Choosing a dash cam for 2020 Prime

FitCamX worked great for me, no protruding wires and it looks stock. it doesn't get any better!

 

How much does price play in to your options?

I would naturally assume you'd want video quality/performance to be the leading feature.

You need something that has a Starvis 2 sensor on it. At this moment in time there's 2 flavors to choose, and only a handful of manufacturers implementing these sensors.

Starvis 2 IMX678 = 4K sensor, Excellent video quality, license plates read, good nighttime performance
Starvis 2 IMX675 = 2K sensor, Great video quality, license plates read, better nighttime performance.

I would lean towards the 2K sensor for you, as most times I fount the video quality to be exceptional, adding to it, having the smaller sensor means each individual is larger = collects more light = better nighttime performance than even the 4K sensor. Last but not least, it eats up less storage.




Take a look at the Viofo A229 Plus (Starvis 2, 2K sensors front and back) I know that having a screen might be a deal-breaker for you, but look at all the reviews, you'll understand why this might be the only one worth recommending right now.

 

We've got BlackVues in both our cars. Years of dependable performance now and they keep on going. Nobody ever notices them.

Excellent image quality, good feature set, decent software. No lithium battery to overheat or age out.

 

Great choice.

I intentionally left out of BlackVues due to their performance/price ratio. The highest end BlackVue DR970X offers a "comparable" mix of video quality, features, and software support to that of Viofo's flagship V229 PRO, while being $200 more (500>300). If price wasn't a factor, it would for sure be under my radar. But remember that I said "comparable" and not the same. The Viofo still beats the Blackvue in almost every metric.

The A229 PLUS (2 channel) should be the sweet spot for anyone looking for a high-end performer at a high-end price. Don't listen to me, listen to people who test them for a living.

As far as the battery issues go, you will notice that ALL of the major players have moved to capacitor based dash cams. So it's largely something you don't have to worry about anymore, but still just look out for it.