BlackVue Elite 9 - Testing/Review - RCG

[rcg530]

I ordered an Elite 9 on 01-Dec-2025 which shipped on 02-Dec and it looks like it made it to Northern California. I should have it within the next few days. I ordered it using a coupon code given to me by Pittasoft to make it a "review unit" [zero cost on the BlackVue website]. Once I get it, I start getting my unboxing pics, focus check, and run my power consumption test suite.

 

[Dan-UK1415]

Finally some legit reviewers on the Elite 8/9 forum. It was getting lonely being the only one posting threads 😅

 

[itskv]

Did you order direct on blackvue.com? Curious if there was any duty fees when arriving in the US/CA?

 

[rcg530]

Did you order direct on blackvue.com? Curious if there was any duty fees when arriving in the US/CA?

I did order it directly on blackvue.com. The package just arrived. There were no duty fees on it, but since mine was shipped as a zero cost review unit, I don't know if that impacts the duty fee issue.

 

[Onetenner]

It would have been shipped as a 'commercial sample', with a declared value but not a cost. In the rest of the world that would be duty & tax free, not sure how the US views it this week, maybe next week will be different again...

 

[rcg530]

Unboxing pics.

What's In The Box:

The Elite 9 2-channel box contains:

• Elite 9 4K UHD front camera
• RC3-2K QHD rear camera
• Elite 9 Quick Start Guide
• Memory card
• Replacement adhesive pads
• Cable clips [3 - 1-channel, 5 - 2-channel]
• 3-Wire Hardwiring Cable [no fuse taps - see optional accessory info]
• Dual USB-C car power adapter [1 dedicated USB-C port for the dash camera providing 12V power, 1 other standard USB-C port]
• USB-C power cable to provide power from USB-C car power adapter to the Elite 9
• Pry tool

Power Cables

The Elite 9 box contains two power cables. The 3-wire hardwire cable is provided so you can hardwire the dash camera using your vehicle's fuse box or a dash camera battery pack. The Elite 9 box also contains a USB-C power cable, that when used with the provided cigarette lighter power adapter, it will provide the needed 12V power required by the dash camera. Currently, the Elite 9 does not support motion based entry into / exit from parking mode. Parking mode is only supported when using a 3-wire hardwire cable to power the Elite 9 dash camera.



Rear Camera

The Elite 9 rear camera is a 2K QHD camera capable of recording @ 30 fps using a Sony STARVIS 2 IMX675 image sensor with HDR support. The Elite 9 box contains a rear camera coaxial cable that looks almost identical to the previous generations of BlackVue rear camera coaxial cables. You are strongly encouraged to use the rear camera cable provided with the Elite 9 instead of re-using an older BlackVue rear camera coaxial cable. The updated cable can be identified since it has a "6" on the front connector.



Front Camera

The Elite 9 front camera is a 4K UHD camera capable of recording @ 30 fps using a Sony STARVIS 2 IMX678 image sensor with HDR support. The Elite 9 front camera is slightly larger than the older DR970X Plus / Plus II series of dash cameras, so you cannot reuse the front camera mount from the older unit with the Elite 9 front camera. The Elite 9 has a new feature - a power button. Instead of a "Format" button [like older models], the Elite 9 now allows you to power it down by long pressing [3-seconds or more] the power button.

 

[rcg530]

Optional Accessories [that I have available for this review]

CPL - CPL-2 for Elite 9 front camera

If you require the use of a CPL filter to reduce the reflections / glare from your vehicle's front windshield, you will need to purchase the CPL-2 optional accessory. You press the CPL filter onto the front camera's lens outer case. It's a friction fit, so you can remove/install it quite easily. There is an alignment mark on the outer portion of the CPL filter that aligns with a mark on the front lens case.



HWK-5FT Hardwire Kit with Fuse Taps

The 3-wire hardwire cable provided in this kit is very similar to the 3-wire hardwire cable provided in the box with the Elite 9. The difference being that this kit's cable already has connectors on the end of the wires so the constant and accessory power wires can be easily plugged into the fuse taps provided in this kit. The 3-wire cable in this kit and the 3-wire cable provided with the Elite 9 contain 24 AWG wires. The wires used in this kit's cable look thicker, but the wire gauge stated on the outside of the cable is 24 AWG for both cables. This kit provides 5 sets of fuse taps to make it quite easy to install this hardwire kit.

