Chuck McCoy
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2022
- Messages
- 4,270
- Reaction score
- 4,322
- Location
- California
- Country
- United States
- Dash Cam
- 2025 Minimum Requirements: STARVIS 2 & HDR (death to 1080p)
After testing / using S1-4K for four months here’s my Pros & Cons & Final Thoughts
PROS:
1.) Made in South Korea (ROK) 🇰🇷
2.) Patented File System
3.) OTA Firmware Updates
4.) Novatek Processor 98530
5.) STARVIS 2 (IMX678) Front
6.) STARVIS 2 (IMX675) Rear
7.) Front Camera: Daytime image quality on par with Viofo A329S
8.) Front Camera: Night time HDR performance on par with Viofo A329S
9.) Daytime (HDR + IPC) firmware tuning / performance is good enough to permanently enable with minimal ghosting / motion artifacts, (set it & forget it)
10.) Front Camera Lens: Super High Quality Proprietary Design
11.) Interior Camera Lens: “Super Wide” Angle FOV without excessive barrel distortion
12.) IR Interior Camera Light Sensor: Fast & accurate transition from full color to B&W, and back to full color
13.) Audio Volume Level: Good
14.) HDR Support: All Channels (front / rear / interior)
15.) 1 Second boot up time from powered off
16.) 1 Second wake up time from ELPM (extreme low power parking mode)
17.) 1mA power consumption ELPM parking mode
19.) Parking Mode Geo-Fencing
20.) LCD Screen: Always On Option (people are always asking for that)
21.) Dual Power Support: 12V Barrel & 5V USB Type-C
22.) Voice Notification: GPS Connected
23.) Voice Notification: Rear Camera Disconnected / Connected
24.) Voice Notification: Interior Camera Disconnected / Connected
25.) On/Off Power Switch
26.) No reduction in Bitrate when adding one, or both remote cameras
27.) No H.265 Support (H.264 only)
28.) No ADAS
29.) No Mileage Statistics
30.) No Road Story Filter
31.) No LTE Cloud
32.) No Unnecessary Bells & Whistles
33.) K.I.S.S. Approved (keep it simple stupid)
CONS:
1.) Rear camera night time HDR performance needs improvement, (firmware tuning)
S1-4K Rear
A329S Rear
2.) No optional CPL Filter for Rear camera
3.) Interior camera only 1080p (2K would be better)
4.) Standard warranty only 12 Months, extended warranty with registration only 18 Months, (standard 18 Month & extended 24 Month would be better)
5.) No continuous recording parking mode with Audio, (Low Bitrate)
FINAL THOUGHTS:
1.) Viofo A329S is the “best” dash cam of 2025 for image quality, and remote camera versatility.
2.) S1-4K is my number #2.
3.) I would rather spend my own money on S1-4K than anything from BlackVue, Thinkware, Vanture, 70mai, or any other brand.
4.) I’m not sold on AI License Plate Restoration, (I’d rather have better image capture in real time, than anything that could be done in post production).
5.) Hopefully Vueroid can close the gap in 2026, but who knows maybe Viofo will have X-Ray Vision by then. I’d buy that for a dollar. lol
PROS:
1.) Made in South Korea (ROK) 🇰🇷
2.) Patented File System
3.) OTA Firmware Updates
4.) Novatek Processor 98530
5.) STARVIS 2 (IMX678) Front
6.) STARVIS 2 (IMX675) Rear
7.) Front Camera: Daytime image quality on par with Viofo A329S
8.) Front Camera: Night time HDR performance on par with Viofo A329S
9.) Daytime (HDR + IPC) firmware tuning / performance is good enough to permanently enable with minimal ghosting / motion artifacts, (set it & forget it)
10.) Front Camera Lens: Super High Quality Proprietary Design
11.) Interior Camera Lens: “Super Wide” Angle FOV without excessive barrel distortion
12.) IR Interior Camera Light Sensor: Fast & accurate transition from full color to B&W, and back to full color
13.) Audio Volume Level: Good
14.) HDR Support: All Channels (front / rear / interior)
15.) 1 Second boot up time from powered off
16.) 1 Second wake up time from ELPM (extreme low power parking mode)
17.) 1mA power consumption ELPM parking mode
19.) Parking Mode Geo-Fencing
20.) LCD Screen: Always On Option (people are always asking for that)
21.) Dual Power Support: 12V Barrel & 5V USB Type-C
22.) Voice Notification: GPS Connected
23.) Voice Notification: Rear Camera Disconnected / Connected
24.) Voice Notification: Interior Camera Disconnected / Connected
25.) On/Off Power Switch
26.) No reduction in Bitrate when adding one, or both remote cameras
27.) No H.265 Support (H.264 only)
28.) No ADAS
29.) No Mileage Statistics
30.) No Road Story Filter
31.) No LTE Cloud
32.) No Unnecessary Bells & Whistles
33.) K.I.S.S. Approved (keep it simple stupid)
CONS:
1.) Rear camera night time HDR performance needs improvement, (firmware tuning)
S1-4K Rear
A329S Rear
2.) No optional CPL Filter for Rear camera
3.) Interior camera only 1080p (2K would be better)
4.) Standard warranty only 12 Months, extended warranty with registration only 18 Months, (standard 18 Month & extended 24 Month would be better)
5.) No continuous recording parking mode with Audio, (Low Bitrate)
FINAL THOUGHTS:
1.) Viofo A329S is the “best” dash cam of 2025 for image quality, and remote camera versatility.
2.) S1-4K is my number #2.
3.) I would rather spend my own money on S1-4K than anything from BlackVue, Thinkware, Vanture, 70mai, or any other brand.
4.) I’m not sold on AI License Plate Restoration, (I’d rather have better image capture in real time, than anything that could be done in post production).
5.) Hopefully Vueroid can close the gap in 2026, but who knows maybe Viofo will have X-Ray Vision by then. I’d buy that for a dollar. lol
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