There is nothing more affordable (other being insured) than having a dashcam in your window when there has been an accident or you have witnessed something else on the road. Hopefully, you never have to experience something like an accident, but if you do, it’s nice to have it on your side if the other person was at fault. It really helps to skip past any counter-arguments to what happened.
Of course with so many options out there to choose from now, it’s hard to figure out which one would be best for you. This week we have that covered as we have a number of models here that run through some of the basic resolutions including the ever so popular (and still a bit rare when it comes to dashcams), 4K. For now, we are going to go over the 1080p and 1440p (QHD) models from the company Nextbase, with two of their models, including the 212 Lite (1080p) and the 512GQ (QHD).
Both cameras feature a similar build to them, comprised mostly of plastic and featuring a two-tone approach of black with a brushed silver plate on the front featuring the Nextbase logo. Beyond that, the cameras work their way up in features across the board as you upgrade to each model level, beginning with the 212 Lite (which is their entry-level model).
Nextbase 212 Lite
The 212 Lite features a basic display on the back with physical buttons that lead you through all of the settings. On one side you have a MicroSD slot (card not included) and the opposite side reveals a small reset button in case you find it experiencing troubles (we haven’t run into anything with their cameras requiring this thankfully). The top of the camera features a small 2.5mm AV-out connection (cable not included) and a mini USB port for charging it separately from its base, syncing content to your computer, or updating its firmware (which you should do before you ever start using one of these).
The options within the camera are pretty straight forward when it comes to a dashcam and the buttons are quite intuitive as well. You are going to get parking mode with g-sensor and the ability to adjust your resolution slightly, with 1080p@30 being its top resolution to pick from.
It compares to a good majority of the dashcams on the market that are within the <$100 range. With 1080p@30 you get exactly what you need to make sense of everything on the road within the video. You aren’t going to pick out every tiny little detail when it comes to items like license plates (unless no one is moving and the cars are close up), but there will be no doubt about the action unfolding in front of it. There is a bit of motion blur with moving objects and this is where license plates aren’t always noticeable, but for that, you will be moving up to a higher model (plus, we have yet to test a dashcam that clearly picks up every license plate on the road clearly).
A universal mount is used between all of their models that work like a charm. While the camera is being used within your vehicle, this is where you are running the power to via the 12v adapter cable they provide. The cable is long enough to reach its goal and still be tucked away between/behind trim and fabric as you run it around and to the area of the review mirror (where you will want to mount the camera just behind it somewhere). It plugs into the mount and the camera gets power from the mount, allowing you to easily detach the camera and walk away with it without having to unplug anything.
The camera slides into the mount with ease and snaps into place via a magnet and can be separated just as easily. The connection is solid making sure it doesn’t come loose or fall out on its own. All-in-all it makes for a great mounting method, and it appears all of the mounts are the same, so you can swap in between cameras without ever having to move the cup from your windshield if you ever decide to upgrade to a newer model. Every model beyond the 212 Lite features GPS where the 212 Lite does not, and “GPS” is printed on the front of the mount. But we are quite sure that is just a label as the GPS should be located within the camera itself, therefore the mount seems to universal.
As mentioned though, this model does not support GPS, which is expected at this price range. However, it also doesn’t support Wifi, which is one of the few things that weighed it down in score ever so slightly. I say that as there are other models out there from other companies in the <$100 range that does, so we have to take that into account.
It comes with nearly everything you need to get running with it, including both cables and the mount. The only thing you are responsible for (with any of their models) is the microSD card. This is common with most dashcams that we have come across.
They provide a free software called Replay 3 which can be downloaded from their website. You can’t miss it as it is mentioned all throughout the documentation. With it, you can edit the video from the camera and share it online.
This model is great when you simply need a solution that works and aren’t too focused on every tiny little detail in the video. As long as you can make out the cars in great clarity in terms of make, model, and the ability to point at the screen and say “look what this guy did!”, this pulls its weight just fine.
It is available now at an MSRP of $79.99
Nextbase 512GW
Now if you do want greater detail of everything in the image and a handful of other upgrades to go with it, you can move past the 212 Lite, and their 312GW option as well, and land on the 512GW. This model, as mentioned has the same build of materials, but comes with a list of changes and upgrades.
