsung cards over the years but SanDisk had some issues.

YMMV which is the real issue here. If you're wanting to keep your card for a long time and you need the confidence of a warranty that covers dash cam usage, then the Endurance line from Samsung or SanDisk will have you covered.

 

[speedingcheetah]

That was with 1080p dashcam?
according to Viofo, their cards and sandisk Max endurance are the only ones they recommend.
So are samsung EVO cards ok with 2k video or 4k?

My old cams are 2K. And the Samsung Evo cards work fine.

 

[Dadi_T]

My old cams are 2K. And the Samsung Evo cards work fine.

They also do cycle recording, constantly erase and write? I bet that a dashcam, especially if it has more than one channel, can create more wear and stress to a card in one day than your old classic cams in their hole life.

 

[speedingcheetah]

They also do cycle recording, constantly erase and write? I bet that a dashcam, especially if it has more than one channel, can create more wear and stress to a card in one day than your old classic cams in their hole life

Of cource. They were the recommended cards back then. Arguing about multi channel is irrelevant, cause they did not exist back then (in the consumer market) many professional systems still used tape or a hard drive. And were 720p or less. Still have no name 16GB chips in WYZE cams that been outside cycle recording for several years. no issues with playback or transfer from cam.

Random reads/writes of an OS on flash memory is far more wearing than simple cycle writing. Why micro sd cards in SBC's (like the RPi) wear our fast. And, also one of the main reasons why smartphone manufactures removed micro sd card expansion ability, cards are slower, wear faster, then cause issues/customer complaints. Built in flash faster, more reliable and they can control the quality they use.

 

[Mtz]

You forgot to think about the harsh conditions for a dashcam. Heat, cold, parking mode under the sun with 0 ventilation inside car. The most important factor which is affecting the card is the heat.
For example Samsung Pro Endurance were good at the beginning but later they decided to do some change and this change destroyed the Endurance capability under hot conditions. Now the Pro Endurance is not Endurance anymore and this is not Viofo fault.

 

[ozguy]

Of cource. They were the recommended cards back then. Arguing about multi channel is irrelevant, cause they did not exist back then (in the consumer market) many professional systems still used tape or a hard drive. And were 720p or less. Still have no name 16GB chips in WYZE cams that been outside cycle recording for several years. no issues with playback or transfer from cam.

Random reads/writes of an OS on flash memory is far more wearing than simple cycle writing. Why micro sd cards in SBC's (like the RPi) wear our fast. And, also one of the main reasons why smartphone manufactures removed micro sd card expansion ability, cards are slower, wear faster, then cause issues/customer complaints. Built in flash faster, more reliable and they can control the quality they use.

So, inbuilt memory is the future maybe? would this mean larger cameras maybe? The only thing is, IF the internal memory goes belly up, the whole camera is toast until repaired. Micro sd, simple swap.

 

[Agie]

So, inbuilt memory is the future maybe? would this mean larger cameras maybe? The only thing is, IF the internal memory goes belly up, the whole camera is toast until repaired. Micro sd, simple swap.

Don't think inbuilt memory will be the future as you say. If microSD cards can handle operating temperatures of 85C or even higher, then they should be ok.

 

[Mtz]

Viofo had one version with inbuild memory (and card) and had poor sales.

 

[speedingcheetah]

You forgot to think about the harsh conditions for a dashcam. Heat, cold, parking mode under the sun with 0 ventilation inside car. The most important factor which is affecting the card is the heat.
For example Samsung Pro Endurance were good at the beginning but later they decided to do some change and this change destroyed the Endurance capability under hot conditions. Now the Pro Endurance is not Endurance anymore and this is not Viofo fault.

No i don't. I mention it a few posts up. My cams been in super high heat, and super cold. Went through the wash machine, and picked out of the void with pliers.
Same with the cards in the WYZE cams outdoors, 120F summers, -50F winters. Rain, ice, snow, NO issues.
I went through many Sandisk chips over the years in low use devices, never had one last more than a couple weeks in a cam, dash cam or security cam.
Had Sandisk fail in phones, and lost photos and files.

I am not a long haul truck driver... but i have driven enough, stat idle for lunch breaks etc. My commute been 45min+ one way for years. Further back, was much shorter, but long break in car, even with the fold out reflective windshield sunbocker thing in the window, backing the camera in summer sun heat... cam never overheated or had issues with recordings.
Since 2016 when i installed the cards, not had a single issue with them, and they still test good, work good and run fine even in the A119 Mini 2. However, the slower Evo card, is slow to pull footage off of, so i upgrade to Samsung High Endurance card.

