Wolfbox G900 Pro review (Starvis 2 4K), is the competition in Wolfbox's rear-view?

Augustus

Augustus

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Dash Cam
Viofo, Vantrue, 70mai, Wolfbox
Wolfbox are an established player in the dash camera space, having been around for more than a decade. They are one of the few OEMs to consistently focus on an expanded rear-view mirror dashcam lineup, which is admirable in itself for the extra purchasing choices for the consumer. The G900 Pro is their first rodeo with the Sony Starvis 2 sensor line-up, so let's find out whether it's all it's cracked up to be.



Wolfbox G900 Pro (Sony Starvis 2 IMX678/Sony Starvis IMX335) Review

IMG_20241026_201106.jpg




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Firmware: V11.241015.0.0.28-A0. This was an update loaded onto the dashcam from the Wolfbox official website - I did not receive any further updates during the testing period.

App for testing: Android version 1.0.65.240806, obtained from Google Play Store.
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The verdict:

I have had the opportunity to be able to test a few rear-view mirror dashcams now, and I have seen the leaps in progress over the years. Wolfbox marks this form factor as their speciality, and with the G900 Pro they are putting their best foot forward. Unfortunately though there is competition from other well-known players on the market, and Wolfbox needs to step up their game to keep their home-ground advantage.

Don't get me wrong, the G900 Pro is a strong showing from the brand - but competitors such as Nexigo and 70mai are in their rear view and closing in.




My nitpickings:

  • No integrated GPS - although understandably may have added extra unwanted thickness to the unit
  • No options to change bitrate in the dashcam or the app settings
  • App asks for permissions every single time upon start-up along with an unnecessary splash screen, plus does not kill WiFi connection with the dashcam upon exiting
  • Baffling decision to omit HDR on the G900 Pro - defeats the purpose of Starvis 2's strength with licence plate reflections at night



The positive:

  • Solid physical build quality and design, with adequate cooling/ventilation outlets
  • Very fast processor (along with plentiful 8GB DDR3 RAM) to drive the dashcam - no lags, stutters or lock-ups encountered using the touchscreen
  • On-board microphones result in strong audio quality - perhaps the clearest audio in a dashcam I have tested yet (125kBps AAC)
  • Fast 5GHz WiFi transfer speeds
  • Strong video quality performance from the Sony Starvis 2 sensor in both day and night lighting conditions (30.2MBps for the front, 17.1MBps for the rear)
 
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Wolfbox G900 Pro Dash Camera sample footage:


Daytime Footage (front): 4K max bitrate, HDR unavailable:



Daytime Footage (rear): 2K max bitrate, HDR unavailable:



Night Footage (front): 4K max bitrate, HDR unavailable:



Night Footage (rear): 2K max bitrate, HDR unavailable:

 
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Great review!
I find the brightness of the screen lacking when the sun is high compared to the side mirror, etc which makes me wanting for more brightness but overall it is good enough.
DId you use their humongous CPL?
 
lukeap69 said:
Great review!
I find the brightness of the screen lacking when the sun is high compared to the side mirror, etc which makes me wanting for more brightness but overall it is good enough.
DId you use their humongous CPL?
Click to expand...
Thanks for your kind words and reading the review, unfortunately I didn't receive the CPL but imagine it would make a big difference as CPLs all do. Not an issue for me

The brightness of the screen was decent for me, but we have only just entered summer here in Australia so I could see it being an issue here too when the sun gets even brighter.
 
CPL surely made the image quality better i.e. less reflection and better colour IMO but the CPL physically is big, push pit and no apparent easy way to adjust. Then the vignetting is too much so I removed it.
 
lukeap69 said:
CPL surely made the image quality better i.e. less reflection and better colour IMO but the CPL physically is big, push pit and no apparent easy way to adjust. Then the vignetting is too much so I removed it.
Click to expand...
Ah I see the dilemma. I can see how this would be a problem as the body isn't extensible on this dashcam like other competitors are ๐Ÿ™
 
Indeed. I've seen other brands' CPL and they looked properly thought of.
BTW, this, with the OEM bracket, looks good on my vehicle.
 
lukeap69 said:
Indeed. I've seen other brands' CPL and they looked properly thought of.
BTW, this, with the OEM bracket, looks good on my vehicle.
Click to expand...
I think it does too on mine, I believe it's down to the 12 inch size of the display. Others with smaller displays (even with extensible mirrors) - it looks disjointed like it's not quite flush with the cars original mirror underneath.

Anyways, good try from Wolfbox and hope the further improve it with firmware updates and we see HDR added hopefully.
 
Great review. I actually like these rear view digital mirrors. I get the function of the front camera; however, if its marketed as a rear view digital mirror, wouldn't it make sense to put a better sensor back there as well? Between that and no HDR, I'll wait for another "Pro" model.
 