 

[Diamond Dog]

Does it work with Blackvue Downloader my Gizmocoding which allows you to download to a PC over WiFi automatically. There is a thread on it in Software under Blackvue Forum subsection.

Does this camer need different mounts from the 900s. Thinking of upgrading. I have a blendmount

 

[rcg530]

Does it work with Blackvue Downloader my Gizmocoding which allows you to download to a PC over WiFi automatically. There is a thread on it in Software under Blackvue Forum subsection.

I have not tried that software with any BlackVue dash camera [yet]. I don't know if it works with the Elite 9. The Elite 9 is very similar in many ways to the older DR970X series dash cameras [software wise] that it's likely it will work.

Does this camer need different mounts from the 900s. Thinking of upgrading. I have a blendmount

In post #6, I included a picture showing the Elite 9's BlackVue provided front camera mount size is bigger than the DR970X Plus mount size due to the larger Elite 9 diameter measurement.



I also have a BlendMount. I was able to successfully insert the Elite 9 into the BlendMount bracket. There's a bit more tension due to the larger camera body diameter, but it seems to work/fit.

 

[Diamond Dog]

I have not tried that software with any BlackVue dash camera [yet]. I don't know if it works with the Elite 9. The Elite 9 is very similar in many ways to the older DR970X series dash cameras [software wise] that it's likely it will work.

In post #6, I included a picture showing the Elite 9's BlackVue provided front camera mount size is bigger than the DR970X Plus mount size due to the larger Elite 9 diameter measurement.

View attachment 88653

I also have a BlendMount. I was able to successfully insert the Elite 9 into the BlendMount bracket. There's a bit more tension due to the larger camera body diameter, but it seems to work/fit.

View attachment 88654

Suggest you try the software. It’s really good and selfishly I want it to keep going. There is a free trial and then it costs 6 bucks. You can store months for cheap on your PC and easily transfer files over WiFi

I can help you if you run into problems , but it’s easy to set up. Just need to assign a ip address for youncams

 

[rcg530]

While prepping the Elite 9 dash camera for my power consumption tests, I wanted to update the firmware from v1.001 to v1.002 via the BlackVue app on my iPhone. The Elite 9 was successfully updated to v1.002, but I ran into the same bug I've had with the BlackVue app where it does not recognize the fact that the firmware was in fact updated on the dash camera. The "Camera Profile" in the app continues to show the old version number. I've run into this before with a variety of BlackVue dash cameras. I reported it before, but Pittasoft was not able to replicate the problem, until now.

I captured some screenshots along the way of updating the Elite 9 firmware [showing the firmware was being pushed to the dash camera]. I started a screen recording after the update was processed by the Elite 9. The BlackVue app does not seem to re-query the firmware version of the Elite 9, so the "Camera Profile" was still showing v1.001 as the installed firmware version. This makes the BlackVue app believing it needs to continue presenting the indicator that a firmware update is available.

Yesterday, Pittasoft stated they identified the problem in the BlackVue app causing this issue. The fix is scheduled for a BlackVue app update to be released Monday of next week [12/15/2025].

Using the "BlackVue Viewer" app on my Windows computer, you can see the memory card data was updated to show that firmware 1.002 was installed.

Phone: iPhone 15 Plus
iOS: 18.7.2
BlackVue App: 4.12_4364
Dash Camera: Elite 9
Original FW Version: 1.001
Updated FW Version: 1.002

 

[Dan-UK1415]

I had the same issue on mine, but after a couple of reboots of the camera it resolved itself and re-queried the firmware version, showing the correct one and no longer saying update was available.

I assumed it was just my issue because first update attempt said update failed, because I used the phone app but left it run itself and the phone screen went off which causes issues with BlackVue app going to sleep (I hate this when trying to download footage from the app, you have to keep touching the screen so it doesn't go to sleep and stop the transfer).

 

[rcg530]

Elite 9 2-Channel - Power Consumption Info

Overall, the Elite 9 has very typical BlackVue dash camera behavior with regard to normal/driving recording and parking modes, except for the new "Power Saving Mode" parking mode. The "Power Saving Mode" parking mode took some time to get all the various states that it goes through documented.

