After hunting around for dash cams for a while online, I decided to try out this one based on its reviews. I've used several dash cams in the past, but all of them died out in only a couple of month's use.
Out of the box this dash cam seems to be well built and has great day and night picture quality. The menu is also pretty intuitive and responsive. Thanks to its super-capacitor, it boots up pretty fast as well. One thing about installation is that my car (2016 Jeep Compass) does not have a fuse box under the steering wheel console. I looked through my car's owner's manual and online just in case, but it's definitely not there. This complicated the installation since I wanted the camera to power up and down with the car. I didn't want to manually turn it off and on whenever I used it, since I could forget to turn it off and possibly drain the car battery over a long weekend. I found the solution with an OBD adapter cable that Vantrue sells as well. Once I received the special cable and installed it, it seemed that everything worked perfectly. Except that for some reason the camera was not shutting down when I turned off the engine. I thought that maybe I was just not waiting long enough so I left it running one night and came back the next morning to find that the camera had been continuously recording. I looked through the manual and made sure that I had it configured correctly to auto-shut off. But since I was running late already, I decided to hold off on trying to figure it out and just manually power it up and down for now. I was fine with this temporary arrangement, however, about a week later the camera stopped working. The power button was not depressing, as if it was stuck in the down position. The power button does not take a lot of pressure to actuate, so I definitely was not mashing it down hard whenever I pressed on it. It was summer time, but the days were not too hot, hovering around the 80s, so I don't think it's because of the button melting or warping.
This was very disappointing, since it seemed for a while there, that this camera could have been the perfect dash cam that I had been looking for. As a final note, the suction cup also fell off about a month later, even without the camera attached.
Update 2/12/20
- A Vantrue representative contacted me and after a couple months of wait, a replacement came. I have been using it for a bout a week now, so far so good. I'll run it for about 2 months and update this review if it's still good.
Update 5/10/20
- I have been testing the replacement camera for 3 months, and so far so good. The only lingering issue is with powering up/down automatically. It is still not consistently powering up and down with my car, although I think it is because I've been using an OBD charger cable that I purchased separately, so I will not take off a point for that. It works perfectly if I use the lighter port adapter that came with it.
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This Item  Vantrue X4 UHD 4K 3840x2160P 30fps Dash Cam, 3" LCD 160° Wide Angle Car Camera with 24 Hrs Parking Mode, Motion Detection, Night Vision, Capacitor, Optional GPS, Support 256GB Max, Loop Recording |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | Currently unavailable. | -25% $149.99 List: $198.99 | $399.99 | -26% $169.99 List: $229.99 | $79.99 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Monday, May 20 | Get it as soon as Monday, May 20 | Get it as soon as Monday, May 20 | Get it as soon as Monday, May 20 |
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| Sold By | — | REDTIGER-Direct | VANTRUE | REDTIGER-Direct | happy life-store |
| display type | LCD | LCD | LCD | — | — |
| display size | 3 inches | — | 3.19 inches | 3.18 inches | 3 inches |
| video resolution | 1080p | 2160p | 1944p, 1440p | 2160p | 1440p |
| mounting type | Suction Mount | Windshield Mount | Adhesive Mount, Magnetic Mount | Windshield Mount | Windshield Mount |
| auto part position | front | front | front | front | driveline |
| control method | — | application | application, voice | touch | — |
| real angle of view | 160 degrees | 170 degrees | 360 degrees | 170 degrees | 140 degrees |
Videos
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Customer Review: Compact 4K dash cam showing clear videos
aquipower
Product Description
Why choose Vantrue X4 UHD 4K dash cam?
- Real 4K Dash Cam. The dash cam records crisp videos up to a resolution of Ultra HD 3840X2160P@ 30 fps and 2560X1440P@60FPS during day and night. Perfect 4k dash cam for cars, SUV, Bmw, honda, jeep, toyota, truck, semi trucks, toyota, tesla, bus.
- 3 Inch Screen. It's more comvenient for you to make camera setting changes or view video footage.
- Extreme Temp Protection. Equipped with a supercapacitor makes an internal power source more durable, especially in extreme weather.
- Large SD Card Support. The Vantrue X4 car camera supports up to 256gb cards, which can store a significant amount of videos.