ImpliedConsent said:
Great review. I actually like these rear view digital mirrors. I get the function of the front camera; however, if its marketed as a rear view digital mirror, wouldn't it make sense to put a better sensor back there as well? Between that and no HDR, I'll wait for another "Pro" model.
Click to expand...
Thanks for reading appreciate you. Usually these rear view mirrors have potato camera sensors - the IMX335 isn't a bad sensor just old news now at this point. Starvis 2 IMX662 would have been a better choice, but it caps out at 1080p max ๐Ÿ™
 
Just joined this forum since y'all seem to know a lot about the G900 Pro!

I have one temporarily installed in my Tahoe via the included elastic straps over the OEM mirror. It's the first active "rearview" monitor I've ever owned. The screen image is clear and crisp. The constant rearview is great. As someone has pointed out elsewhere, the screen is bright and clear, but opening the sunroof makes it hard to use. If I turn the mirror off, the dashcam monitor's surface acts like a really darkened rearview mirror. Electrically, it pulls a bit over an amp when in full on mode, and about 1/2 amp when in standby (quick push of the on button). That's a bit rough on the starter battery, especially if left for tens of hours. I will be rewiring it to my aux battery, which is a 100 A LiFePO battery and way more stout.

My question is about a permanent mount to avoid having to strap it to the OEM rearview. I reached out the Wolfbox about which of their mounts might work in my Tahoe, but no answer in over a week. I see there's 6 or so different mounts avail from them, but none mention a GM or Chevy truck. Their #118 does mention a Camaro (2011-2015), since that's a Chevy product, maybe the mounting arm will fit on the windshield button?

Any thoughts on the correct Wolfbox mirror mount?

Cheers - Jon
 
Desert Nomad said:
Just joined this forum since y'all seem to know a lot about the G900 Pro!

I have one temporarily installed in my Tahoe via the included elastic straps over the OEM mirror. It's the first active "rearview" monitor I've ever owned. The screen image is clear and crisp. The constant rearview is great. As someone has pointed out elsewhere, the screen is bright and clear, but opening the sunroof makes it hard to use. If I turn the mirror off, the dashcam monitor's surface acts like a really darkened rearview mirror. Electrically, it pulls a bit over an amp when in full on mode, and about 1/2 amp when in standby (quick push of the on button). That's a bit rough on the starter battery, especially if left for tens of hours. I will be rewiring it to my aux battery, which is a 100 A LiFePO battery and way more stout.

My question is about a permanent mount to avoid having to strap it to the OEM rearview. I reached out the Wolfbox about which of their mounts might work in my Tahoe, but no answer in over a week. I see there's 6 or so different mounts avail from them, but none mention a GM or Chevy truck. Their #118 does mention a Camaro (2011-2015), since that's a Chevy product, maybe the mounting arm will fit on the windshield button?

Any thoughts on the correct Wolfbox mirror mount?

Cheers - Jon
Click to expand...
Oh, a few other things.

The voice control is pretty sweet, and works even when I've got the music blasting. "Show front camera" and "show rear camera" are nice voice-command features!

I haven't gone seriously off-road yet, the rear camera is just VHB taped to the location where the optional factory camera would have been, so I don't know how bad the dust will be on the lens. My other option is to put it inside the truck looking out the rear window just inside the arc of the rear wiper, but haven't tried that yet to see the view.

The rear camera is very wide view, and between that and the side view mirrors, makes for much smaller invisible zones around the truck. I also haven't wired the rear mirror to the backup lights circuit, which when active temporarily changes the rear view to the standard backup mirror, looking more at the ground immediately behind the truck and putting a backup guide polygon on the screen.

The GPS is a separate hockey puck type, strangely it's not one designed to attach to the glass directly (its mounting surface is the side opposite the antenna). I've temporarily taped it to the far-forward end of the dash, not blocked by the windshield wipers. However, the puck uses a typical 2.5 mm TRS right-angle plug, so I'll cut the wiring short and make it so the GPS puck is attached to the windshield immediately adjacent to the mirror foot.

My carport has a metal roof. This has caused the GPS to go out of lock more than once, and it took like 20-30 minutes for it to come back in lock. Recycled power even, just had to sit in open sky view for a long time. Minor nuisance, but the GPS processor could be better.

It does not seem to have a auto-brightness sensor, so at night the display is way too bright. It would be really appropriate to have it auto-dim at night. And, even at minimum display brightness, it's still bright enough that it hampers my night vision a bit. And during the day, even when the screen brightness is max, I can see reflections of vehicles off the display face, so that reminds me that to use the mirror as a display I have to refocus my eyes to something 16" away, not at infinity. Causes the ghost reflections to be that much more obvious.