Parking Mode: Power Saving Mode

When the Elite 9 is powered by a 3-wire hardwire cable, it is capable of entering/exiting parking mode.

When the "ACC +" power is turned off, the Elite 9 will enter into a 3-minute recording state as the first operational state for this parking mode. It will record front/rear 1-minute video files [PF/PR] for three (3) minutes. If an impact event occurs during this 3-minute period, it appears to be ignored since it's already recording the PF/PR files. This may be due to it trying to prevent false positives when an impact occurs when closing the vehicle's door/tailgate/trunk lid.

After the initial 3-minute time period has completed, the Elite 9 will switch to a very low power consumption monitoring state drawing only 1 mA [0.01W] of power. The Elite 9 remains in the low power state until an impact event occurs or the "ACC+" power is restored via the 3-wire hardwire cable.

While in the low power monitoring state and an impact event is detected, the Elite 9 will boot and start recording unbuffered 60-second 30fps video files within 1-second of the impact event being detected.

When the unbuffered 60-second videos have finished recording, the Elite 9 goes into a "monitoring" state for four (4) minutes. It is not recording any video files at this time, but it is buffering video/audio in case an another impact event is detected. If an impact event is detected during this 4-minute time period, the Elite 9 will start recording buffered 60-second video files [10-to-12 seconds before the impact event]. Four (4) minutes after the last impact video is finished recording, the Elite 9 will return to the low power monitoring state again.

Odd / Interesting Behavior

While in time-lapse parking mode and an impact event occurs, the buffered 60-second "30 fps" videos created have slightly reduced frame rates [27 fps to 29 fps]. When exiting time-lapse parking mode and returning to normal/driving recording mode, the normal/driving videos also have a frame rate slightly less than 30 fps. The normal/driving mode video files created before entering time-lapse parking mode for the first time have frame rates of 30 fps. I've reported my findings to Pittasoft and I'm waiting to hear back on what they find.

Power Consumption Info / Notes - Firmware v1.002 - Updated 14-Dec-2025 with LTE power consumption info

Values at the top of each spreadsheet cell are with no LTE connectivity module used. Values at the bottom of each spreadsheet cell are with the CM100G LTE connectivity module connected to the dash camera.

[click on thumbnail image to see full spreadsheet]


Parking Mode Time Estimates

[click on thumbnail image to see full size view]


If you want to see the power consumption test results for the BlackVue Elite 10 dash camera, look at post 20 in this thread BlackVue Elite 10 Dual 4K Test/Review - RCG - Post 20

 

[itskv]

Can the Elite 9 enter parking mode (motion/impact detection) or low power mode when stationary over 5 mins like the older DR900s (maybe other models as well?) Assuming its on BATT(+12V) without ACC+?

 

[rcg530]

When the Elite 9 is powered by a 3-wire hardwire cable, it is capable of entering/exiting parking mode. The Elite 9 does not have a motion based parking mode detection system like older BlackVue dash cameras.

Can the Elite 9 enter parking mode (motion/impact detection) or low power mode when stationary over 5 mins like the older DR900s (maybe other models as well?) Assuming its on BATT(+12V) without ACC+?

I mentioned in a previous post that the Elite 8/9/10 do not [currently] support motioned based entry into / exit from parking mode based on vehicle motion. I could have phrased it a bit better than I did in my previous post. This feature was a topic of discussion when I met with Pittasoft reps at the SEMA 2025 show. Pittasoft is reviewing whether it would be feasible to add that functionality back into the Elite dash cameras. I did ask that if Pittasoft does add that functionality to the Elite series to please add a firmware configuration setting to allow it to be enabled/disabled. I've been asking for a configuration setting for that feature with the older BlackVue dash cameras since it can be quite annoying to have the dash camera enter parking mode while the vehicle is still "on/running", but the vehicle is slowed down in a traffic jam or it is temporarily motionless for 5-minutes or more when the dash camera is hardwired with a 3-wire hardwire cable.

