Planning my upcoming "best dashcams" video

[Vortex Radar]

So it's the end of the year and so it's that time where we get to do our "best of" compilations for different things. I'm mentally planning out my upcoming "best dashcams" video and I figured instead of using my computer's notepad, I'd chat it over and brainstorm with you all. There's always more nuances and details to cover, but here's what I'm thinking so far.

Big picture, the trend this year has been the migration to Starvis 2 for lots of companies. There's differences in terms of image processing, if they're using HDR, and so on, and so while there are some differences in terms of video quality, it's really the other aspects that make more of a difference. Also every single dashcam has imperfections and bugs. For that reason I'm gonna recommend people grab the latest firmware and I'll also mention some tips and tricks with apps, installation, etc. to help people have a better experience.

As far as the lineup, here's what I'm thinking:

Cheap: A119 v3 (Been around for ages, but I still haven't found something better in the <$100 price range. WM1 adds WiFi, but I don't like the smaller aperture lens and switch from HDR to WDR. There's a lot of competition in this price range, and a ton of garbage. The formula they have for this one I think is pretty hard to beat, but I hope that changes in time.)

Best inexpensive'ish 1CH: A119 Mini 2

2CH bang for the buck: A229 Plus Duo. I'm kinda hesitant to recommend the new A229's given the launch issues, but as long as people grab the latest firmware, I think it should help address most issues, especially in time. Anyways, Starvis 2 front and rear, LCD, buffered parking mode, HDR, etc... good option. I know there's lots of cheaper options out there, but I'm not a fan of cheaping out too much.

4K:

Best all-around: A229 Pro. I like it over the A139 Pro for the improved night time video, LCD, voice commands, 2K rear cam, and Starvis 2 for the rear. The 3CH is better too with an upgraded interior cam and better 3CH configuration. Again I'm hesitant about this one given the issues we've been seeing at launch, but I'm hopeful everything gets buttoned down. @rcg530 @Panzer Platform

@viofo & @VIOFO-Support could you please address the issue on the iOS app with streaming video from the dashcam being broken unless people first disable cellular connectivity for the Viofo app? Also adding firmware updates via the app the way Vantrue is doing would be very welcomed too.

Long term parking recording: Thinkware U3000. I like the Starvis 2 front cam and the radar stuff going on. I'm hesitant here given that lots of people have issues getting the rear cam working so I'm going to give tips on how to optimize that, but I'm not confident it'll work for everyone. The video quality doesn't seem to be a dramatic improvement over the U1000 with a Starvis sensor and I'm kinda bummed about the lack of HDR, but for long term parking recording, this thing has been a beast. Cloud features are a bonus, but still kinda meh. @Thinkware Dash Cam

Cloud: Blackvue DR970X Plus series. Not available until early next year, but I should be getting some sample units next week so I'll have a chance to do some preliminary driving and quick testing in time for the video. I'm not a huge fan of the video quality from the DR970X series, but with Blackvue's switch to Starvis 2, I think it should help address my biggest complaints with their dashcams. Blackvue could use some work in terms of security and privacy with their cloud functionality, but feature-wise I like their setup far more than other cloud-based options. @BlackVue_Pittasoft

Rideshare: VanTrue N4 Pro. I'm liking mine more than I thought I would. Excellent build quality and design, noticeably better than their previous gen models. I also like being able to update the firmware from the app. The Starvis 2 for the front cam is a nice upgrade, but the main appeal is the integrated interior cam for easier installs for rideshare drivers, plus the LCD to make it obvious to passengers that there's a dashcam rolling. VanTrues seem to be exceedingly common in Uber/Lyft vehicles. @Jeff_Vantrue

Big picture those are my thoughts so far. In the back of my head, there's really nothing I'm 100% confident on given they all have some issues and room for improvement. I feel like no matter what I recommend, there's always going to be people who have a bad experience, get angry with the dashcam, and complain about their purchase, but I think that's gonna be true with anything. It's not limited to dashcams. In my mind these are some of the "best" options, but in no way does that imply they're perfect.