The Wi-Fi is wonky, it acts as an access point, so using the app means disconnecting from my in-vehicle hot spot or other local Wi-Fi, noodle with the mirror, and then reconnect to my usual Wi-Fi. I have an in-truck wireless network and router, and would prefer the mirror could auto-connect to that! The command set available via Wi-Fi is a small subset of what's available through the display touchscreen, which further limits the wireless utility. If I download a clip from the unit via Wi-Fi, it doesn't go into my iPhone's camera roll, but instead into a hidden folder accessible only to the app. The app does allow me to transfer that clip to my camera roll, but it's a nuisance.

It would be nice to have a similar remote camera for the front end, and be able to switch to that "spotter" camera, to help with my off-road adventures. Someone on another forum wanted the same, but Wolfbox doesn't sell the remote camera separately (yet). If they did, it'd be something where with a toggle switch I could hack a two-camera function, which would be a kludge but workable.

Cheers - Jon
 
Desert Nomad said:
Oh, a few other things.

The voice control is pretty sweet, and works even when I've got the music blasting. "Show front camera" and "show rear camera" are nice voice-command features!

I haven't gone seriously off-road yet, the rear camera is just VHB taped to the location where the optional factory camera would have been, so I don't know how bad the dust will be on the lens. My other option is to put it inside the truck looking out the rear window just inside the arc of the rear wiper, but haven't tried that yet to see the view.

The rear camera is very wide view, and between that and the side view mirrors, makes for much smaller invisible zones around the truck. I also haven't wired the rear mirror to the backup lights circuit, which when active temporarily changes the rear view to the standard backup mirror, looking more at the ground immediately behind the truck and putting a backup guide polygon on the screen.

The GPS is a separate hockey puck type, strangely it's not one designed to attach to the glass directly (its mounting surface is the side opposite the antenna). I've temporarily taped it to the far-forward end of the dash, not blocked by the windshield wipers. However, the puck uses a typical 2.5 mm TRS right-angle plug, so I'll cut the wiring short and make it so the GPS puck is attached to the windshield immediately adjacent to the mirror foot.

My carport has a metal roof. This has caused the GPS to go out of lock more than once, and it took like 20-30 minutes for it to come back in lock. Recycled power even, just had to sit in open sky view for a long time. Minor nuisance, but the GPS processor could be better.

It does not seem to have a auto-brightness sensor, so at night the display is way too bright. It would be really appropriate to have it auto-dim at night. And, even at minimum display brightness, it's still bright enough that it hampers my night vision a bit. And during the day, even when the screen brightness is max, I can see reflections of vehicles off the display face, so that reminds me that to use the mirror as a display I have to refocus my eyes to something 16" away, not at infinity. Causes the ghost reflections to be that much more obvious.

The Wi-Fi is wonky, it acts as an access point, so using the app means disconnecting from my in-vehicle hot spot or other local Wi-Fi, noodle with the mirror, and then reconnect to my usual Wi-Fi. I have an in-truck wireless network and router, and would prefer the mirror could auto-connect to that! The command set available via Wi-Fi is a small subset of what's available through the display touchscreen, which further limits the wireless utility. If I download a clip from the unit via Wi-Fi, it doesn't go into my iPhone's camera roll, but instead into a hidden folder accessible only to the app. The app does allow me to transfer that clip to my camera roll, but it's a nuisance.

It would be nice to have a similar remote camera for the front end, and be able to switch to that "spotter" camera, to help with my off-road adventures. Someone on another forum wanted the same, but Wolfbox doesn't sell the remote camera separately (yet). If they did, it'd be something where with a toggle switch I could hack a two-camera function, which would be a kludge but workable.

Cheers - Jon
Click to expand...
Love your impressions thanks for sharing ๐Ÿ™‚. Unfortunately wouldn't know a thing about mounts, most of the time folks come on here to ask, it's a custom solution that needs doing ๐Ÿ™

I agree on things like the ambient light sensor, I think the last rear view camera I tested, the S500, had one if memory serves me correct. It's a necessity I believe in these instances - I had to have it at max brightness on the G900 Pro. Same observations with the WiFi access point too which is weird cos every other dashcam I've tested so far with WiFi hasn't had this issue. Well maybe one, but that was ironed out with a firmware update.

The G900 Pro has it's pros and cons, but it's a solid piece of hardware that just needs some more work to have it up to scratch. Like I said in my review, competitors are yapping on its heels now so they better be careful ..
 
Be forewarned... The G900Pro product page has conflicting information about the resolution of the rear camera.

The "What's inside" section of this product page, both the "Extended Package" and the "Basic Package" sections state "2.5 K Rear Camera".

