10 Best Selling Dash Cameras for Your Car or Truck

Hey, Andrew here. With so many options for dash cameras, which one should you buy? We’re going to compare five popular cameras recommended by the community for their value and performance. To skip to my conclusions click the link above or in the descriptions below. There’s also a link to an extensive written review that you could follow along with this video. Kicking things off are the G1W-C A118-C and Mobius cameras which are popular for their price and video quality. These cameras deliver clear video and are affordably priced between $45 to $80. Two years ago the quality of similarly priced cameras was terrible. At night it looks even worse You can really see the differences in quality with these three cameras. Let’s start with the G1W-C. It looks cheap but it uses decent materials. The body uses a nice matte plastic with a brushed metal face.

It has led lights but they aren’t particularly useful Around the camera there’s a microSD slot a 2.7″ LCD and a mini HDMI out. On the front is a F/lens with a 120-degree field of view Unfortunately the mounting area is overly flexible as it is only held by small clips. This causes noticeable vibrations in the recorded video, even on smooth roads. Looking at other videos on YouTube, this is typical of the G1W. There are four G1W versions all with the same video hardware. We’re using the “-C” which has a capacitor, more on that later. Next is the A118-C. This camera is designed to blend in with your vehicle keeping your camera hidden from thieves. Compared to the G1W it has great build quality The A118 feels sturdy due to the thicker plastic used. When adjusting the camera angle it looks pretty solid. The lens itself has an unknown aperture and construction.

Facing the driver is an inch LCD screen. The USB, AV Out, and optional GPS ports are on top. It also takes micro SD. Next, we have the Mobius this is the smallest dash camera we are reviewing today with supposedly better video quality than the G1W or A118-C. On the top, these metallic arrows are heat sinks to keep the electronics cool. On the back, a mini USB for power and a microSD card for storage. The lens on a review unit has an 86-degree field of view but you can buy a wider-angle model. If you notice there is no LCD screen which saves space but also requires a computer for setup. Our review unit is the third Mobius version with better electronics. Click the link below to find out more information on lenses and hardware. The last two cameras are the Mini 0806 and MG380G At $120 we can expect better video quality and features. The mini 0806 is the fourth generation of Mini cameras.

It has a stylish tubular design similar to Blackvue cameras. The 0806 is surprisingly well constructed for the number of ventilation holes cut into the camera. On the bottom, you’ll find the micro USB port and the first SD card slot. On the top is the second microSD card slot and the mini HDMI out. On the side is the power button. The lens has a wider 135-degree field of view with unknown construction. Lastly, this large camera here is the MG380G. Inside a Sony Exmor sensor and Zoran processor is supposed to produce amazing quality videos. The lenses are especially noticeable because of the size and how much it juts out. While the design looks cheap it’s more solid than the G1W, especially in the mounting area. Inside you’ll also find the GPS antenna. Looking around, we have the different inputs, an inch touchscreen LCD, and a full-size sd-card slot. Installing all five cameras was simple and required no tools. The G1W & MG380G uses a suction mount that slides into the camera slot. After, similar to a GPS you place the suction cup against the windshield and secure it against the car using a lever.

One problem is that the G1W’s ball joint has less freedom of movement compared to the MG380G as a consequence the G1W was unable to cover the front of my vehicle. Depending on the slope of your windshield, this could be a big problem. Looking at the Mobius, it’s really no different, except it uses a cradle to hold the camera. The mount is then screwed into the tripod thread. The A118 and Mini 0806 use clear adhesive tape to attach the camera to the windshield. It’s as easy as you imagine except it’s harder to remove and reuse. The mini 0806 mount has a USB port on both sides of the mount which allows you to install the camera in either orientation, depending on your preferences.

The A118 also has a wire hider. This piece of plastic sticks above your camera and holds and hides your wiring out of view. After installing the camera, the power adapter is inserted into your car’s electrical socket. You then run the wire to your camera, and you’re done. Let’s talk about setting up your camera. After installation, most cameras are ready to rock, however, you may wish to adjust options like the time and date. In every camera except the Mobius, you can change the settings with ease. The G1W, A118, and 8006 use buttons to access and navigate through the menu. The options are similar in all three cameras and are easy to understand.

Most settings are self-explanatory, although you may want to look at your manual or Google the description. Next, the MG380G was especially pleasant to use because of the touch screen and thoughtfully designed menu. Good decision, because you’ll get no help from the menu. It was terrible. The Mobius, in comparison, has to be the hardest camera setup. It’s the only camera that cannot be used after installation.

By default, it’s set up as an action camera. You’ll want to enable loop recording at the minimum. To change any settings, you have to plug the Mobius into a computer, download, and run the MSetup program. Once your laptop recognizes the camera you can change the settings. Luckily the program is well-designed and easy to use. All options have a tooltip that clearly describes what it does. It can automatically detect it update the camera’s firmware, and synchronize the time and date with the computer’s clock.

The Mobius has two video shooting setting separated by the colors yellow and blue. This is correlated with the colors on the camera. It starts in yellow mode and can load the alternate blue settings by pressing the mode button. During setup, I didn’t know that without an SD card inserted, it becomes a web camera and you can’t change the settings. Quite frustrating. There were also no quick guides or instructions included. They ask you to download a lengthy pdf manual, but I quickly gave up reading it. Instead, I read briefly what to do off the internet. Overall I did not enjoy my experience with Mobius. So. Daily use. We looked at how easy each camera was to use. Luckily after setup, they were all great, albeit with some minor concerns. The basic operation is hands-free. Dash cameras automatically start recording when they receive power and automatically save, and turn off when power is lost. Also, while turning on, all cameras except the Mobius can chime or beep. Good feature, as many drivers want to know they’re being protected. One issue with these budget cameras is the lack of an audible warning when they fail to record, from a corrupted SD card for example.

