Home Reviews ,,,,, Last October we told you about Yi Car Cam, a car dashcam with driving assistant and video recording capabilities up to 2K. We recently received the cheapest model in the editorial office: with Yi Dash Camera the company has contained the price by bringing the video quality to Full HD at 30 fps, has also opted for a less performing wide-angle lens and has removed all the optional features by creating thus a product that is very easy to use and install inside the passenger compartment.
How is it made
Aesthetically it is practically identical to its older sister, with a polycarbonate shell and square design. Incorporates a speaker on the bottom, microUSB input for power supply and Reset button on the right side, microSD slot for storing recordings (supported up to 64 GB class 10 formatted in FAT32) on the left side, proprietary docking for the clip windshield on the upper edge and 2.7-inch 960 x 240 pixel LCD screen accompanied by four buttons for menu management on the back.
The main difference with the more expensive model, as well as in the color of the body (completely black), is in the wide-angle camera, with a field angle of 130 ° and an aperture of f / 2.0, so it frames a smaller portion of the scene during recording. and on paper it captures less light.
In the package there are also the same accessories: clip for attaching to the windshield using 3M adhesive, 2m long microUSB cable for power supply, USB power supply with cigarette lighter plug and manuals.
How does it work
The company has maintained the same ease of use: after fixing it to the windshield and connected to the power supply, the camera will turn on in a few seconds and automatically start video recording (as long as a microSD is inserted). The menu is similar but more bare of features: first of all you can record videos only in Full HD at 1080p @ 30 fps or in HD at 720p @ 30 fps. You can activate or deactivate the microphone, adjust the sensitivity of the accelerometer, decide the standby timeout of the display (between 1–5-10 minutes or always on), adjust the brightness of the display, activate or deactivate the WiFi for remote control via smartphone, format the microSD, adjust date and time, sounds, volume and restore factory settings.
Basically, in addition to a lower resolution of the recordings, the ADAS road assistant is missing, a function that is not really missed as it simply consisted of voice warnings in English whenever you got too close to the car in front. .
How is it going
If you compare the Full HD video footage of the two cameras, you realize that in reality the video quality is practically identical: the portion of the field of view is slightly narrower in the cheaper camera but this does not make it less interesting, simply a car. which for example overtakes us will enter the screen slightly later than the more expensive version. The slight difference in aperture is practically imperceptible, even in evening recordings, which are always very clear and sharp.
The dascam does not record a single movie but splits it into .mp4 clips: by default they last 1 minute each but it is possible to extend the duration to 3 minutes by changing the relative setting. In the case of video recording in Full HD @ 30fps the weight of each clip is approximately 350 MB. When the microSD memory is full, the system will automatically delete the oldest clips to make way for the new ones.
The smartphone application
Thanks to the WiFi module it is possible to control the dashcam also from the smartphone. The application is called Yi Dashcam and is available for free on the stores for iOS and Android devices. For more details you can find some screenshots in the previous review.
Conclusions
Yi Dash Camera is among the cheapest solutions you can find on the market. It has no particular functions but the only thing it has to do – record what happens on the road while driving – it does it well and there is nothing to complain about, without considering that it is possible to leave it connected to the car all the time and in so that it turns on automatically starting the video recording as soon as we turn the key and start the car. You can therefore forget that you have installed it, but can be sure that you have the latest records ready for use in the event of a claim.
Retail price
As we said, if the older sister can be bought on Amazon for 49.99 euros, Yi Dash Camera costs even less: only 39.99 euros. The difference is therefore 10 euros and consists in a lower resolution of the recordings (only Full HD instead of 2K), a smaller angle of view (130 degrees against 165 degrees of the most expensive) and in the absence of the voice assistant while driving.
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