70mai Omni X200 Review: Dash Cam With Self Rotating Lens

70mai Omni X200 dash cam

70mai Omni X200 Specs

– Max. resolution: 1920×1080 @ 60fps
– Release: 2022
– Price: Amazon US / CA / UKAliExpress70maimore countries & vendors (ad)
– Bit rate: 20 Mbps
– Aperture: F1.5
– 1,2″ screen
– GPS
– HDR (with 30fps only)
– Wi-Fi
– Size: 93mm x 51mm x 51mm
– Novatek NT96580 processor
– Omnivision OS02K10 sensor
– Angle of view: 140° diagonal
– Operating temperature: from -10°C to 60°C (14°F to 140°F)
– Video format: MP4
– Codec: H-264
– Memory: Up to 128MB eMMC (built in)
– Time and date stamp on video
– Loop recording, auto on/off, G-Sensor
– Parking modes: Motion, impact, time-lapse
– Lock file button
– CPL filter (not included)
– Apps for Android / iOS
– 300mAh battery
– Internal microphone and speaker
– Adhesive mount (electrostatic)
– Cloud connectivity
– Voice control
– Motorized 340º rotation

70mai Omni X200 Review

Let’s have a look at a unique dash cam with some interesting new features. One feature that I haven’t seen before in any other dash cam is that the 70mai Omni X200 can automatically turn its lens left, right, and backwards.

How does this work? For example, picture yourself driving through a beautiful scenery. Or you see something interesing happening to your left. Just tell the camera, “shoot left” — it will rapidly turn around and record a 10 second video!

Or let’s say you’d like to take a selfie with your family while driving. Say out loud, “take selfie”. The camera lens will quickly swivel around and take a photo.

If you want to capture an all-round video of the surroundings (either to share a beautiful scenery on social media, or to record something interesting), say “shoot vlog” and the camera will slowly pan from the left and to the right.

Check out the first minute of this video which nicely demonstrates these features in action:

Design

My first impression of the Omni X200 was that it looks like an upside down version of R2D2, the little robot from Star Wars. Probably because of its vertical cylindrical shape, but most of all the “eye” (i.e. the lens) that swivels around on the bottom.

The 1.2″ screen on the rear even features a cute virtual assistant, in the form of a bear called MaiX. If you switch ADAS (advanced driver assistance) on, the assistant will talk to you while you drive. It can alert you when you accidentally depart from a lane, get too close to another car or a pedestrian, and so on.

Of course this is just a playful gimmick, so you can switch “MaiX” off if you prefer. Of course, the ADAS alerts can also be disabled if yo don’t want them.

70mai Omni X200 dash cam, red and white version

Red and white version of the 70mai Omni

This is the first camera I’ve seen that comes in various colors: You can get it either all black, or in red and white. The red and white version is shown in the image. Right now, it’s only available on eBay and other web shops (links below), but not on Amazon.

I like the black version is a bit better because it’s more discreet. The red and white version looks more cheerful, but it also makes the camera look a bit like a toy.  Which is definitely intended… with MaiX the bear talking to you as you drive, the X200 definitely has a very fun, playful vibe.

Video Quality

Let’s be up front about it: While 1080p is a decent video format for a dash cam, in which you can expect to see most details, this is no longer the state of the art in 2024. Modern dash cams record at 4K (2160p) or at least 2K (which is 1440p).

Also, it’s great that the 70mai Omni can record at 60 frames per second, and that it supports High Dynamic Range (HDR), which helps video quality at night. But… it can’t do both at the same time. So unless you’re only recording at day, we recommend setting the camera to 30fps and enable HDR so you get better footage when it’s dark.

As for the final video quality, after reviewing a number of recordings in various circumstances, our ratings are: Good (3.0/5) during the day, and fair (2.0/5) at night. During the day, you will be able to read the license plates of nearby cars in the video. At night, it’s a hit-and-miss.

Our overall video score for the 70mai Omni is 2.5 (averaging the day and night ratings). You can use this score to compare various dash cams in our comparison table.

“Intelligent” Parking Mode

The 70mai Omni supports 3 parking modes. You need to hard wire the camera to the fuse box (or use a dash cam battery pack — but those are pricey!) for this to work.

