Category: Simple

In simple parking mode, the camera only comes alive when/if an event (either impact or movement, depends on the camera) is detected. It will wake up and start recording for a short while. Some cameras take a few seconds to wake up though. Impact-triggered parking mode is the most energy efficient.

Viofo A229 Duo

Viofo A229 Duo dash cam

Modern dual dash cam that records 1440p, both front and rear. Has GPS and 5 GHz Wi-Fi. Parking modes: Low bit rate, time-lapse, buffered. Good build quality.

70mai A500S Pro Plus Review

70mai A500S Pro Plus product photo

A front and rear dash cam around $100, the A500S supports GPS, Wi-Fi, and a simple parking mode if installed with a hard wiring kit. 1440p front, 1080p rear.

Viofo A129 Plus Duo

Viofo A129 Plus Duo dash cam

Dual dash cam that records 1440p front, 1080p rear. Has Wi-Fi and screen. Optional GPS, CPL filter, simple and time-lapse parking modes. Buffered parking mode not supported.

Viofo A139 Review

Viofo A139 3-way dash cam

3-way dash cam that records 1440p front, and 1080p with the rear cameras. Both rear cameras are separate from the main unit. Has GPS, Wi-Fi, buffered parking mode. No screen.

BlackVue DR900X-2CH

BlackVue DR900X-2CH product photo

The DR900X-2CH comes with native cloud capability. Receive push notifications to your phone when an incident is detected. Live view video footage from anywhere over the internet. Records 4K front, 1080p rear. Wi-Fi, GPS, buffered parking mode.

Zenfox T3 Dash Cam

Zenfox T3 three-way dash cam

A triple channel dash cam that records 1440p ahead, and 1080p with the rear and interior channels. IR lights illuminate the passenger cabin at night. Has Wi-Fi, GPS, capacitor, 2″ screen, lock file button. Up to 256GB memory card supported.

Vantrue N4 3-Channel Dash Cam

Vantrue N4 3 way dash cam

The Vantrue N4 is the first 3-channel dash cam by a major manufacturer. Video quality is fair overall. It supports simple and time-lapse parking modes, and a GPS mount is available optionally.

Thinkware Q800 Pro

Thinkware Q800 Pro front and rear cams

A high-end, dual-channel dash cam that records 1440p front, 1080p rear. Remote live view over Thinkware’s cloud. Wi-FI, GPS included. Optional CPL filter. Buffered, time-lapse, and energy-saving parking modes. Mediocre video quality for the price.

Thinkware U1000: Best 4K Dash Cam With Cloud

Thinkware U1000 4K front camera

A 4K+1440p dual dash cam with cloud view, remote notifications, 3 different parking modes (including radar-assisted buffered parking mode), Wi-Fi, GPS, & more. Video quality is great for the front camera. Rear camera is optional, with disappointing video.

Blueskysea B2W

Blueskysea B2W dash cam

A mid-price taxi/Uber dash cam with a unique design that allows you to rotate the camera lenses to the sides, thus letting you film the driver’s or passenger’s window when needed. Has infrared, IR-cut filter, Wi-Fi, optional external GPS.

Viofo A129 Duo IR: Best Taxi/Uber Cam 2020

Dual 1080p dash cam with infrared LEDs for the rear camera, enabling taxi/rideshare drivers to record the passenger cabin even at night. Has Wi-Fi, 2″ screen, optional GPS, optional CPL filter for front camera. Short and long cables included so you can install the rear camera on the windshield or rear window as preferred.

Thinkware F200 and FA200: What’s The Difference?

An entry-level dual channel dash cam with great options for parking mode, but mediocre video quality. Supports buffered and simple parking modes, and in the case of the Thinkware FA200, time-lapse parking mode as well. Wi-Fi, no screen, capacitor. Optional GPS.

Nextbase 522GW — How Good Is It?

Arguably the most innovative dashboard camera of 2019, the Nextbase 522GW includes ground-breaking features such as automatic Emergency SOS alerts to authorities in the case of an accident, and full Alexa integration. Comes with a 3″ touch screen and several rear view modules, so you can upgrade this device to a dual-channel cam or a taxi cam. Has Wi-Fi, GPS, simple parking mode, in-built CPL filter.

Apeman C450 Series A

Apeman C450 series A dash cam

A low-cost camera that barely covers the basic features that every dash cam should support. Video quality is mediocre. No extras (like GPS or Wi-Fi).

Nextbase 612GW

Nextbase 612GW 4K dash cam

Nextbase’s first 4K camera supports Wi-Fi and a simple, self-powered parking mode. Unfortunately, video quality isn’t the best, and the internal battery is prone to early failure.

