Blueskysea B4K Specs
– Max. resolution: 4K (3840×2160) @ 30fps
– Price: – more countries & vendors (affiliate links)
– 3.16″ screen
– GPS in mount
– Wi-Fi
– Aperture: F1.6
– Bit rate: 27 Mbps
– Video format: TS
– Time and date stamp on video
– Loop recording, auto on/off, G-Sensor
– Novatek 96670 processor
– 8MP Sony STARVIS IMX415 sensor
– Angle of view: 120° diagonal
– Operating temperature: from -20°C to 70°C (-4°F to 149°F)
– Size: 38mm x 97mm x 36mm (1.48″D x 3.8″W x 1.4″H)
– Supports up to 256 GB MicroSD cards (approx. 18h of 4K video)
– Parking modes: Buffered, time lapse, motion detection
– Lock file button
– Optional CPL filter
– Apps for Android / iOS
– Internal capacitor instead of battery
– Internal microphone and speaker
– Adhesive mount
– Optional rear camera (but see below)
Blueskysea B4K Review
The Bluesksea B4K is a low-cost dash cam of Chinese origin. It records at 4K (3840×2160) resolution, and supports Wi-Fi, GPS, as well as 3 different types of parking mode.
Available below $100 from some vendors, this is probably the cheapest “true 4K” dash cam available in 2022. (We call it “true 4K” because there are many fake 4K dash cams out there that record either interlaced video, or at a reduced frame rate.)
Design
The B4K’s design is quite simple. Its oblong shape is not too elegant, but functional. A convenient 3.16″ screen on the back makes it easy to navigate the menus and review footage on the spot.
Using Wi-Fi, you can also configure the camera through your smart phone.
A GPS antenna is integrated into the mount.
The upper button on the right-hand side serves as a “lock file” button to save important video clips from becoming overwritten with time.
Video Quality
Video quality of the B4K is good during the day, and fair at night time (video samples below).
An optional CPL filter is available to reduce reflections on the wind shield when driving in bright sunlight.
Parking Modes
This dash cam supports three different types of parking mode: Time lapse, buffered, and motion activated.
It needs a hard wiring kit for parking mode to work, which is available separately.
- Time lapse: The camera records at a reduced frame rate when the car’s engine is off
- Motion activated: The camera starts recording when the G-sensor detects an impact to the car
- Buffered: The camera records continually at full frame rate, but video is only saved when an impact is detected. The saved video starts 10 seconds before the event, and ends 20 seconds after
Optional Rear Camera
A 1080p rear camera for the Blueskysea B4K is available for less than $25. Video quality of the rear camera is fair at day, but poor at night time.
Unfortunately, when connecting the rear camera, the frame rate for both the front and the rear video feeds drops from 30 to 24fps. This is probably due to limited processing power of the Novatek 96670 chip.
We don’t consider a 24fps video stream to be true 4K (it should be at least 30fps), so we recommend running the B4K without the rear camera. When you run the front camera on its own, it does record 4K at 30fps.
Non-Standard Video Format
The B4K records video in an uncommon format called TS (Transport Stream). The advantage of using .TS is that, unlike standards such as MP4, the video file will not become corrupted if there is an interruption to the recording.
The disadvantage is that your video player may not support it. If this is the case, you can download the free VLC video player which supports TS, and will also let you convert it to other formats if needed.
Conclusion
The B4K is probably the cheapest reliable true 4K dash cam available right now. Night video quality is mediocre though.
We don’t recommend using it with the optional rear camera, because it reduces the frame rate and thus quality of the front video stream.
Blueskysea B4K Video Samples
For full original video quality, make sure to watch on full screen and select maximum video resolution (use the cog icon in lower right corner). You may have to rewind the video after changing the resolution.
Day Time Video Sample
Day time video is good. You can read most license plates by pausing the video.
Night Time Video Sample
At night, video quality is fair. You can read license plates when close, and when not moving too fast. (Note that this is actually a 1440p video, so it’s not even recorded at maximum resolution!)
Where To Buy
The Blueskysea B4K is available for sale from the following vendors:
Links to vendors are affiliate links, and help to support this site.