Parking modes supported:

  • Motion: Records a video when motion is detected visually, and sends a notification if connected to cloud
  • Impact: Records a video when the G-sensor detects an impact, and sends a notification if connected to cloud
  • Time-lapse: Records at 1 frame per second

Like all dash cams, the 70mai Omni needs a hard-wiring kit to function in parking mode. There are two different hard-wiring kits for this camera: The basic one is the UP03 (~$20). And then there’s the UP04 (~$60) that comes with a 4G module, and allows the dash cam to connect to the cloud. Note that cloud connectivity requires a SIM card and a data plan (these are not included).

Cloud Connectivity

When powered with the UP04 hard-wire kit, you can connect the 70mai Omni to the cloud- This enables the following features:

  • Notifications to your phone when an impact is detected (only in motion or impact parking mode)
  • 30 minutes of live video streaming per day
  • Rotate the camera
  • Adjust settings remotely
  • Store videos (up to 15 days, 50 videos)
  • Find your parked car (via GPS)

Again, a SIM card and a data plan are required for the cloud connection to work (not included).

Voice Commands

Here’s a list of the voice commands that this camera understands:

  • Shoot left
  • Shoot right
  • Shoot inside
  • Shoot emergency video
  • Shoot vlog
  • Take photo
  • Take selfie
  • Record audio
  • Stop audio
  • Enable hot spot
  • Disable hot spot

“Shoot left, right”, and inside makes the camera rotate to the indicated direction, shooting a 10 second video. The emergency video is 15 seconds long, and starts 5 seconds before the command.

“Shoot vlog” triggers a slower turn while the Omni records a 10s video.

Some users have reported that having a conversation in the car or listening to radio/music can sometimes trigger the camera unintentionally, so do keep in mind that the camera’s voice recognition may not be perfect.

eMMC Memory

Another unique feature of the Omni dash cam is that comes with eMMC memory built in. This saves you the hassle of ordering an SD card separately.

You can choose between 32, 64, or 128GB of memory. The corresponding recording times are approximately 3.5 hours with 32MB, 7 hours with 64GB, and 14h with 128GB.

Other Observations

For the first setup, remember to enable both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on your phone, otherwise it won’t work.

The camera comes with a 300mAh battery. Most other dash cams use a capacitor. Capacitors are more heat resistant, but batteries can have problems when it gets very hot. If you live in a region with a hot climate, you’re probably better off if you use a dash cam with capacitor.

A copy of the user manual for this dash cam is available online here. It’s only 7 pages long, but instructions for installation will also be shown in the app. Note that to install the app you’ll have to create an account.

The X200 supports Wi-Fi only at 2.4GHz, so transferring videos to your phone can be a bit slow. Many modern cameras now support 5GHz.

Pro Tip: If you ever need to review a lot of video footage, you can do so much faster by getting a USB data cable and connect the dash cam directly to your computer. (The USB cable that comes with the camera is only for power supply.)

Conclusion

The 70mai Omni X200 is a very innovative dash cam that comes with many features that most other dash cams don’t have. Automatic swiveling is probably the most important one, but I also like the playfulness of the virtual assistant.

It does feel a bit like a helpful toy though. When you are taking a selfie or shooting scenery to the side, it’s obviously not filming the road ahead at the same time. But it will still be keeping an eye on the road almost all of the time.

Parking mode is a plus, and cloud connectivity coupled with alerts to your phone can be a great help.

The biggest drawback of the Omni X200 is its video quality. You can get dash cams that record much better video, for a similar price. But they won’t have a swiveling lens.

Pros:

  • Quick, motorized swivel
  • Fun and futuristic design concept
  • Various colors available
  • Cloud connectivity

Cons:

  • Video quality isn’t great for the price
  • Battery may be problematic in hot climates
  • Voice commands can get triggered accidentally

70mai Omni X200 Video Samples

Here is a sample of the 70mai Omni recording at night, with ADAS and RS effects included.

The video below contains samples driving both at day and at night, also with sensor data included:

The RS effects on screen add to the Omni X200’s futuristic feel. At all times you can see the exact distance to other cars, your own speed, and more embedded right in the video feed.

While this is a fun feature to have, the icons do obstruct the view and could potentially even cover up another car’s license plate. You get the option to include or disable RS effects when downloading the video. In any event, the most important data is displayed in the footer of the video.

Where To Buy

The 70mai Omni X200 is available for sale from the following vendors:

70mai Store

Amazon US / CA / UK / DE / FR / ES / IT

eBay US / CA / UK / AU

AliExpress (global)

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