AKASO Trace 1 Dual Cam Dash Cam – Easy Peasy Presets

This week the boss left an AKASO Trace 1 Dash Cam on my desk. This is a dual 1080p dash cam with easy to operate intuitive controls and great video of the inside and outside of your vehicle whether you are driving or leaving your parked car: the folks at AKASO have put together a really great product so let’s take it on the road!

Out of the Box

The retail box for the AKASO Trace 1 is bright and colorful with a complete description of the device and it’s capabilities printed on both sides of the box. Inside you will find the Trace 1 dash cam, a cigarette lighter power supply for your car, a USB charging cable for the home, the suction cup device to attach the dash cam to you car windshield, 5 small sticky clips to attach the cable cleanly to your car’s interior, a small orange plastic pry bar, a card instructing  how to use the pry bar, and a quick reference guide to get you going and on the road. The AKASO Trace 1 dash cam can use up to 128gb class 10 micro SD card and it’s suggested that you first format the card in your computer, then format it again in the camera when installed. The format utility is nested in the settings and it’s very easy to find with the intuitive and obvious controls. This dash cam can operate with either the front camera chosen with 1080P @ 60fps, or with both front and rear camera operating with dual 1080P @30fps.  Both cameras have 170 degree field of view so there’s no question that the entire interior and forward view out of your car will be recorded. The front camera utilizes the Sony STARVIS night vision and takes great clear and crispy night video with full color. Let’s dig deeper.

On the Road Again

Let’s talk about that orange pry bar: It is used to remove a rubber plug on the camera body so you can attach the camera to the included suction cup mount. The mount is actually very well constructed and the camera feels and looks good. Once you’ve attached the AKASO Trace 1 dash cam to the mount, take a second to make sure your windshield has been wiped clean of anything which might interfere with the operation of the suction cup. Put it up near and slightly behind your rear view mirror, leaving the rear camera exposed, give the suction cup mount a twist and it locks up tightly. Over the week of testing, I never had any problem with the device slipping or falling off the windshield even when switching from one vehicle to another.  The controls are simple and very intuitive: The Trace 1 from top to bottom includes a micro USB power input and a speaker on the top. On the windshield side you will find the 170 degree lens with Sony STARVIS night vision, and the rubber plug/mounting bracket. On the left side when mounted to the windshield is the power button which when in dual 1080P mode you can also switch the monitor view between front camera, rear camera, or both with rear in a PIP on the upper left corner. The micro SD card slot is also on the left side of the AKASO Trace 1 dash cam, and in between the power button and the card slot you will find a microphone. You can easily mute/unmute the microphone from the regular menu screen while driving. On the right side you will find another speaker grill and the model details and country of origin. Looking at the car facing side of the dash cam you will see  the 2″ video monitor screen, the operation indicator lights, and the rear facing 170 degree STARVIS night vision camera with 4 Infrared LEDS.  Finally on the bottom of the Trace 1 dash cam you will find from left to right: 4 multifunction buttons which during record mode allow one to access Lock to lock a video so it won’t be automatically erased later, Mic mute/unmute, Parking mode, and Pause/Record.  When you the recording is paused one is then able to access from left to right :Settings, Files, switch between camera modes(front, rear, or front with rear), and restart recording. In the settings mode you can access the menus for camera settings which include such things as resolution, loop recording, dual cam display and others, and the Main setting mode which has setting such as screen save, date/time, Beep sound, language, parking monitor, the all important format mode, and others which allow you to really dial this easy to use device to your desired needs. The included quick start guide doesn’t really get into much depth on most of the settings and ASAKO suggests you access the entire user guide by scanning the included QR code or download the manual at AKASO’s home page. When in pause mode you can also watch the previously recorded videos by using the second button from the left and choosing front, rear, parking, or G-sensor created videos. The G-sensor videos are automatically recorded and locked when a driving incident occurs and the parking videos are created for 30 seconds after the G-sensor notes an impact, and those videos are also automatically locked. The Trace 1 created videos in standard loop mode will continually cycle through the SD card and amount of videos depends on video mode used, resolution, and size of the Micro SD Card. I used a 16gb card which recorded approximately 25-3 minute videos then started looping. Card is double formatted, loaded and my suction cup is sticking. Let’s hit the road!

Crispy Clear Sound and Vision

I drove around Las Vegas for just over a week with the AKASO Trace 1 dash cam installed in my company vehicle and my wife’s car. Once it was set up you just choose to record or not and once recording everything is automatic. When you shut down your vehicle the Trace 1 gives you the option of choosing or pausing Park mode depending if you are parked at home, or in a public parking lot or garage. You can easily see the red mark on the P when you choose not to use that mode. The camera automatically will start and stop with either G-sensor from an impact on your vehicle, or when you start and stop the car’s engine and turn off the power to your source. I used the cigarette lighter option which worked well and the included black cable was long enough to easily tuck it out of sight and the way of a passenger. I used both muted and un-muted microphone mode and the rest of the time I just let it do its thing. The videos are clear on both sides, and the night vision is bright and colorful when looking forward to any potential danger. Because the rear camera utilizes IR LEDS the rear video is black and white no matter if it’s day or night. At night the IR LEDS do give a ghostly look to the car’s occupants.  The G-sensor seemed to work fine when I jumped on my car’s bumper while in parking mode and saved/locked a video. I didn’t have any incidents during the week so there was no other testing worth a smashed car. The controls are easy to understand and the majority of the settings the average person will need to access are very simple to find and adjust. Don’t worry, if you lose control, you can always choose Factory Default  in the Settings mode and get back to the original very clear and crispy videos. The AKASO Trace 1 Dash cam audio as recorded was clear, whether it was picking up voices  speaking, or voices singing along with the sound system and I had zero complaints about any hiss or distortion effects because I heard none. The on board battery when fully charged can record for up to 20 minutes which when one considers that in parking mode you might get a 30 second video once in a while, that’s quite good.

Final Thoughts

The AKASO Trace 1 Dash Cam is an all around top-notch device with simple and intuitive controls, dual 1080p camera modes, and two sharp and crystal clear Sony STARVIS night vision cameras to ensure one will have clear recording of any potential road hazards or incidents if needed for insurance or court purposes. Once it is installed properly with a double formatted Micro SD card, the entire process can be fully automatic or you can decide when to record video, audio, and from which sources with a few quick and easy button clicks. The sound was equally good, and clear and I was happy to note that the music from the sound systems didn’t cause any distortion effects besides having to hear my voice singing along. When listening to speaking level voices without music, they are clear and full no matter where in the vehicle the speaker was sitting. I loved the AKASO Trace 1 so much I plan to give it a longer road test this spring break on the California highways and surface roads with a much larger Micro SD card installed. 9 out of ten, for a great product. I am looking forward to the next great innovative product from the great folks at AKASO!

*Average price is based on the time this article was published

Coupon Code:

Video:

Additional Images:

Specifications:

Are you a manufacturer or distributor that would like us to test something out for review? Contact us and we can let you know where to send the product and we will try it out.

Don’t forget to subscribe for a chance to win cool prizes!