I'm also thinking about something like the Nextbase iQ since it has a lot of cool stuff on paper, but I'm a bit wary given previous experiences with their products, not to mention I still haven't gotten to test one out. I've also seen a fair number of complaints from early adopters.

My windshield is getting really full of dashcams right now, lol, but again these are my thoughts so far.

What do you all think? Agree? Disagree?

 

[DT MI]

Cloud: Blackvue DR970X Plus series. Not available until early next year, but I should be getting some sample units next week so I'll have a chance to do some preliminary driving and quick testing in time for the video.

My opinion only but how can it legitimately be included in an 'end of year' best camera list if it's not even available? Even more questionable if the sample units you get end up being different from the final production units.

 

[Nigel]

Hard to disagree with any of that, the Starvis 2 A229s can't be ignored with up to 3ch, HDR on all channels, very good bitrate on all channels, and reasonably cheap, and the issues will have been sorted by Jan 1st.

The Thinkware radar definitely should give the best parking mode, and it is reasonably low powered anyway, although I'm not convinced the problems will all be fixed by Jan 1st.

Blackvue are the only ones really trying with the cloud stuff!

For rideshare, the A139 Pro must be a good choice if you don't want an obvious screen to deter passenger behaviour, the separate interior camera has advantages and it has proven reliable (given the right memory card). I haven't tried an N4 though, and it's video does seem decent, although firmware updates always seem to be a problem with Vantrue.

I'm also thinking about something like the Nextbase iQ

It needs to prove itself first! Just being expensive is not enough.

How about adding a category for the 70mai Omni?
Not sure what you would call the category, maybe Novelty?!
It is expensive for an FHD camera, but it is different, and unlike the IQ, it does have AI that can follow the vandals 360° as they scratch up your car's paintwork!
Also available in stylish bright red and white!

 

[kamkar]

Not been privy to using A229 pro or A139 pro, but as a outsider i would gravitate towards the A229 pro for the shape.

I will agree with DT MI, adding things like next year Blackvue cameras, at best i would give them a mention as you have after all some experience with this brands products.
But unless your video are a best dashcams of 2024, then it should wait until next years list.

 

[LateralNW]

Also adding firmware updates via the app the way Vantrue is doing would be very welcomed too.

They use to do ota.
They also use to run live stream with 4G on.
I covered Viofo firmware downloads over the air years ago.
Thought it was a great idea but for some reason it stopped working.

They have mentioned their working on a new app perhaps it will be addressed then?

Good luck with best of. I'm sure you will get many different opinions after you post your video.

 

[Vortex Radar]

My opinion only but how can it legitimately be included in an 'end of year' best camera list if it's not even available? Even more questionable if the sample units you get end up being different from the final production units.

Yeah totally understandable. It's a weird position to be in given the launch date. I'll have one in time to test and so we'll have some realworld info to consider. Given that the video will continued to be watched for a long time to come, it'll be useful for people who find it next year. I'm not interested in recommending the current DR970X's this year and so I'm thinking a sort of early/soft recommendation given what we know about Blackvue's cloud stuff and assuming the video quality is on par with other Starvis 2 dashcams. Things could certainly change in terms of firmware, further image optimization, etc. Ultimately I think you could make an argument for it either way.

I think it also depends on if I call it a "best of 2023" or "best for 2024" type of comparison. The former will work better for the holidays while the latter works better for all of next year and won't go out of date so soon. It can be tricky given that new stuff will come out next year that may surpass what's on a current list. I want the video to be as helpful for as long as possible, without any sort of potentially misleading names or titles. It's a balance. The easiest solution is probably to be up front and say that these are the best of 2023 and going into early 2024.

