360 J511C Dashcam (Ambarella A12A55, Aptina AR0238) [GearBest.com]

[Agie]

Good evening everyone, welcome back to another of my reviews on dash cameras - my last for the time being. And what a way to go out, reviewing a dash camera I have been looking forward to for quite a while - the 360 J511C. Massive thank-you to @GearBest for providing this review sample; you can purchase the 360 J511C directly from here:
This is the first dash camera that I have reviewed that has had an Ambarella chipset paired with an Aptina sensor, so let's dive in and see how it performs

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Specifications: Aptina AR0238 sensor w/165 degree field of view and f/2.0 aperture, six glass lens element, Ambarella A12A55 chipset, 3.0 inch TFT LCD screen, 500mAh battery, no capacitor. Full HD 1080p 30 frames per second video recorded at 13.2MBps during the daytime, 12MBps for sunset, 10.8MBps for night-time. Audio bitrate is constant at 127KBps (mono at 48KHz). No other recording modes apart from the one just described. An external GPS logger is also available for purchase for the model, which can be plugged into the EXT port on the device.
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Box Contents: 360 J511C dashcam, instruction leaflet, microUSB cable, car charger (two USB ports), suction cup dashcam mount, cleaning wet wipes, plastic pry tool for assistance with microUSB wiring, Bluetooth remote button, 16GB Toshiba Exceria microSD card.
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Firmware: the 360 J511C dashcam was loaded with firmware version 1.0.19E out of the box. Upon checking within the 360 Dash Cam app, no firmware update was detected.
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The verdict:

With fast setup and fast menu operation and very decent image quality, this is a reliable dash camera for those looking for a plug and play solution. This dash cam comes highly recommended for new and old-time dash cam buyers alike.


Unboxing video:

My nitpickings:

• No manual stop/start of video recording, only attainable through turning the power on/off of the dashcam itself
• Customisation options for video and photo, much like the Xiaomi Mijia dashcam, is non-existent. This could be a pro for a lot of users who just want it to work out of the box
• Sunset and daytime footage suffers from quite aggressive oversharpening and artifacting, which can make reading licence plates problematic
• Plastic covering camera lens fell off on first day of usage - build issue, or could just be a one-off factory-line occurrence

The positive:

• The appearance of the 360 J511C is striking. Finished in a soft-touch plastic and faux-disco ball reflective effect - this is a dash cam that feels solid in the hand and has impeccable build quality.
• Easy and fast set-up. The simplicity of this dash camera makes it very easy to use and navigating the UI and menus are a breeze. Menu options are also labelled quite clearly when in recording modes.
• WiFi connection and Android app work flawlessly and with minimal fuss.
• The same also applies for the Bluetooth remote button (which can be set to either capture short video, or video screengrabs i.e. photo)
• Both day and night-time footage take in a lot of light, and offer more saturated and pleasing to the eye images than competitors such as the Xiaomi Mijia dash cam. Appears to pull in bit more light than the Sony sensor on the Xiaomi Mijia.
• Audio capture is very loud and clear - one of the best I have come across in recent times
• Voice prompts provided on the dash cam are loud, clear and helpful (volume levels can be set also)

Close-up photos of the 360 J511C dashcam:

 

[Agie]

360 J511C Dashcam sample footage (recorded on version 1.0.19.E firmware):


Daytime footage, 1080p:

Sunset footage, 1080p:

Night-time footage, 1080p:

 

[Agie]

Screenshots of the 360 Dash Cam app (this is used to connect to the 360 J511C dashcam to view and transfer footage from the dashcam itself):

 

[Agie]

Some screengrabs:

 

[GearBest]

thank you for your detail and useful review