Next, in the "Specs" "Front Camera Resolution" listed for the the "G900Pro" says "8MP" and "Rear Camera Resolution" says "4MP".

I sent an email to contact@ wolfbox.com and got a response from Mark who said "As shown in the image, our front camera is 8MP, while the rear camera is 4MP. We do not sell an 8MP rear camera, and we have never advertised our rear camera as 8MP."

I asked Mark for a link to the 4MP Rear Camera accessory because I am interested in having a second Rear Camera compatible with the G900Pro so that I can have one pointing out the back of my truck cab and another on the back bumper for trailer hitching.

Understand that on their Accessories page for the G900Pro, I have never seen a Rear Camera listed in last 6-months that I have been watching this product.

On 2024-12-06, Mark's response to this was "I'm sorry, due to the recent Black Friday event, the G900Pro and its accessories have been in high demand, and we are currently out of stock on the rear camera accessories for the G900Pro in our store."

Yesterday, I asked if the 4MP Rear Camera is back stock so I can complete my purchase. Mark's response now is "Sorry, the resolution of our G900pro rear camera is 2.5K, not 4MP." He did not say if it was again available or not.

They have failed at gaining my confidence both on their product page and with their Support. Maybe I can get a more accurate answer here about the rear camera. Can someone tell me what resolution the G900Pro Rear Camera is?


THANKS
 
mlomax said:
Be forewarned... The G900Pro product page has conflicting information about the resolution of the rear camera.

The "What's inside" section of this product page, both the "Extended Package" and the "Basic Package" sections state "2.5 K Rear Camera".

Next, in the "Specs" "Front Camera Resolution" listed for the the "G900Pro" says "8MP" and "Rear Camera Resolution" says "4MP".

I sent an email to contact@ wolfbox.com and got a response from Mark who said "As shown in the image, our front camera is 8MP, while the rear camera is 4MP. We do not sell an 8MP rear camera, and we have never advertised our rear camera as 8MP."

I asked Mark for a link to the 4MP Rear Camera accessory because I am interested in having a second Rear Camera compatible with the G900Pro so that I can have one pointing out the back of my truck cab and another on the back bumper for trailer hitching.

Understand that on their Accessories page for the G900Pro, I have never seen a Rear Camera listed in last 6-months that I have been watching this product.

On 2024-12-06, Mark's response to this was "I'm sorry, due to the recent Black Friday event, the G900Pro and its accessories have been in high demand, and we are currently out of stock on the rear camera accessories for the G900Pro in our store."

Yesterday, I asked if the 4MP Rear Camera is back stock so I can complete my purchase. Mark's response now is "Sorry, the resolution of our G900pro rear camera is 2.5K, not 4MP." He did not say if it was again available or not.

They have failed at gaining my confidence both on their product page and with their Support. Maybe I can get a more accurate answer here about the rear camera. Can someone tell me what resolution the G900Pro Rear Camera is?


THANKS
Click to expand...
As in my video samples, the rear camera is 2.5K from memory - 2560x1440 pixels.

You're not gonna get stunning image quality out the back, but it's decent considering other rear cameras with the long cabling form factor have traditionally been potato 1080p sensors n
 
Well they do sloppily suggest the rear camera is 8MP. I remember after being excited from reading the screenshot below only to later find further down the page it was (Starvis 1) IMX335 sensor for the rear.

Which as Agie confirms out, is 2.5K and ~4MP.

1734136966333.webp
- thinking if it's going to replace my rear vision mirror,
 
Agie said:
As in my video samples, the rear camera is 2.5K from memory - 2560x1440 pixels.

You're not gonna get stunning image quality out the back, but it's decent considering other rear cameras with the long cabling form factor have traditionally been potato 1080p sensors n
Click to expand...
Agie,

I just watched as the price for the G900Pro when up from $221.25 to $294.99 with another 6-hours left on the current sale.

With the NexiGo D90 Gen3 having many of the same specs at about that same price, which would you pick today?
 
mlomax said:
Agie,

I just watched as the price for the G900Pro when up from $221.25 to $294.99 with another 6-hours left on the current sale.

With the NexiGo D90 Gen3 having many of the same specs at about that same price, which would you pick today?
Click to expand...
I can only share my experience as I haven't used the Nexigo but Ariel @Vortex Radar has, he's the expert on that model. There is also the 70mai S500 but that's only 2.5K for it's Starvis 2 sensor not 4K, so your options are limited.

Wolfbox has it's issues but i would still pick it over the S500 if that model even comes into your purchasing equation, as that hasn't seen a widespread release nor been supported well in terms of firmware and bug fixes either. Plus appreciate the larger screen size on the Wolfbox
 
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