Review: Vantrue® X2 DashCam - Ambarella A12 (2.5k/1440p)

Sunny

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Dash Cam
More than I can review. ;)
Thank you @JIVAN for sending Vantrue X2 for review.
This camera is based upon Ambarella A12 processor.
For more details, visit product link:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B01IHM8GAI***************************************************
Summary:
Vantrue X2 is mostly black for discrete install.
It has excellent daytime videos and night videos are decent.
Audio is clear without distortion.
Mount has charging port so it can be taken out of the vehicle without messing with cable.
Car charger has additional USB port so it allows another gadget to plug in.
Worth mentioning features, file lock is triggered by just one press, even when the screen is off.
Another great feature is 1" time lapse parking monitor.
This records always but uses very little card space due to 30 seconds real time in 1 second video so 1.5 real hours in 3 minute clip or 9 hour real time video in 18 minute video using 2.4gb space.
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Features:
Advanced H.264 video compression technology, 4 kinds of resolutions plus HDR: 2540x1440P/30fps; 2304x1296P/30fps; 1920x1080P/60fps; 1920x1080P/30fps.
Support quick snapshot in 16M pixels allowing still images to be taken to capture close-up collision damage.
X2 features strong ability of the night vision. With HDR system, automatically adjust exposure, helps in capturing smaller details not normally seen at night while driving.
>One button parking mode and time lapse (1 fps) parking monitor option.
This should save card space and still get enough footage.
A 3 minute clip of 400mb covers one and half hour real time.
This is very good for parking at work or overnight as 9 hour fits in less than 2.5GB card space.

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Vantrue X2 Unboxing Video with day and night sample videos:
Day video starting at 1:10 and night at 6:55.

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Package contents:
1. Vantrue X2 Dashcam.
2. Suction Mount - moves back and forth as well as pans left to right.
It has usb port to charge so the camera can be taken without messing with power cable.
[The mount is similar to G90 but has better snapping lock that I can hear it when it's locking.]
3. Car USB charger dongle with additional USB port. Nice!
4. USB to mini USB cable.
5. Thank you card with quick start guide.
6. Warranty card.
7. User Manual with detail information and color menu settings pictures.
[Note: GPS module is optional]

DSC05104-x2.jpg

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Product Images:
Vantrue X2 Top.jpg

Vantrue X2 Back.jpg

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Folders, files, vbr:
DCIM: Normal video files.
EVENT: Triggered video files. A minute clip is saved, 10 before and 50 seconds after.

Files are named with time only but are inside a folder that has date (2 digit yymmdd) in the name.

Vantrue X2 Folders and Files.jpg

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Variable Bit Rate:
Overall VBR ranges from 18.6 mbps to 22.3 mbps with video vbr @ 18.3 - 21.5 mbps and audio @ 128 kbps.
Vantrue X2 Bit Rate.jpg

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Daytime Video Screenshots:
Who needs a DSLR?;) Excellent daytime video quality.
172211AA.MP4_20160827_124039.160-x2.jpg

083732AA.MP4_20160827_124729.024-x2.jpg

180114AA.MP4_20160827_125638.237-x2.jpg
084633AA.MP4_20160827_124933.139-x2.jpg
084633AA.MP4_20160827_124900.842-x2.jpg
084633AA.MP4_20160827_124826.256-x2.jpg

Against the Sun: Handles AE very well.
085533AA.MP4_20160827_125204.235-x2.jpg
085533AA.MP4_20160827_125253.256-x2.jpg
085233AA.MP4_20160827_125028.653-x2.jpg
 
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Night Video Screenshots: Night video is decent but it's grainy and also has some yellow tint as seen below.

224702AA.MP4_20160827_155032.614-x2.jpg
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224401AA.MP4_20160827_154909.556-x2.jpg
224401AA.MP4_20160827_154819.865-x2.jpg
224401AA.MP4_20160827_154613.996-x2.jpg
224401AA.MP4_20160827_154716.759-x2.jpg
 
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Parking Monitor/Time Lapse:
Here's a sample of 1 sec parking monitor.

 
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Reserved... 1 sec time lapse video added.
 
Vantrue X2 Daytime Videos: Daytime videos are excellent.
I have quite a few clips here that I'm planning to use in a side by side comparison in a new thread soon.