I simply just ask for proof of their recommendations. They say they tested these cards. Ok, how? for how long? How did they not pass their tests. Perfectly reasonable and logical question to ask.
So far, only thing found is "based on customer complaints and return rates" ie, customer used xyz card, had issue, complained to them, thus that card now on the Do Not Use list.

 

[speedingcheetah]

So, inbuilt memory is the future maybe? would this mean larger cameras maybe? The only thing is, IF the internal memory goes belly up, the whole camera is toast until repaired. Micro sd, simple swap.

No. Not for dash cams, since it is very much needed function to quick remove stored memory storage to pull footage etc. Without removing the whole cam.

For smartphones though, it already is the standard. Even the longest hold out, Samsung eventual gave up on have micro sd card support in their top tier phones.
Though, smartphone/computer industry, tend to follow on what Apple does....

The home cctv cam industry, Smart cams, also mostly done away with local storage, moved to cloud only Paid Subscription setup.
That may happen with dash cams, go cloud subscription based, but not for some time. But data plans getting cheaper, 5G getting more widespread...

 

[Mtz]

So far, only thing found is "based on customer complaints and return rates" ie, customer used xyz card, had issue, complained to them, thus that card now on the Do Not Use list.

Not was because of one user but too many users reporting the same card. And when some users started to report the Samsung card they discovered the quality of Samsung was reduced and this affected.
Viofo is not a card manufacturer, they buy them from Taiwan. Why their cards not having problems? Because their cards are not using cheap materials?

In theory any card should, but when using a device 24/7, in hot, with buffering video in parking mode the demanding from the card are much higher.
For example in my smartphone I can use any card which is not fake. I can use this card for 10 years, maybe.

If you will go to websites selling CCTV cameras you will see all of them selling 2-3 types of HDD only. Why a dashcam which is recoding even in more harsh conditions than a NVR sitting in a room should accept any card?

 

[speedingcheetah]

Viofo is not a card manufacturer, they buy them from Taiwan. Why their cards not having problems? Because their cards are not using cheap materials?

Viofo do not make their own cards. They get the chips from someone else. Their are only a few raw flash memory makers out there. Same flash used in Viofo cards, also use in the same cards they "do not recommended". Manufacturing tolerances, distribution, and time frame play a factor. Back when factories had flooding, or other issues, there was many defective units produced. Back when supply shortages were an huge issue, manufactures cut corners to make put out product's. The timeframe of these customer complaints/reports is not given, so we have no idea how long it is, a month, a year, 10 yrs?? Seems very short, cause those cards are pretty new models. Some being out only for 2 yrs now.

Finally, Viofo warranty their much more expensive and self proclaimed superior card for only 1year. (even that was hard to find info on)
Samsung warranty their card for 5yrs.
These are BOTH products designed for and advertised for use in DashCams, bodycams, DVR etc.

How long a company warranty their products, says alot about how long they designed it/ think it will last.
Yes, VIOFO seems to have excellent Support and RMA, but, not having to even do a RMA/Failed product report at all, is much better than getting fast and polite replacement to a failed product.

If you will go to websites selling CCTV cameras you will see all of them selling 2-3 types of HDD only. Why a dashcam which is recoding even in more harsh conditions than a NVR sitting in a room should accept any card?

WYZE Cams/ stick up wifi "smart: cams are not full on CCTV cams. U can find many random brand wifi cams on the market that take micro sd card, some cost under $10, others, over $200.
The micro sd cards that come with them, cheapest possible thing they can make, yet, still, last for years of continual use.

As far as CCTV, i have personally install off the shelf 2.5in sata ssds into DVR systems. Never had a Samsung ssd fail. But Crucial, Kingston, Sandisk have failed this use case.
I been running a Samsung 850 EVO 2TB in my Ubiquiti Unifi Protect CloudKey G2+ for several years, with 6x 2K cameras always recording.
In a Swann wired (BNC) CCTV DVR system, 8x 4K cameras, same model Samsung ssd, drive health after 6yrs is 94%.

In my own personal, and professional experience, i fail to see any proof that using flash memory cards, ssds, in DVR's, cams, or other always write/ not often read use cases, an issue for well-made flash memory.