- Professional Technical Support. Perform regular firmware updates to ensure improved features and functionality for the highest quality. You can always improve the performance of the X4 and see the benefits of many new features with the latest firmware updates.
- Strict quality control and have a professional QC team, with CE, FCC & RoHS certificated.
Warm Tips:
1. No card, recommend Vantrue 128GB Micro SD card (asin: B07WXH12TC), support up to 256GB card max. Please Don't use Sandisk Card and Transend Card. Before using, Please format the SD card on the dash cam firstly.
2. If you meet any issues when using the dash cam, please don't hesitate to contact our support team. We will address it within 24 hours.
3. Please take off the protective film of the screen and lens before using.
4. LCD Rotate Display Function offers you an alternative option to mount the dash cam upright on your dashboard. Please buy an adhesive disc (Not included) to mount on dashboard.
What's in the box?
- 1x VANTRUE X4 Dash Cam
- 1x Car Charger with Built-in Mini USB Cable (10ft)
- 1x USB Data Cable (3ft)
- 1x Suction Cup Mount
- 1x X4 Dash Cam User Manual
- 1x Quick Start Guide
4K UHD 3840X2160P/ 30 fps
Featuring Sony sensors and the advanced Ambarella chip set, the dash cam records videos up to a resolution of Ultra HD 3840X2160P/ 30 fps and QHD 2K 2560X1440P/60FPS during day and night. With 160°wide recording angle and 3" LCD screen, the car camera can capture 4 lanes of traffic and reduce blind area, and provide you a wider field of vision effectively.
- Specifications:
- Image Sensor: Sony Sensor
- Lens: 160 degrees, 6 full glass lens
- LCD Display: 3.0 inch TFT LCD
- Video resolution: 3840X2160P/30FPS; 2560X1440P/60FPS;2560X1440P/30FP; 1920X1080P/60FPS; 1920X1080P/30FPS.
- Memory Card: 256GB max(micro SD card of speed rating of U3 higher).
- Compatible OS:Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10 & Mac OS
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Heat ResistantWith the built-in Super capacitor, dash cam will withstand the harsh climate from -4°to 158°F. This provides better performance in the extreme heat and cold environment while being more reliable with the life of the battery powered dash cams. |
24/7 Parking ModeAuto switch the dash camera to Parking Mode when it senses no movement in 5 minutes. Triggered by the Motion Detection, the camera will auto record when people or things come closer to your car from the front. To use the parking mode, please hardwire kit (B07G9WTWB9) or connect it with an external battery. |
Optional GPS FunctionOptional GPS function will allow you to track the driving route, location and speed (KM/H or MP/H) data, and time. The logging will all be stored on your computer, along with the video. To use the gps function, please buy an extra X4 gps mount(Asin: B07CPSBXWL). |
Seamless Loop recordingLoop recording overwrites the oldest footage with the newest upon filling a card to capacity and the Footage will be stored in loops of 1/2/ 3 minute segments according to your setting. Support up to 256GB card( purchase separately ). |
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Motion DetectionBuilt in G-sensor auto detects a sudden shake/collision and emergency locks the footage to the"Event File" to prevent that video from being overwritten, which ensuring important footage is kept secure. |
Sony Night VisionWith the F1.8 6 glass lens, the dashboard camera will capture license plates and road signs even at night or in low light conditions, which make driving more safer and reliable at night. |
Time LapseWith the time lapse function, the car camera will automatically take photos at specified intervals and edit them together to a video clip, Which greatly save space for your memory card. |
WDRWide Dynamic Range sensor (WDR) automatically adjusts the light and dark areas of the image, increasing image contrast and picture detail, delivering sharp images in both Day or Night, Rain or Shine. |
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| Vantrue X4 4K Capacitor dash cam | Vantrue S1 Dual 1080P capacitor dash cam | Vantrue N1 PRO mini 1080P dash cam | Vantrue N2 PRO dual 1080P dash cam | Vantrue N4 Three Way Dash Cam | Vantrue T2 Capacitor 1080P dash cam | |
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| Customer Reviews |
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| Price | — | — | — | $169.99 | $259.99 | — |