Nextbase 312GW

A reliable, highly popular little dash cam that comes with all the basics, plus Wi-Fi and GPS. Video quality is sub-par though.

VAVA Dash Cam VA-CD001

VAVA Dash Cam VA-CD001

A unique, stylish dash cam that you can easily swivel around 360 degrees on its magnetic mount and point it to the passenger’s window or to the rear when needed. Comes with GPS, Wi-Fi, and a remote lock file/snapshot button. Low heat tolerance and only fair video quality though.

Garmin 55

Garmin 55 Dash Cam product photo

An easy to use single channel dash cam that can record 1440p @ 30fps and 1080p @ 60fps. Unfortunately, the camera has major overheating issues, and video quality is sub-par for the price.

Garmin 65W

A tiny, discreet high-end dash cam with Wi-Fi and GPS. Outstanding field of view at 180°. Easy to set up and use. Great customer support. Video quality is not satisfactory for this price though, and camera can be prone to overheating in hotter regions.

Viofo A129 Duo

Viofo A129 Duo front and rear car camera

A sub-$200 front-and-rear dash cam that records 1080p both ways. Good overall video quality. Supports GPS, Wi-Fi, CPL, buffered parking mode. Has some initial quirks that will hopefully be sorted out in the future.

Z-Edge S3

The forward facing camera of the Z-Edge S3 is rather bulky. The rear camera is tiny though.

Decent low-price dual-lens dash cam. Records 1080p front and rear, or 1440p in forward only mode. Simple battery powered parking mode included.

Thinkware F800 Pro

Thinkware F800 Pro front and rear car camera

Dual-channel dash cam that records 1080p both ways. Supports GPS, Wi-Fi, and three different parking modes. Great video quality. Sturdy build with an elegant and stealthy all-black casing. Excellent customer support.

Vantrue N2 Pro (Uber)

Vantrue N2 Pro 2x1080p Taxi Cam

A taxi cam that records 1080p both ways, with IR LEDs illuminating the passenger cabin at night. Excellent for taxi or uber drivers. Great rear video day and night. Forward video is fair to good, with a noticeable blue tint though. Supports time-lapse and motion detection parking mode.

Anker Roav C1

product photo of the Anker Roav C1 dash cam

Wedge-shaped 1080p dash cam that records good video at day, fair video at night. Great build quality and excellent customer support. WDR. Wi-Fi. 2.4″ screen. Simple parking mode that doesn’t require hard-wiring, due to large internal battery.

Nextbase 512G

product photo of the Nextbase 512G dash cam, as seen from the front (lens side)

A 1080p dash cam that records good quality video, day and night. Easy to install and use. Supports GPS and comes with a built-in CPL filter. 2.7″ screen.

DDPai M6 Plus

The tiny DDPai M6+ car camera, as seen from the front

Records 1440p@25fps, with very good day and good night video quality. Stylish and discreet. Magnetic mount. Wireless remote emergency button. Wi-Fi. Built-in GPS. Time-lapse parking mode. Optional CPL filter.

Z-Edge Z3

Z-Edge Z3 dash cam

A dash cam that focuses on the basics, the Z-Edge Z3 records good video at day and average to fair video at night time. Up to 2304x1296p or 2560x1080p resolution. Internal capacitor instead of battery. Accepts up to 64GB SD cards. Vendor is known for their excellent customer support.

Vicovation Vico-Opia2

Product photo of the Vico-Opia2 1440p dash cam

High-end 1440p camera with best video quality yet. Replaces the DOD LS460W as our video quality benchmark. Ambarella A12 processor. HDR. Capacitor instead of battery. Time-lapse or motion detection parking modes. Optional GPS and CPL filter available separately.

Mini 0903 (Nano Q)

Mini 0903, the most compact of the Mini series so far

Smallest and (so far) best dash cam of the Mini series. GPS. Wi-Fi. Parking mode. Capacitor based. Astonishingly sharp 1080p video day and night. Up to 64GB SD card supported. Magnetic mount for CPL filter.

DOD LS460W

LS460W car DVR product picture

Excellent video quality day and night. Large F/1.6 aperture. WDR super night vision. Integrated GPS. Sony Exmor sensor. High bit rate (15 Mbps). Parking mode with time lapse option. Overspeed warning. Password protectable. One of our favorites for 2015.

Lukas LK-7900 ARA

Product photo of the Lukas LK-7900 ARA dash cam

An upgrade of the LK-7900 ACE, the Korean Lukas LK-7900 ARA has a couple of unique new features: an OBD-II interface, and up to 256GB memory support for over 48 hours of video recording. Also, the internal battery has been replaced by a capacitor. Of course it’s keeping the best features of its predecessor, like extreme temperature resistance and great video quality.