 

[Panzer Platform]

2023 Dash Cam Minimum Requirements:
1.) STARVIS 2
2.) HDR
(STARVIS 2 without HDR is “almost” useless at night, enter U3000);

WM1

The WM1’s specifications are junk.
No STARVIS 2
No HDR
No 60fps Option
No 5GHz Wi-Fi
It takes 1 minute 40 seconds to download a 1 minute clip (200 MB).
For comparison the A229 Pro takes 42 seconds to download a 1 minute clip, (430 MB).
That’s almost 4x times faster.
My only hope for the WM1 is it gets the same specs as the A119 Mini 2 for the Gen 2 model, (WM1 Plus+). Lol
I dislike the WM1 so much I turned my YouTube review unlisted.

Best inexpensive'ish 1CH: A119 Mini 2

Yas Queen!

I'm kinda hesitant to recommend the new A229's

The A229 Pro & A229 Plus were released to the public 67 days ago 9/15/23 and night time HDR performance is unacceptable / non-functional.
I still have not gathered any night time “DRIVING” test footage.
I refuse to waste any gas until HDR performance is functional to the level of the A139 Pro & A119 Mini 2.
So frustrating, not to mention possible damage to the Viofo brand name for image quality.

please address the issue on the iOS app with streaming video from the dashcam being broken unless people first disable cellular connectivity for the Viofo app? Also adding firmware updates via the app the way Vantrue is doing would be very welcomed too.

You forgot about; “PLEASE STOP RECORDING BEFORE DOING OTHER OPERATIONS”
If Vantrue can do it, so can Viofo. lol

Thinkware U3000

Maybe Thinkware should think about having just the radar sensors mounted externally to fix the interference / angle issue.
Of course this will complicate installation, but serious folks already mount external countermeasure stuff right?

Blackvue DR970X Plus

Of course you already know this but double check your DR970X Plus test units are not out of focus.
@BlackboxMyCar Recently took down their review of the A229 Pro, and I suspect it’s because the rear camera was so badly put of focus.
How did they not notice that, and how many people were involved in making that video, and who gave the final approval for that video to go public on YouTube.
Tsk, Tsk BBMC.
Someone deserves a forehead flick for that. Lol

Vantrue was talking big game about adding cloud to the S1 Pro for October 2023 release.
That did not happen, what gives @Jeff_Vantrue

Rideshare

If only we had an updated T-130 with STARVIS 2 & HDR on both the front & IR interior cams.
I still think Vantrue is 1-2 years behind Viofo in overall product development.

I think it also depends on if I call it a "best of 2023" or "best for 2024" type of comparison.

What about “Best of 2023/2024 Dash Cam Predictions”?

 

[DT MI]

The easiest solution is probably to be up front and say that these are the best of 2023 and going into early 2024.

If you include it you should also mention, in the spirit of full disclosure, your testing was based on pre-release sample unit(s).

 

[Vortex Radar]

Is the HDR still an issue with the latest firmware? My night time footage looks good, no blinking purple stuff like the A139 Pro, but I have only looked through license plate freeze frames for daytime.

If you include it you should also mention, in the spirit of full disclosure, your testing was based on pre-release sample unit(s).

Naturally.

 

[Panzer Platform]

Is the HDR still an issue with the latest firmware?

Alex (Viofo) informed me as soon as the night time HDR is fixed he will send me the firmware update.

Robert says; "Hurry up, and wait". lol

VIOFO A229 Plus - Testing / Review - RCG

VIOFO asked me to try using the VLC player on my Android devices to see if VLC could successfully stream the "Live View" video using the RTSP URL rtsp://192.168.1.254 When the A229 Plus is configured as a 2-channel (front+rear) with a resolution of 1440p60+1440p30, VLC has the same rate of...

dashcamtalk.com

What is your latest firmware, mine is 1030?

 

[Vortex Radar]

@Nigel, regarding the 70mai, I’ve seen bad reviews of it and am not really sold on the spinny cam idea. One of the fellow dads at my kid’s school has one and I walked by it earlier this week and it wouldn’t sense me next to his car and spin to record me. Maybe I was doing it wrong, but I would have expected it to trigger.

