VAVA Dash Cam VA-CD001

Technical Specifications

– Max. resolution: 1920×1080 @60fps
– Price: – more countries & vendors (affiliate links)
– Bit rate: 17 Mbps
– GPS
– Wi-Fi
– Size: 28mm x 70mm diameter (1.1″ x 2.75″)
– Novatek NT96663 processor
– Sony IMX291 sensor
– Angle of view: 155° diagonal
– Apps for Android / iOS
– 320mAh battery
– Operating temperature: from -20°C to 50°C (-4°F to 122°F)
– Supports up to 128 GB class 10+ MicroSD cards (minimum 16GB)
– Time and date stamp on video
– Remote lock file and snapshot button
– Loop recording, auto on/off, G-Sensor, parking mode
– Internal microphone and speaker
– Sticky suction mount

Vava Dash Cam Review

The Vava Dash Cam VA-CD001 is a 2017 dashboard camera with a unique design that we found to be quite attractive. The camera itself is round (cylindrical, to be precise). It magnetically attaches to its mount, in such a way that you can freely turn it around its vertical axis by 360 degrees. So if you ever want to record what’s going on in the car or to one of the sides (an interaction with a police officer for example, or just some spontaneous carpool karaoke), it’s really easy to do.

The mount itself is cone-shaped and quite large, so despite its elegant design, this dash cam is not exactly stealthy. If does fit neatly behind the rear-view mirror though, so it won’t obstruct the driver’s field of view. The mount is designed for a window rake between 17 and 58 degrees.

The Vava dash cam has no screen and there are no controls or buttons on the camera itself, but it comes with a bluetooth remote control button. You can stick the remote button on your steering wheel or wherever it’s convenient for you. A short press of the button takes a snapshot, and a longer press saves a 20 second video.

While we really love the innovative design and the ability to swivel your camera around, unfortunately the Vava’s video quality isn’t quite up to today’s standards. It’s not terribly bad, either: Footage is sharp and clear enough to see everything that’s going on in the camera’s field of view, both at day and at night time. However, we found it hard to impossible to read other car’s license plates at most times, unless they are very close to you and/or stopped at a traffic light.

Setting up this camera is really easy. You just stick the suction mount to the windshield, attach the camera to the magnet, and connect the cable. The magnet is strong enough to firmly hold the camera in place, even when driving on bumpy roads. It’s also easy to remove the Vava CD001 from the mount if you want to take the camera out of the car: Just unplug the power cable and pull the the dash cam off the magnet.

A pry tool and cable clips are included. These make it easier to hide the power cable behind your car’s interior trim and route it to the power source. A dual USB adapter for the cigarette lighter is also in the box, for cars that don’t have a USB port.

To configure the camera and play back video, you control it with a smart phones app via Wi-Fi. The app is well designed and allows you to set up the camera with a few taps. Apart from controlling the camera’s settings, the app also contains installation and setup guides, a GPS travel log, an electronic user manual, FAQ, a form to contact customer support, and more. Overall this is one of the best and most intuitive dash cam apps we have seen.

Keep in mind that due to a general issue with Android phones, you need to disable the phone’s mobile data connection before you can connect to the camera’s Wi-Fi network. This is an issue that many dash cams have and is not limited to the Vava dash cam.

The Vava CD001 supports a simple parking mode: If an impact is detected while the camera is off, it will come alive and record a 15 second video. The sleeping camera takes just one or two seconds to wake up, so you have a good chance of catching whatever caused the impact on video if it is in the camera’s field of view.

Of course, you can turn parking mode on and off. Parking mode is powered by the cameras internal 320mAh battery, so there’s no need for an extra power supply or a hard-wiring kit that most other dash cams use.

At its top resolution of 1080p@60fps, the camera records with a bit rate of 17Mbps. An hour of video takes up a little less than 8GB of space. The camera supports memory cards up to 128GB in size, allowing for a maximum recording time of about 16 hours before the oldest files are overwritten.

Note that the minimum size for memory cards is 16GB. The Vava CD001 won’t work with smaller cards. We are not aware of any other dash cams that have a minimum card size, however this shouldn’t be a huge issue. Just be aware in case you have any smaller memory cards lying around that these won’t work in the Vava.

The camera’s stated maximum operating temperature of 50°C (122°F) is quite low, so if you live in a hot climate you may want to get a dash cam with a capacitor instead of a battery.

Vava’s customer support is great, and they give an 18-month warranty for users in the United States (this may vary in other countries, please check with your local vendor).

Summary

The Vava Dash Cam has a stylish and unique design and is made of good quality materials. It’s easy to set up and use, however be aware that it’s easier to connect to it with an iPhone than with an Android, as on the Android you need to disable mobile data first. Video quality is fair, and its simple parking mode requires no hard-wiring.

We like the ability to swivel the dash cam around and point it anywhere you like, which is a feature that not many dash cams have. The remote control button is a great idea too. Unfortunately, video quality is only so-so for the price.

To sum it up: If you love the Vava dash cam’s design and its remote control button, are happy with the video quality, and don’t live in a hot climate, this camera will be perfect for you. If you’re looking for a capacitor-based camera that can withstand higher temperatures and record better video for a similar price, consider the Viofo A119 v3 instead (it doesn’t swivel around though, and doesn’t have Wi-Fi).

Vava Dash Cam 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

Watch this video on YouTube

Day time video is fair. You can clearly see everything going on around you, but it’s hard to impossible to read license plates of nearby cars, even when pausing the video.