When the Elite 8/9/10 is powered by the included cigarette lighter adapter [CLA] which can provide 12V power [see pic earlier in this thread] or it's powered by a USB-C port in the vehicle that provides PD 3.0 12V power, the BlackVue USB-C power cable provides 12V power [constant and ACC] to the dash camera. The dash camera doesn't see the ACC power switch off/on, so that method of powering the dash camera cannot be used to trigger the entry into/exit from parking mode.

For now, if you want to use any of the three parking mode types supported by the Elite series of dash camera, you will have to hardwire it using the 3-wire hardwiring cable.

 

[rcg530]

I ran my power consumption test suite for the Elite 9 with the BlackVue CM100GLTE [NA = North American] connectivity module connected and a BlackVue Cloud [free] account is enabled for the Elite 9.

I updated post #13 with my additional power consumption data [with and without a LTE module in use].

I did encounter two odd problems while testing the new "Power Saving Mode" [PSM] parking mode with the LTE module. At this time, I don't know if this is related to the LTE module being used or not. Elite 9 firmware vesion for this test was v1.002.

Within the first few impact tests in PSM parking mode, the Elite 9 [erroneously] notified via a push notification about the DC voltage being close to the cutoff voltage [cut-off setting at 12.0]. I have two multimeters monitoring the voltage level for the test. One multimeter is connected to the constant/ground wires just before the connector used to connect to the Elite 9's 3-wire hardwiring cable. The second multimeter is connected with thin needle probes to the terminal pins on the backside of the connector of the 3-wire hardwiring cable. This was to see if the voltage level before and after the Molex connector had the same voltage level. Both multimeters reported the same voltage level [within 0.02V of each other] and the reported DC voltages were in the 12.55V to 12.72V range depending on the amp draw level of the Elite 9. At this time, the push notifications from the Elite 9 about voltage level being low appear to be incorrect. The BlackVue 3-wire hardwiring cable's barrel connector was fully pushed into the socket on the Elite 9. I also tested the voltage levels on the constant and ACC power connectors on the barrel connector end and they show the same voltage level as on the other end of the cable.

About 15% of the time, the Elite 9 failed to detect impacts when in the full low power state of PSM. At the start of my PSM testing with the LTE module, the failure to detect the impact issue happened twice. I setup an external monitoring GoPro camera and for the remainder of the 10 hours of the tests, the Elite 9 behaved correctly. I tried one last time for the day and the Elite 9 failed to detect the impact. When the Elite 9 fails to detect the impact event, it appears to be powered off rather than monitoring for impacts in a very low power state. The Elite 9 will power on again when ACC power is restored, so it's not locked up, simply not monitoring for impacts while in the low power draw state of PSM.

In post #13, I documented the various operational states for PSM parking mode. The problem I'm having is when the Elite 9 gets to the low power impact monitoring state of PSM, about 10% to 15% of the time it won't detect an impact. The force of the impact being used for this test is at about a 9.0 on the Richter scale. When it is working, a slight tap to the stand is all that is needed to get the Elite 9 to wake up and begin recording 60-second unbuffered videos within 1-second of the impact. I've reported my findings to Pittasoft. The Elite 9 behaved correctly in all other operational modes [driving, time-lapse parking mode, motion detection parking mode].

 

[Onetenner]

It sounds to me (and I have some knowledge in this area) that the voltage is momentarily dropping due to current draw along a small cross-sectional wire due to the camera & LTE module waking up and causing the voltage drop. Ordinarily, the threshold hysteresis would be set to allow these 'wake-up' voltage drops, and/or the CSA of the wiring would allow for a momentarily higher current draw without triggering the 'low voltage' flag. It's quite a common conundrum in vehicle system design. A datalogger or a multimeter with a min-max function (I use a Fluke FC3000 as a 'field' measurement device) will show momentary voltage drops, as will a 'scope - even a billy-basic Picoscope will give you precise voltage measurements to attribute the cause to hardware or software issues.

 

[rcg530]

It sounds to me (and I have some knowledge in this area) that the voltage is momentarily dropping due to current draw along a small cross-sectional wire due to the camera & LTE module waking up and causing the voltage drop. Ordinarily, the threshold hysteresis would be set to allow these 'wake-up' voltage drops, and/or the CSA of the wiring would allow for a momentarily higher current draw without triggering the 'low voltage' flag. It's quite a common conundrum in vehicle system design. A datalogger or a multimeter with a min-max function (I use a Fluke FC3000 as a 'field' measurement device) will show momentary voltage drops, as will a 'scope - even a billy-basic Picoscope will give you precise voltage measurements to attribute the cause to hardware or software issues.