| Resolution | 4K 3840X2160P 30fps, 2560X1440P 60fps | Dual:1920x1080 30fps, Single Front 2880*2160P 24fps or 1920*1080P 60fps | 1920X1080 30fps | Dual:1920x1080 30fps, Single Front 1920x1080 60fps or 2560x1440 30fps | Three Way: 1440P+1080P+1080P Dual: 1440P+1080P Single Front: 1520P | 1920x1080 30fps |
| Image Sensor | Sony Sensor | Sony Sensor | Sony Sensor | Sony Sensor | Sony Sensor | Sony Sensor |
| Lens | F/1.8, 160° | F/1.47,170°+ F/1.8, 160° | F/1.8, 160° | F/1.8,170°+ F/2.0, 140° | F/1.4,155°+ F/2.0, 165°+F/1.8, 160° | F/1.8, 160° |
| Camera Type | Front | Front+Rear | Front | Front+Inside | Front+Inside+Rear | Front |
| Battery & Charging | Supercapacitor | Supercapacitor | Built in battery | Built in battery | Supercapacitor | Supercapacitor |
| Storage | Up to 256GB MicroSD Card | Up to 256GB MicroSD Card | Up to 256GB MicroSD Card | Up to 256GB MicroSD Card | Up to 256GB MicroSD Card | Up to 256GB MicroSD Card |
| LCD Display | 3 inch | 2 inch | 1.5 inch | 1.5 inch | 2.45 inch | 2 inch |
| GPS Logger | Optional | Built in | Optional | Optional | Optional | Optional |
| Microphone & Speaker | Built in | Built in | Built in | Built in | Built in | Built in |
Reviews with images
Great Dash Cam... but not all good.
When Vantrue released the X3 Dash Cam it was groundbreaking. The best cam on the market for the price, hands down. Now Vanture has released the X4 Dash Cam as the replacement for the X3. So what has changed? Unfortunately, not all for the good.So let's review the good stuff first. Both the X3 and X4 use the Ambarella A12 processor. This is an outstanding processor which does an awesome job of processing images. The X4 now uses an 8 MP Sony IMX317 CMOS sensor over the X3’s OV4689, which is a slightly better CMOS sensor.However, the major improvement is that the X4 allows you to capture video at 3840x2160P resolution at 30 fps! (The X3 maxed out at 2560x1440P) 1080p is considered High-Definition, 1440p is 2.5K, and 2160p is commonly called 4K resolution. So the X4 is a true 4K high-definition dash cam… one of the few on the market! Most Dash Cams are only 1080p.Furthermore, the X4 records 2560x1440p resolution at 60 frames per second! Again very few Dash Cams record at 60 fps.Additionally, it should be noted that both the X3 and X4 have a 6 glass layer camera Lens with at F1.8; which means they work well in lower light settings. Also both the X3 and X4 process images/video in Wide-Dynamic Range (WDR) which helps greatly in high contrast settings. It should be noted most driving involves high contrast from shinny vehicles, bright skies, dark roads, and shady bushes and trees. So again this is a big deal in the video dash cam market.One other minor improvement is that the operating range of the unit has been increased to 158°.The last improvement is that the X4 stores video files in only MP4 with H.264 video compression. Whereas the X3 stored files in outdated .MOV and .MP4 formats, wasting precious SD card space. So the X4 has cleaner storage files and allows better use of your SD card space.So now to some bad stuff. The X4 has a 160-degree viewing angle whereas the X3 had 170 degrees. (Which in side by side comparisons was barely noticeable.)The X3 had an outstanding Wi-Fi interface, which is totally absent with the X4. This is a major downgrade! There is zero Wi-Fi with the X4. Thus, all settings must be changed on the unit by hand. It is also far more cumbersome now to download images and videos as the SD card must be removed or a USB cord must be connected to the unit. Doing either messes up the placement of the camera resulting in great frustration!Lastly, the price almost doubled! The X3 sold for $112, whereas the X4 demands a hefty $199. This is the same price as a GoPro Hero 7! In my opinion, the improvements do not warrant this huge price increase, especially with the absence of Wi-Fi. Additionally, the GPS receiver is still sold separately for an additional $20. Furthermore, Vantrue still does not provide any supporting software to view dash cam footage requiring the user to purchase third-party software to view video along with speed and GPS information.In conclusion, the X4 from Vantrue is a great dash cam, one of the best on the market, but now extremely overpriced.I have attached video and images taken with the X4 under different lighting situations.