There is an LCD notification, but there’s a good chance you’ll miss it. Better cameras, such as the Blackvue DR-550, will have a voice prompt letting you know that it’s recording and if it encounters any failures. Another popular feature is the file protection button. This saves the video from being over-overwritten and often moves it to a different folder for quick retrieval. Let’s face it we all have those enraging moments you want to look at later. In every camera but the Mobius, the buttons are raised and easy to identify by touch. On the Mobius, the buttons are recessed and non-tactile, making them challenging to use while driving. Finally, let’s talk about lithium-ion batteries and capacitors. Both store electricity to run the cameras. Lithium-ion batteries are cheaper and allow you to use your camera outside your vehicle.

They also have a tendency to fail under high heat and ruin your camera. Capacitors are more expensive and store little energy, just enough to shut down your camera. They are far more reliable under hot weather. We recommend capacitors for most drivers. Let’s take a look at the video quality. We tested all cameras side-by-side in both real-world and lab tests, where we filmed an ISO resolution chart under identical day and night light values. You can get screenshots of these tests using the link below.

Going to the G1W, A118, and Mobius. We expected similar video quality because they use the same processor and CMOS sensor. But there were some differences. Starting with generalities the day video is great, sharp, and clear. Even under rapidly changing lighting conditions they all quickly change the exposure. Looking closely the A118-C was the worst of the three with considerably more graininess which reduces details. The G1W and Mobius were very similar except the G1W were shaky because of the camera’s poor construction. This is even more apparent at night because of the slower shutter speed. This can be remedied with tape but it shouldn’t be required. If you look at the Mobius it definitely has the best video quality at night. Everything is better defined, look at the brickwork and business signage, and in part, this is due to better video processing and a higher bitrate. The A118C is again the worst, but relatively it’s not too bad. Moving onto our lab tests, under daylight the three cameras are similar. For night tests there is a dramatic drop in quality. The G1W does slightly better than the A118-C due to noise.

For the Mobius, we had to double the light as it could not resolve video under the lighting used for the other cameras. Could be a problem while driving in dark environments but with headlights, you should be fine. Moving on to the mini 0806 and MG380G. Starting with the MG380G this camera was a clear disappointment. Under all conditions, it performs worse than every other camera. There’s significantly more grain and noise. It’s clearly an inferior choice. Lastly, the mini 0806. While it has the best video – the manufacturer is falsely making claims on resolution. They claim their cameras work at 1296P. While the lab tests showed a significant increase in quality both during the day and the night. However, in the real world, it looks terrible. At night it was blurry. During the day it wasn’t much better and clearly worse than our budget cameras.

Only when we lowered the quality to 1080p only then did the differences in quality start to show. At night the camera can resolve more details, especially in the darker parts of the video. Looking objectively, while the 0806 had better video it wasn’t a significant jump in quality for the money. I also had to manually decrease exposure because it was too bright at night. Overall I’m not very impressed and not a fan of false marking claims. Finally, Let’s talk about tradeoffs when you purchase a budget camera. For dash cameras, you can have either two of good price-performance or reliability.

The five cameras reviewed have excellent price and performance. Reliability suffers. For example, high heat can warp the plastic sensor mounts causing your camera to go blurry. You can have greater peace of mind if you buy from a local or national retailer. If you purchase overseas to save money you’ll have to ship back any products at your own expense. The winner of today’s competition is the A118-C. While other cameras are cheaper the A118-C offers a great mix of video performance, features, and simplicity. Its stealthy design blends in with your vehicle, deterring thieves. The video quality is great for the price. You can actually see license plates at night compared to the cameras from before. While the video quality was worse than G1W and Mobius the A118-C has vibration-free video and an easy setup. The A118-C is a camera that I can gift to any driver and know that they’ll be satisfied and protected. Make sure you get the “-C”, capacitor version of this camera for increased reliability. The G1W is the cheaper and more fragile version of the A118-C, and it shows. The video quality is better than the A118C but suffers from jumpy video caused by a weakened mounting area.

As well the camera mount has a smaller ball joint which limits the range of motion. You may not have the coverage you need depending on your windshield. I would only purchase the G1W if I absolutely had to save money or if didn’t want anything taped to my windshield. The Mobius would be the winner it didn’t have an extraordinarily difficult setup. While it’s very small and captures amazing video, better than the G1W or A118-C. Unfortunately, the setup and user interface is not intuitive and I feel bring more difficulties than benefits to the average user. Its flush buttons also make it difficult to lock passages for future viewing. While this camera has great developer and community support it’s not a good choice for most drivers.

However, if you’re comfortable with the technical challenges I think it’s a good buy. There’s a lot to like with the 0806. It has dual SD slots for extended recording, a compact shape, great packaging, and accessories. Unfortunately, the video quality isn’t significantly better for the price, and continued reliability problems are worrying. The version we tested didn’t have GPS logging but you can pick it up for another $10. I personally would not buy the 0806, but if you really like this camera, I would buy it from a local or national dealer just to take care of any issues which may pop up. The MG380G has been a disappointment, while the overall experience in using the camera has been great the video quality was lacking. It has the worst video quality of all five cameras today. Daytime and night-time, the results were simply awful. Originally I was going to review the branded MateGo camera but after further research, the recently-released Ausdom A261 and Dome D201 may be better cameras for the price.

Subscribe if you want to see my review. I hope you enjoyed the review. There are links below to reputable retailers for the products reviewed today and as well I hope you share with anyone who might need a dash camera as everyone deserves to be protected..