I feel like 70mai is trying to do some creative stuff and they’ve got options like the A810 which is an inexpensive IMX678 model, but I’m not a fan of some of the corners cut to save on price.

@Panzer Platform I think I’m running 1030? I’d have to double check. I understand there’s a new version coming very soon too.

 

[Panzer Platform]

I feel like 70mai is trying to do some creative stuff

Companies like 70mai, Vantrue, DDPAI, SJCAM are not interested in making cameras with image quality & functionality as the #1 priority.
Their focus seems to be on aesthetic design, and gimmicks to wow uneducated consumers.
I first noticed this with the Vantrue E1.
It was touted as an iF Design Winner.
Basically it won the award for most “dashcam looking” dash cam in a 12 month development schedule.
Never mind about its functions, and features that don’t work. Lol

iF Design - Dash cam E1 series

The Element series is part of VANTRUE's new line of smart dashcams. All share the same design philosophy – simple but not simplistic. The Element series features smart voice control so the user can easily take photos, save an important video clip, or turn on/off audio recording without taking...

ifdesign.com

Another useless / arbitrary award is the “Red Dot Design Award” & "A’ Design Award"
I’ve seen this touted by 70mai, DDPAI, and SJCAM products.

Red Dot Design Award: DDPai Mini3

Die DDPai Mini3 breaks with the usual design of traditional dashcams by integrating the camera in an extremely compact and minimalist designed, cylindrical housing. For this, the camera was constructed with an innovative metal skeleton and special...

www.red-dot.org

Red Dot Design Award: 70mai Dash Cam

With its minimalist design marked by flowing lines and a compact form, the 70mai camera fits into any car interior. It allows space-saving installation and guarantees a consistently clear view of the street. The camera produces images and videos at a...

www.red-dot.org

SJ20 Dual Lens Action Camera by Wuchao Zhang

Viewing SJ20 Dual Lens Action Camera at A' Design Award.

competition.adesignaward.com

I’m running 1030? I’d have to double check. I understand there’s a new version coming very soon too

I saw a post by Viofo that said end of this week.
I hope it gets here before I fall into a food coma. Lol

 

[Agie]

So it's the end of the year and so it's that time where we get to do our "best of" compilations for different things. I'm mentally planning out my upcoming "best dashcams" video and I figured instead of using my computer's notepad, I'd chat it over and brainstorm with you all. There's always more nuances and details to cover, but here's what I'm thinking so far.

Big picture, the trend this year has been the migration to Starvis 2 for lots of companies. There's differences in terms of image processing, if they're using HDR, and so on, and so while there are some differences in terms of video quality, it's really the other aspects that make more of a difference. Also every single dashcam has imperfections and bugs. For that reason I'm gonna recommend people grab the latest firmware and I'll also mention some tips and tricks with apps, installation, etc. to help people have a better experience.

As far as the lineup, here's what I'm thinking:

Cheap: A119 v3 (Been around for ages, but I still haven't found something better in the <$100 price range. WM1 adds WiFi, but I don't like the smaller aperture lens and switch from HDR to WDR. There's a lot of competition in this price range, and a ton of garbage. The formula they have for this one I think is pretty hard to beat, but I hope that changes in time.)

Best inexpensive'ish 1CH: A119 Mini 2

2CH bang for the buck: A229 Plus Duo. I'm kinda hesitant to recommend the new A229's given the launch issues, but as long as people grab the latest firmware, I think it should help address most issues, especially in time. Anyways, Starvis 2 front and rear, LCD, buffered parking mode, HDR, etc... good option. I know there's lots of cheaper options out there, but I'm not a fan of cheaping out too much.

4K:

Best all-around: A229 Pro. I like it over the A139 Pro for the improved night time video, LCD, voice commands, 2K rear cam, and Starvis 2 for the rear. The 3CH is better too with an upgraded interior cam and better 3CH configuration. Again I'm hesitant about this one given the issues we've been seeing at launch, but I'm hopeful everything gets buttoned down. @rcg530 @Panzer Platform

@viofo & @VIOFO-Support could you please address the issue on the iOS app with streaming video from the dashcam being broken unless people first disable cellular connectivity for the Viofo app? Also adding firmware updates via the app the way Vantrue is doing would be very welcomed too.

