The VW898 dashboard camera is manufactured by the Chinese company VWTech (Shenzhen XinKeZhan Eletronics). The VW898 is a small, screenless dash cam / action cam similar to the Mobius, Innovv C1 and DIMIKA. The camera records 1080p at 30f/s. The VW898 is based on the Alpha Imaging Technology AIT8427D Processor and the OmniVision OV2710-1E CMOS sensor. Bit rate is approximately 12Mbps. Video quality during the day is good and night is average. Overall performs a bit worse from a video perspective than the Mobius but it is priced $10 cheaper.
The VW898 is also very small at 55 x 35 x 22mm, but it is a bit thicker than the Mobius. It comes in white or black, but for a more discreet installation, black is the color of choice. The camera does not come with GPS or G-sensor.
There are a couple drawbacks with this camera. Like the Innovv cameras, the VW898 uses an 8-pin proprietary USB cable which could be difficult to find if you are looking for a replacement cable or a longer cable. The Innovv cable and the VW898 cables are identical.
The second drawback is that their is no configuration utility available. All settings must be made via a usercfg.txt file and uploaded to the camera. While not too difficult a task, this might be a bit overwhelming for individuals who are not tech savvy. Here is a screenshot of the available options to configure the camera.
We would like to thank our member, USDashCamera, who did a review of the VWTech VW898 in the following video.
Known problems
Since this camera has just been released, there have not been any reported problems yet.
Sample Videos
Watch USDashCamera’s review for both day and night video quality.
Day Video (From Manufacturer)
Should I Purchase?
In these small, screenless dash cams, the Mobius has been the leader for quite some time now. While the VW898 is a solid camera, video quality is not as good as the Mobius. Also the Mobius has a larger support network of users given the thousands that have been sold and also utilizes a standard USB cable.
Overall, the Mobius is a slightly better buy but if you are looking at saving a few dollars, the VW898 could be a consideration.
Specifications
Spec VWTech VW898 Price $70 Overall Rating 6.2/10 Price Rating 9 Brand VWTech Channels 1 Channel Setup Front Form Factor Hanging Front Resolution 1080p Spec VWTech VW898 Parking Mode No Wi-Fi No GPS No Cloud Connectivity No Voice Commands No Spec VWTech VW898 Processor Alpha Imaging Technology AIT8427D Video Format AVI Compression H.264 Screen Size No Touchscreen No Mount Suction or Adhesive Power Supply 5V Battery Type 650mAh Spec VWTech VW898 SD Card Type MicroSD Max Card Size 32GB Swivel No Country China Warranty 12 months Release Date Nov 2014 Spec VWTech VW898 Day Video 7 Night Video 3 Reliability 5 Discreetness 9 Support 4 Spec VWTech VW898 CMOS Omnivision OV2710-1E4 Max Resolution 1920 x 1080p FPS 30 Bitrate 12.0 Mbps Viewing Angle 135° Dimensions 55 x 35 x 22 HDR No
Published: January 1, 2015