 
Pictures from inside and outside the vehicle:

IMG_20160829_085116875_HDR-chupad-viofo-vantrue.jpg

IMG_20160829_085149322-vantrue-viofo-chupad.jpg

Better picture on cloudy day:
IMG_20160830_084959310-Vantrue-viofo-chupad-hyundai.jpg
 
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Vantrue X2 Night Video Samples:

 
1 sec Time Lapse Parking Monitor: It works very good and saves a lot of card space.
A 3 minute clip covers one and half hour footage in 1" time lapse mode and size is the same as normal video clips, around 400mb.
That means a 32 GB card can record 80 hours and could be better option for overnight/long parking monitor than full time or buffered ones.
I'm not sure the exact current draw but I used 10000 mah battery pack and it was down one step after 8 hours that's around 3000 mah so probably less than 500 mah per hour roughly.

Here's one minute clip that covers 14:58 - 15:28, half an hour per minute.

And here's 16x version of two 3 minute video clips that covers 3 hours actual time.
So in 23 seconds, you'll see 3 hours of real time footage at 1fps. ;)

Check out nicely the clouds move...

Here's a screenshot from 1fps time lapse video, very clear:

145821AA.MP4_20160831_092007.690-vantrue-x2-timelapses.jpg
 
Overall impression of Vantrue X2:
Excellent daytime videos and night videos are decent. Audio is clear without distortion.
Worth mentioning features, file lock is triggered by just one press, even when the screen is off.

Another great feature is 1" time lapse parking monitor.

This records always but uses very little card space due to 30 seconds real time in 1 second video so 1.5 real hours in 3 minute clip or 9 hour real time video in 18 minute video using 2.4gb space.
 
Sunny what good is it when things are coming by so fast that you would never be able to identify anyone or a vehicle? I could be missing something just not sure what is accomplished with a setting like this. That cam sure has a nice picture!
 
Sunny what good is it when things are coming by so fast that you would never be able to identify anyone or a vehicle? I could be missing something just not sure what is accomplished with a setting like this. That cam sure has a nice picture!
If you park in an area where cars fly by, this is not the setting you should use.
In that case, you should use full time recording or pre-buffer at least.

But for my use, it's perfect. Parking areas of offices or supermarkets where there is a lot of pedestrian, it easily captures anyone trying to mess with the car and vehicles in those areas don't fly by at high speed so it can capture slow moving or someone hitting your car when pulling out of the parking space etc...
 
@Sunny
Thats an amazing review. I purchased vantrue x2 dash cam after going through this reviw.
I have received it this morning. I immediately did firmware update to get time lapse feature.
However, i am facing a small issue. Video recorded @ 2k 30fps lagged a bit in between. What settings you use in yours? Does it depend upon the memory card as well? I am using 32gb class 10 SDXC (Kingston) card.
Looking forward to your reply.
 
@Sunny
Thats an amazing review. I purchased vantrue x2 dash cam after going through this reviw.
I have received it this morning. I immediately did firmware update to get time lapse feature.
However, i am facing a small issue. Video recorded @ 2k 30fps lagged a bit in between. What settings you use in yours? Does it depend upon the memory card as well? I am using 32gb class 10 SDXC (Kingston) card.
Looking forward to your reply.
Lagged meaning it skips when playing back in PC or missing frames?
 
@Sunny, thank you for a good review with details. Post#7 shows pictures of many dash-cams on the wind-shield. Did you ruen a side-by-side comparison? If so, how do you find Viofo as compared to Vantrue? I am inclined to go for Vantrue N1 (much smaller!). Your advice on this, if you have already come across that?

I find Vantrue are better built (from the pictures), what say?
 
@Sunny, thank you for a good review with details. Post#7 shows pictures of many dash-cams on the wind-shield. Did you ruen a side-by-side comparison? If so, how do you find Viofo as compared to Vantrue? I am inclined to go for Vantrue N1 (much smaller!). Your advice on this, if you have already come across that?

I find Vantrue are better built (from the pictures), what say?
Here's Vantrue N1 review with videos. Some videos should be of the same roads as of other dashcams I reviewed so you can compare.
Edit: link to N1 review
https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threa...shcam-w-parking-monitor-nt96650-ar0330.17995/

And here's video comparison of Vantrue x2 vs Viofo A119 vs Chupad vs Hyundai H100.
VANTRUE X2 1440p vs VIOFO A119 1440p vs CHUPAD D501 1080p vs Hyundai H100
 
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Format card in the camera.
If that doesn't work, try different card.

I checked today and now it looks smooth. Did format the card from camera and it works. Thanks mate !! Cheers

Also what would you recommend best to do the cable management? Is there any 3M clips or any other sort of mounting clips available in stores?
 
@Sunny,
Thank you for the info and comparison, but I am looking for feedbacks on Vantrue N1 and not R2. Can you offer any advice on this particular device? Is my opinion about size and built correct, if your have handled N1?
 
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