DDPai M6 Plus

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

Technical Details

– Max. resolution: 2560×1440 @ 25fps
– Price: n/a
– Bit rate: 10.5 Mbps @1440p
– Aperture: F1.8
– GPS built-in
– Wi-Fi
– Size: 64mm x 33mm x 65mm
– Hi3516D processor
– 4MP Omnivision OV4689 1/3″ CMOS sensor
– Angle of view: 140° diagonal
– Video format: MP4
– Photo resolution: up to 2592×1520 pixels (4MP)
– Supports up to 128 GB MicroSD cards
– Operating temperature: from -20°C to 70°C (-4°F to 158°F)
– Time and date stamp on video, speed stamp (kph) optional
– Loop recording, auto on/off, G-Sensor, parking mode
– Parking mode: time lapse + 10 seconds normal recording after event
– Wireless remote lock file button
– Optional CPL filter (available separately)
– Apps for Android and iOS
– Can flip image horizontally
– 250mAh Lithium battery
– Internal microphone and speaker
– Magnetic mount

DDPai M6+ Review

The DDPai M6 Plus is a discreet Chinese dash cam that was released in mid 2016. It records a maximum video resolution of 2560×1440 (1440p) at 25 frames per second, as well as lower resolutions such as 2304×1296 (1296p) and 1920×1080 (1080p) at 30 frames per second.

Its video quality is very good at day, and good at night time.The DDPai M6 Plus has good build quality and feels solid to the touch. However, this is not one of the easiest-to-use dashboard cameras. Therefore, unless you are happy to plunge into the deep end, we don’t necessarily recommend this model for beginners.

Unique features of this camera that set it apart from the competition:

Magnetic mount
Remote, wireless emergency button
Stylish, minimalistic design

Other useful features include:

Parking mode
Built-in GPS
Wi-Fi
Optional CPL filter

Negatives:

Steep learning curve
Speed in km/h only
Bad heat tolerance due to Lithium battery
Voice alerts in Chinese only

This is the first camera we’ve reviewed that features a magnetic mount, which greatly simplifies removing and reinstalling the camera. Of course, you still need to stick the magnetic base to your windshield, which is done using 3M adhesive tape.

The M6+ is also the only dash cam so far to feature a wireless remote emergency button (the K1S also has a remote emergency button, but it connects to the central unit by cable). When you press the button, the camera takes a snapshot and records 10 seconds of video, which it then automatically copies to your phone via Wi-Fi.

DDPai M6+ schematics

We really like this camera’s stylish and minimalistic design. The only cable going to the camera is the power cable, which connects to the magnetic mount via a USB plug. Note that you cannot transfer data via this plug, it’s for power supply only.

There is no screen, and the only button on the camera itself is a tiny reset button. Once set up, the camera records automatically when the car’s engine is running, no user intervention required. Any and all configuration is done via the mobile app, which you can download for free for iOS and Android smart phones.

Of course you can review videos on your phone as well, but they take some time to transmit over Wi-Fi. It’s faster to just take the microSD card out of the back of the camera and stick it into a computer to view your recordings. While the M6+ supports up to 64GB cards officially, 128GB cards have also been reported to work (make sure to format them through the app though, as the M6+ only accepts FAT32 formatted cards).

There are three LEDs on the top of the camera: Red for power, green for recording, and blue for the built-in GPS receiver.

A CPL filter is available separately. The filter noticeably improves the camera’s performance in bright sunlight.

The English manual is okay, but quite brief and doesn’t got into a lot of details.

Be aware that the M6+ downloads its firmware updates automatically via your phone, so if you’re going to use this camera make sure you have a good data plan!

This camera supports time-lapse parking mode, taking one still image per second. That way, a 75 minute time span is compressed into a 3 minute video, which takes up about 470MB on the memory card. Also, when an event is detected, the camera will “wake up” and record 10 seconds of normal video. Buffered parking mode is not supported.

Some users have reported problems connecting to the camera with an Android phone. Disabling the Android’s mobile data connection on the phone usually resolves this issue.

A definite downside of this camera is that while the app is in English, the camera’s voice alerts are in Chinese only. Also, if you choose to display a speed stamp on your video, there is currently no way to set it to mph — the speed stamp is in kilometers only. Hopefully these issues will be adressed by a future firmware update.

To summarize, this is a stylish, discreet camera with good video quality, day and night. It installs with a minimum amount of cabling, and the magnetic mount allows you to remove the device without the hassle of unplugging anything. If you’re happy to set up the camera using your mobile phone, and don’t mind the Chinese voice alerts, this might be the right dash cam for you.

DDPai M6+ 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.