Vantrue, the one for you? Nexus 4 Pro 3-Channel Dash Camera review

Agie

Agie

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70mai S500, A229 Pro, VS1, Nexus 4 Pro, S1 Pro, A119 v3v2v1
Is this Vantrue, the one for you? A question I set out to answer and I think I have some answers. Special thank you once again to Jeff @Jeff_Vantrue for assisting with a unit to test out.



Vantrue Nexus 4 Pro (Sony Starvis 2 IMX678, Sony IMX307 (rear), GalaxyCore GC2093 (cabin), Novatek NT98529BG) Review

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Firmware: ECH-121 (front), ECD-191 (cabin), ECG-201 (rear). I manually had to update the rear camera (RC-04) using the firmware download from Vantrue's website, as the update wasn't pushed to me via the Vantrue Android app.

App for testing: Android version 1.0.32, obtained from Google Play Store.
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The verdict:

On paper below it looks like I have a bone to pick with Vantrue with the Nexus 4 Pro. This could be further from the truth, as this is the most painless dash cam experience I've had to date. You can tell Vantrue has given extra thought and attention to all aspects, extending from the unboxing to set-up and use of the camera itself. The 4K quality from the Sony Starvis 2 IMX678 is a force to be reckoned with, and the cabin and rear cameras are convenient and complement the front camera well.

Aside from my minor quibbles listed below, the Nexus 4 Pro has all the features and the video quality to back it up. Highly recommended for all dash cam buyers out there looking for a reliable and full-featured dash camera.



My nitpickings:
  • Voice commands hit or miss, even on high sensitivity (perhaps a microphone issue?)
  • Poor audio quality when recording video footage (tied in with voice commands). When are we going to get stereo microphones in dash cameras (not Vantrue's fault, but the industry in general)
  • Cigarette-lighter charger needs to be facing 90 degrees to the right due to the cable scraping on the bottom of the car receptacle
  • No 60 frame per second option (chipset limitations?)
  • Potential over-heating concerns even with ambient daytime temperatures
  • Rear camera potato quality at night (not sure even Starvis 2 IMX675 would solve this, as we need a better F-stop to let more light in). This is down to the sensor being a 2MP GalaxyCore GC2093, which are traditionally known for not being very good. Would have liked the rear camera to be removable



The positive:
  • Integrated cabin camera in the main front camera housing. This is a much better implementation compared to competitor's offerings which involve wiring up yet another camera. Though to be honest, would have liked a better sensor solution than the antiquated GalaxyCore GC2093 sensor.
  • Parking mode and other dash camera options are well thought-out, and more than enough for both casual and professional users
  • Magnetic mount to facilitate easy removal of the dash camera. A much more elegant solution than what I have been previously used to with other dash cameras, that require sliding in/out of mounts
  • Fast WiFi download speeds with dual-band 5GHz WiFi. Average speeds for me hovered around the 4 to 5 MB/sec mark which is a huge improvement on previous dashcams that had abysmal transfer speeds
  • Well-designed and durable hardware. Clicky buttons and impressive IPS LCD screen quality, minimalist green indicator light
  • From aesthetics to user experience, this has been the fastest and most reliable dash camera I have ever used
 
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Vantrue Nexus 4 Pro Dash Camera Sample Footage:


Daytime Footage (front): 4K, HDR on and CPL on:




Daytime Footage (cabin): 1080p, HDR on:



Daytime Footage (rear): 1080p, HDR on:




Night Footage (front): 4K, HDR on and CPL on:




Night Footage (cabin): 1080p, HDR on:




Night Footage (rear): 1080p, HDR on:




Vantrue APP demo of GPS routing:

 
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I think the rear camera has focusing issue? coz the rear glass is more clear than the car behind.
 
dummykid said:
I think the rear camera has focusing issue? coz the rear glass is more clear than the car behind.
Click to expand...
There are reports on these forums that this has been occurring with the rear camera. Hopefully there is a statement or a solution soon...
 
Another night-time video here showing the performance of the Starvis 2 at night with the IMX678:

Note the white Toyota ute in front of me, they have a very reflective custom licence plate (same type as mine, as mine looks black but reflects to be silver at certain angles) - so this is quite a difficult test for the camera to pull off.
 
Been a month and the Format Reminder I set has transpired. Only took about ten seconds for it to format my 256GB Samsung EVO Plus microSD card.

Nice jingle sound played too. Painless experience.



IMG_20231003_170821.jpg
 
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Agie said:
Been a month and the Format Reminder I set has transpired. Only took about ten seconds for it to format my 256GB Samsung EVO Plus microSD card.
Click to expand...
@Agie which model samsung evo plus did you get and does it really matter?
I come from DDPAI which has built in storage and no need for SD card. Thank you in advance.
 
J Ward said:
@Agie which model samsung evo plus did you get and does it really matter?
I come from DDPAI which has built in storage and no need for SD card. Thank you in advance.
Click to expand...
Everything matters when it comes to a reliable microSD card. I am using the current model 256GB Samsung EVO plus (white background with blue lettering ) but I honestly should be using a better model like ones listed here: https://viofo.com/blog/how-to-choose-a-right-micro-sd-card-for-your-dash-cam-b100.html

It's not just marketing spiel but backed up by lots of testing for industrial microSD cards such as the ones they advocate for.
 
Agie said:
Everything matters when it comes to a reliable microSD card. I am using the current model 256GB Samsung EVO plus (white background with blue lettering ) but I honestly should be using a better model like ones listed here: https://viofo.com/blog/how-to-choose-a-right-micro-sd-card-for-your-dash-cam-b100.html

It's not just marketing spiel but backed up by lots of testing for industrial microSD cards such as the ones they advocate for.
Click to expand...
@Agie , the issue I have is seen in this video. I think your model is very good according to this test and the ones viofo recommend aren't
 
J Ward said:
@Agie , the issue I have is seen in this video. I think your model is very good according to this test and the ones viofo recommend aren't
Click to expand...
Did he only test using CrystalDiskMark and not other programs? Ok then....
 
J Ward said:
Very good point you make. He only used that one program
Click to expand...
I've done some testing and the Viofo branded cards do hold up quite well with writing and reading. I know they're pricey but they're quality stuff.

Same with the SanDisk extreme. They're fairly cheap so grab one of them
 
Main camera updated to VT-ECJ161 and rear camera (RC04) to VT-ECI251. Note that all settings are reset to factory defaults.

The Audio Noise Reduction toggle and 12/24hr toggles are now located in the on-camera settings (not available via the Vantrue APP).

Will test what the Audio Noise Reduction switch does...

Screenshot_2023-10-26-16-22-52-999_com.sanjiang.vantrue.jpg

IMG_20231026_162954.jpg

IMG_20231026_163014.jpg
 
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Have tested the "Audio Noise Reduction" feature introduced in the latest Vantrue Nexus 4 Pro and Vantrue Nexus 5, VT-ECJ161.

It appears that this feature has introduced distortion into the recording, as evidenced by the video below. Am currently trying to diagnose the exact issue in Adobe Audition; disappointing to say the least....


Untitled.png
 
Sounds like they introduced a [dynamic range] compressor, maybe the have a low cut filter that they aren’t implementing properly then passing through a compressor?
 
DigitalCorpus said:
Sounds like they introduced a [dynamic range] compressor, maybe the have a low cut filter that they aren’t implementing properly then passing through a compressor?
Click to expand...
Could very well be in their attempts to cut off certain frequencies. Absolutely wrecked it in their efforts though
 
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