Xiaomi Mijia Car DVR Dashcam (Mstar MSC8328P, Sony IMX323) [GearBest.com]

Welcome everyone again to another of my dash camera reviews. Tonight is a dash camera I have been looking forward to since its announcement, the Xiaomi Mijia Car DVR. A massive thankyou to @GearBest for providing this review sample; you can purchase the Xiaomi Mijia from them directly here: http://www.gearbest.com/car-dvr/pp_615460.html Released March 2017.

This is the second dash camera I have reviewed that utilises the Mstar MSC8328P chipset (the first being the Mini 0801S), and the first with the new Sony IMX323 sensor. Let's dive in and see how it fares.

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Specifications: Sony IMX323 sensor w/160 degree wide field of view and f/1.8 aperture, six glass lens element, Mstar MSC8328P chipset, 3.0 inch TFT LCD screen, 240mAh battery, no capacitor. Full HD 1080p video recorded at a constant bitrate of 16MBps across all lighting conditions. Audio bitrate is also constant at 257 KBps (stereo at 32KHz). No other recording modes apart from the one just described.
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Box Contents: Xiaomi Mijia Car DVR dashcam, instruction leaflet, microUSB cable, electrostatic mounting film, car charger (separate with one USB port), dashcam mount, spare adhesive for mount, plastic pry tool for assistance with microUSB wiring
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Firmware: the Xiaomi Mijia Car DVR was loaded with firmware version 1.0.6 (dated February 2017) out of the box, but saw a firmware update in my time of testing to 1.0.8 (March 2017). This appeared to contain only bug fixes and no new features to speak of.
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The verdict:

If you are after a simple to use dash camera with a nice build, and that won't break the bank, the Xiaomi Mijia Car DVR dashcam is a great buy for you. With clear and thoughtfully set-out navigation with a dependable Sony image sensor, this is a dash camera I can easily recommend to any first-time dash cam buyer.


Unboxing video:



My nitpickings:

• Can't stop and start recording manually on this dash camera through a button or menu option (only through powering the camera on and off).
• WiFi connection with Mi Home app for viewing footage is still fairly flaky and firmware update can be a struggle to perform (a problem seemingly endemic to most manufacturers).
• Where are all the customisation options for HDR/WDR, exposure, white balance, date/time stamp, video resolution, video framerate and on and on and on and on.......??
• Yet another dashcam with the outdated and (unable to play unless through QuickTime player) audio format ADPCM.

The positive:

• The plus side of not many menu options is the overall simplicity of this dash camera, and that is actually refreshing to see for a change. Means you can set it up with minimal fuss, and just 'set and forget'. Also great for those users less technically-minded or overwhelmed by tech in general.
• Emergency loop record works flawlessly and is triggered appropriately (records following thirty seconds of incident, and previous time left of the two minute loop).
• Easiest installation out of any dash camera I've used. Simply peel and stick the electrostatic film to the windshield and place the mount onto the marked circle. The dash cam adheres to the film very solidly - every manufacturer should do it this way.
• The dash cam keeps quite cool in operation with good heat dissipation. Interface is fast to navigate and lack of English language is not a hindrance at all once you are used to the camera (see my unboxing video above for full explanation of which menu item is in English).
• Build quality and components used are fantastic. The design elements are absolutely gorgeous to look at - what a pity it's going to be tucked away out of view for most of its working life.
• Large display and clear buttons are very beneficial to the user in terms of usability and practicality. Review of captured footage on the dashcam itself is a very nice experience, and the ability to transfer it directly to your phone through WiFi is a great addition.
• Image quality is decent for the sensor on board, with a lot of light pulled in at day and night conditions, with a fair amount of details preserved. Xiaomi has gone a bit hard though on the oversharpening and saturation, giving daytime images more blockiness than expected - but nevertheless, still a pretty good job.
• Firmware support by Xiaomi on their phones is stellar, and it's great to see them continue that tradition here.
• Plastic pry tool to aid in placing the microUSB wire under the roofliner is a nice and handy touch.
• Audio capture is fantastic with great sensitivity and stereo recording - something that is hardly seen at this price point.

Close-up photos of the Xiaomi Mijia Car DVR dashcam:

 

Xiaomi Mijia Car DVR Dashcam sample footage (recorded on version 1.0.8 firmware):


Daytime footage, 1080p:




Sunset footage, 1080p:




Night-time footage, 1080p:

 

Screenshots of the Mi Home app (this is used to connect to the Xiaomi Mijia Car DVR to view and transfer footage from the dashcam itself):

 

Some screengrabs:

 

I bought a xiaoyi Yi dash cam last week. the 4K HD video/picture is great, however, the 4K HD model is not very smooth sometime. if you want reliable recording for a long time, I suggest you to use the 1080p model! I learn that from a post of xiaoyi review... here is the link which is picked from the google searches, hope it will help you to learn more of the pros and cons of this dash cam

 

There is a Yi Dashcam 4K HD model???

 

oh...sorry for the mistake, the camcoder i bought is the xiaomi yi sport camera... not the dash cam...

 

Good to hear your experience mate but probably a better idea to chuck it in with the relevant forum here on the boards haha

 

I bought one too. Waiting to collect it from my friend. What SD card did you use and would the device support please. Thank you

 

Used a Lexar 300x 16gb but i have used the lexar 633x with no issue in it.

I would stay away from Sandisk Ultra cards for sure. It takes 64gb easily might even take 128gb

 

Got a toshiba everia 64gb in mine it did have a few issues trying to fornat the card with the original 1.06 firmware but once uodated to the 1.08 it worked fine. Also had the wifi connectivity issues but tjat seems to have also gotten better with 1.08 heres a video i did today of a slightly naughty biker

 

Great to hear mate. Yeah definitely runs less buggy now on latest firmware. Where's your video gone ahhaha

 

Had it on private changed it to public so should be able to see it now

 

Haha don't worry mate you will catch plenty of idiots on the road in due time. I get it almost every week here - tailgaters, entering the roundabout when they shouldn't have, swerving out of lanes etc.

 

co-incidentally, I got myself Toshiba exceria. I managed to get the SD card to work, but struggle to upgrade the firmware from 1.06 to 1.08 like both of u.

How did you guys do it,

I downloaded Mi Home, and managed to connect to the dashcam, but unable to add it to list of device permanently

 

The a

The app is pretty fiddly took me about 30 goes of just trying over and over again before i got it to update. Sorry but I don't actually have any other advice ahhaha

 

Yep same really just constant retrying of the update procedure it was very annoying seeing it get to 98% then getting a time out error

 

OK I managed to upgrade the firmware. Locale set to China. Download upgrade via mobile phone with dataplan.

 

Has there been another firmware update the wife currently has my car with the MiJia fitted so cant check but the app downloaded something on saturday on i think

 

No nothing since 1.0.8 for now