I do have a voltage datalogger [purchased to monitor voltage levels in cars when dash camera OBD-II power adapters misbehave]. The datalogger's fastest logging frequency is 1-second. The Fluke 117 multimeters I have do have a min/max/avg feature I used for amp monitoring. I'll enable the min/max/avg feature for the Fluke 117 monitoring the DC voltage. I've swapped out the 3-wire hardwire cable from pre-existing BlackVue 3-wire cable I had for testing to the 3-wire cable provided in the Elite 9 box [Pittasoft states they're identical]. I've switched to a second DC power supply as well. I'm trying to reproduce the issue again with those items being replaced. I do have a MaxiScope MP408 4-channel ocillascope [not the best but it works]. If needed, I can add the MP408 to the set of monitoring tools.

 

[rcg530]

Yesterday, I used a different BlackVue 3-wire hardwire cable [the one in the box with the Elite 9] and a different DC power supply. I was not able to reproduce the "Power Saving Mode" parking mode failure to detect an impact event.

Today, I replaced the power cable and DC power supply with the original ones. I still cannot reproduce the issue again. The Fluke 117 multimeter that was monitoring the DC voltage levels showed a min voltage of 12.52V [when the CM100GLTE module is on and the Elite 9 is communicating with the BlackVue Cloud service] and a max of 12.72 [when in the low power state of the test].

I'll try a few more tests to see if the problem happens again. If it doesn't, I'll move on to the installation of the Elite 9 into one of my dash camera test cars. I haven't received a response yet from Pittasoft on my original findings.

 

[rcg530]

Odd / Interesting Behavior

While in time-lapse parking mode and an impact event occurs, the buffered 60-second "30 fps" videos created have slightly reduced frame rates [27 fps to 29 fps]. When exiting time-lapse parking mode and returning to normal/driving recording mode, the normal/driving videos also have a frame rate slightly less than 30 fps. The normal/driving mode video files created before entering time-lapse parking mode for the first time have frame rates of 30 fps. I've reported my findings to Pittasoft and I'm waiting to hear back on what they find.

1. Average FPS of impact event files during Time-lapse parking mode showing as 27 FPS

The less than 30fps videos when creating impact video recordings while in time-lapse parking mode are "normal". Pittasoft stated the dash camera is filling the memory buffer with 15fps video and than an impact occurs. The 10-seconds of buffered video is pulled from the buffer with a 15 fps recording rate and the remaining 50 seconds are recorded at 30 fps. It because there's a mixture of 15fps and 30fps video, the media player / metadata looks to have a 27 fps recording rate.

2. White flicker occurring at the moment of an impact during time-lapse parking mode

• This is related to scenario #1.
• When an impact occurs, the FPS switches from 15 to 30 FPS, and during this process, the camera’s V-sync interval changes.
• As a result, some frames undergo AE (Auto Exposure) adjustment, causing a brief white flicker.
• This is normal behavior.

3. White flicker when switching from Time-Lapse mode to Normal (Continuous) recording mode

• When switching from Time-lapse parking mode to Continuous mode, the FPS shifts from 15 FPS to 30 FPS.
• This is the same phenomenon as in scenario #2.
• This is normal behavior.

BlackVue App Update

In post #11, I mentioned the BlackVue app was not detecting that the firmware version had been updated just after the app was used to push a firmware update to the dash camera. It was stated that a BlackVue app update would be released by Monday [15-Dec-2025] to address the bug. I found an update available for iOS devices on 14-Dec-2025. Version "v4.13_4376 (Release date: Dec 12 2025)".

When I connected to the Elite 9 with the updated iOS app version to view the settings and then exited back to the Camera screen on the app, the camera's profile was updated with the correct/current firmware that's installed. The Elite 9's "Camera Profile" now shows a firmware version of v1.002.

There appears to be an Android BlackVue app update available as well. Version 4.17.