Long term parking recording: Thinkware U3000. I like the Starvis 2 front cam and the radar stuff going on. I'm hesitant here given that lots of people have issues getting the rear cam working so I'm going to give tips on how to optimize that, but I'm not confident it'll work for everyone. The video quality doesn't seem to be a dramatic improvement over the U1000 with a Starvis sensor and I'm kinda bummed about the lack of HDR, but for long term parking recording, this thing has been a beast. Cloud features are a bonus, but still kinda meh. @Thinkware Dash Cam

Cloud: Blackvue DR970X Plus series. Not available until early next year, but I should be getting some sample units next week so I'll have a chance to do some preliminary driving and quick testing in time for the video. I'm not a huge fan of the video quality from the DR970X series, but with Blackvue's switch to Starvis 2, I think it should help address my biggest complaints with their dashcams. Blackvue could use some work in terms of security and privacy with their cloud functionality, but feature-wise I like their setup far more than other cloud-based options. @BlackVue_Pittasoft

Rideshare: VanTrue N4 Pro. I'm liking mine more than I thought I would. Excellent build quality and design, noticeably better than their previous gen models. I also like being able to update the firmware from the app. The Starvis 2 for the front cam is a nice upgrade, but the main appeal is the integrated interior cam for easier installs for rideshare drivers, plus the LCD to make it obvious to passengers that there's a dashcam rolling. VanTrues seem to be exceedingly common in Uber/Lyft vehicles. @Jeff_Vantrue

Big picture those are my thoughts so far. In the back of my head, there's really nothing I'm 100% confident on given they all have some issues and room for improvement. I feel like no matter what I recommend, there's always going to be people who have a bad experience, get angry with the dashcam, and complain about their purchase, but I think that's gonna be true with anything. It's not limited to dashcams. In my mind these are some of the "best" options, but in no way does that imply they're perfect.

I'm also thinking about something like the Nextbase iQ since it has a lot of cool stuff on paper, but I'm a bit wary given previous experiences with their products, not to mention I still haven't gotten to test one out. I've also seen a fair number of complaints from early adopters.

My windshield is getting really full of dashcams right now, lol, but again these are my thoughts so far.

What do you all think? Agree? Disagree?

the a119 v3 like you say is an oldie but a goodie and the a119 mini 2 as next rung up is pretty good.

Viofo seems to have teething issues everytime they release but they seem to sort it out eventually.

With the Rideshare recommendation with the Nexus 4 Pro, did you have any issues with the rear camera focus? A bunch of us on here have had them and also the S1 Pro apparently too, even a teardown of the N4 Pro showed there's some problems back there. I wonder if it's fixed for the units that went out to YouTubers in the last month or so.

Also good to see Vantrue take on board all my suggestions and bug reports for the Nexus 4 Pro and fix the issues right away.


Overall, a very solid list. No dash cam is perfect but there are tried and true models from tried and true brands on your list that makes it all worthwhile to the end customer.

 

[Agie]

Companies like 70mai, Vantrue, DDPAI, SJCAM are not interested in making cameras with image quality & functionality as the #1 priority.
Their focus seems to be on aesthetic design, and gimmicks to wow uneducated consumers.
I first noticed this with the Vantrue E1.
It was touted as an iF Design Winner.
Basically it won the award for most “dashcam looking” dash cam in a 12 month development schedule.
Never mind about its functions, and features that don’t work. Lol

iF Design - Dash cam E1 series

The Element series is part of VANTRUE's new line of smart dashcams. All share the same design philosophy – simple but not simplistic. The Element series features smart voice control so the user can easily take photos, save an important video clip, or turn on/off audio recording without taking...

ifdesign.com

Another useless / arbitrary award is the “Red Dot Design Award” & "A’ Design Award"
I’ve seen this touted by 70mai, DDPAI, and SJCAM products.

