You want a wide view of the road: Both cameras have a 140-degree field of view, which is narrower than that of many rivals and which only covers the windshield. A decently wide field of view:You’ll see cameras with as little as 90-degrees field of view, but you’ll catch more of what’s around you if you go for 120 to 140 degrees. Some cameras offer 160- to 180-degree lenses. Note that the wider the field of view, the more fish-eye distortion there is, and more processing is involved to compensate. A dash cam shouldn’t obstruct your view of the road ahead or distract you while you’re behind the wheel. For this reason, some people prefer to choose a model without a display. In the US, many states have regulations governing where you can mount a dash cam. Several prohibit you from fitting one to your windshield, for example.

The captured footage is impressive. In terms of clarity and detail, it’s a cut above anything we’ve seen, although it’s a toss-up whether the extra resolution of 4K or the faster frame rate of 1440p is more worthwhile. And you still get access to all of Nextbase’s advanced features, including Alexa connectivity and a Hyper-Sync Wi-Fi connection to the MyNextbase smartphone app. Cloud storage is available with a few dash cams. Uploading to the cloud in real time is a nice hedge against damage and theft—assuming the thief isn’t smart enough to kill the dash cam immediately. It’s handy for those managing fleets of vehicles, too, as incident videos are safely stashed online. When it comes to finding the best dash cam for you, there are several that contribute to making a model the right one for your needs.

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The use of HDR (high dynamic range) tech helps alleviate the problem of harsh shadows obscuring details like license plates. A detachable polarizing filter helps guard against glare and reflections. And the viewing angle of 161 degrees is wide indeed.

Key specs – Max video recording resolution: 1080p, 30fps; Field of view: 140°; Display: 2in; Extra features: GPS, accelerometer, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, voice control G-force sensor (most have this) when the sensor is triggered, it specifically saves that segment Optional but useful features: There are a huge number of dash cams on the market today, and some of them are very cheap indeed. But the best dash cams go further, with better quality, better connectivity, more driver aids, or more safety features.The main specification that you need to look out for here is the video resolution, so for this, the recording needs to be 1080p at least - 720p just isn't good enough. All of the dash cams mentioned here are 1080p or above, but other image quality features come into play to make them a quality product.