Red Dot Design Award: DDPai Mini3

Die DDPai Mini3 breaks with the usual design of traditional dashcams by integrating the camera in an extremely compact and minimalist designed, cylindrical housing. For this, the camera was constructed with an innovative metal skeleton and special...

www.red-dot.org

Red Dot Design Award: 70mai Dash Cam

With its minimalist design marked by flowing lines and a compact form, the 70mai camera fits into any car interior. It allows space-saving installation and guarantees a consistently clear view of the street. The camera produces images and videos at a...

www.red-dot.org

SJ20 Dual Lens Action Camera by Wuchao Zhang

Viewing SJ20 Dual Lens Action Camera at A' Design Award.

competition.adesignaward.com

I saw a post by Viofo that said end of this week.
I hope it gets here before I fall into a food coma. Lol

Alice from SJCAM quickly deleted all her posts about the upcoming SJ2O, once I pointed out that DashcamTalk members are about the testing and feedback, not sales and YouTube reach (which none of our members have) haha.

Not sure what they were thinking but it's all about the sales, and not about making a good product

 

[Panzer Platform]

Alice from SJCAM quickly deleted all her posts about the upcoming SJ2O

@Alice Wang (SJCAM Manufacturer) account has been deleted.

 

[Agie]

@Alice Wang (SJCAM Manufacturer) account has been deleted.

Good enough for me haha

 

[Nigel]

@Nigel, regarding the 70mai, I’ve seen bad reviews of it and am not really sold on the spinny cam idea. One of the fellow dads at my kid’s school has one and I walked by it earlier this week and it wouldn’t sense me next to his car and spin to record me. Maybe I was doing it wrong, but I would have expected it to trigger.

I feel like 70mai is trying to do some creative stuff and they’ve got options like the A810 which is an inexpensive IMX678 model, but I’m not a fan of some of the corners cut to save on price.

It seems very common for them to not spin around to follow, I've no idea if that is something they have fixed or are fixing, doesn't appear to be user error. It is also only FHD, so not a number plate reading camera, unless you have UK size plates.

Maybe it could be the "Best AI Dashcam", I can't think of any others with useful AI !

Yes, their aim is to produce basic, "good value" products, they are not trying to win the best image quality award.

 

[BlackboxMyCar]

Of course you already know this but double check your DR970X Plus test units are not out of focus.
@BlackboxMyCar Recently took down their review of the A229 Pro, and I suspect it’s because the rear camera was so badly put of focus.
How did they not notice that, and how many people were involved in making that video, and who gave the final approval for that video to go public on YouTube.
Tsk, Tsk BBMC.
Someone deserves a forehead flick for that. Lol

Yeahhhh, exactly correct. We determined it was a hardware issue with the rear camera itself, and have re-rerecorded new footage, should be released soon. We did receive a sufficient slap on the wrist, yes.

 

[Vortex Radar]

I wonder what’s up with all the various focus issues we’ve been seeing recently. It’s been affecting Viofo, VanTrue, Blackvue, Thinkware, and others.

 

[BlackboxMyCar]

@viofo & @VIOFO-Support could you please address the issue on the iOS app with streaming video from the dashcam being broken unless people first disable cellular connectivity for the Viofo app? Also adding firmware updates via the app the way Vantrue is doing would be very welcomed too.

Hope I'm not stepping on any toes answering this, but this is an issue I'm rather familiar with. Switching your phone to airplane mode/disabling cellular connectivity is the best way to diagnose this, and fix it temporarily, though I understand a bit tedious to do every time.

I find this is most commonly the phone "turning down" the wifi source since it's not a true wifi connection. For Apple phones, going into your cellular settings, and turning off the "Wifi Assist" feature can permanently resolve this, and for Androids, disabling the "Smart Network Switch" setting will resolve this too.

Here's hoping that the Viofo app overhaul addresses it, though we'll have to wait and see.