Outside of the lens being centered vs off to the side, it also features a polarizing filter on the front that can be adjusted by rotating it. By using this, you can reduce any (or at least most) glare being caused by reflections across the windshield–and in return, improving on the quality of the video.
One of the biggest upgrades is resolution, as this model will reach up to 1440p@30, giving you QHD. Not quite 4K like their flagship 612GW model (which we will discuss in another story in the near future), but a step up that your eyes will more than appreciate. It can also adjust to lower resolutions and can pull off 60 frames per second at 1080p. It also features HDR (high dynamic range) to help bring out the detail with (of course you won’t benefit from this unless you are watching it on a monitor or TV that also supports HDR).
The above video helps to visually break down some of the differences between the two resolutions and what some of the benefits are of each. The higher the framerate, the greater the detail you are going to see in moving objects (cars and other objects passing by in any direction). The higher the resolution, the larger the playing field is and a chance to blow things up bigger for greater detail and image/color quality, however at the lower framerate you will experience increased blur and jitter in moving objects.
With this camera, both resolutions performed quite well for us, which made things interesting. Despite being fans of a higher framerate before anything else, we found ourselves more attracted to the performance of the camera in 1440p@30 than we did at 1080p@60 in many situations.
Now you can pick out greater detail in traffic driving around or standing still, with a better chance of making out license plate information and finder details in nearby objects and buildings, as well as people walking around.
Another upgrade is that the physical buttons are gone and replaced with touch-sensitive buttons on the back. The screen itself isn’t touch, but the bottoms on both sides are. This isn’t exactly a game-changer per se, but a nice step up nonetheless.
Of course, the addition of GPS is found with the 512GW, allowing you to include various data in your videos, including your vehicle speed (current, max, and average) and path traveled. This is where their software really becomes handy, as all of this information is available to you as you are simply viewing the videos from the camera within Replay 3. You can actually watch your trip live on Google Maps within the software, as well as of all your speed and directional data. All of this can be seen in the image to the right. This is a neat feature that you don’t find with a lot of dashcams. Also quite valuable if (god forbid) you found yourself involved in an accident that someone else has caused. Assuming you were going the speed limit and doing your job at being safe on the road, the insurance will be able to see all of this, greatly reducing any possibility of headaches throughout the process.
It also has built-in Wifi, allowing you to download the videos wirelessly to your smartphone without ever having to drag the camera or microSD card out of the vehicle. Although we usually find ourselves dragging the card in before anything else, this is always a good feature to have in case you need the information right then and there and don’t have access to a computer (like at the scene of an accident).
There is also the neat time-lapse feature you can enable that causes it to record your trip in a timelapse that you can share online with everyone. Valuable if you are a travel nut and like to share your experiences in this fashion. You can choose between 3 minute or 1-hour intervals.
Beyond that, it features everything else you find in the models before it like parking mode and G-sensor, and it also comes with everything you need outside of the microSD card (as mentioned, this is always on you to provide). With this model, you can use pretty much any type of microSD, just as long as you go with 32GB or 64GB (max) to make sure you get the most out of it (preserve as much of the trip within the rotation of files as possible).
It comes with the ability to ditch the suction cup from the mount and opt for a double-stick solution instead. This is great for climates where suction cups don’t like to stay on your windshield and you need a little more of a fixed solution (like your rearview mirror).
Available now, the camera offers an MSRP of $179.99.
Both Options (now let’s get critical about what could be improved on)
Nothing is perfect of course as anything can be improved upon. Both models could benefit from some added image stabilization and neither are perfect by any means when it comes to recording at night. You can also see this in the video earlier where we break down the resolutions. We ended it with a sample of the 512GW at night. It’s hard to find an affordable solution that offers great low-light performance.
When connecting it to the computer directly (the camera), we find its best to do this only for firmware updates as you will get a much faster transfer speed for the files if you do it directly from the card via an adapter (microSD to USB solution). By doing that you get the max read speed of the card itself, were using the camera to transfer the files directly, we only got around 12-15MB/s.
The parking mode on all of their models needs a better spread when it comes to the sensitivity of the G-sensor. A slight bump with your hand and it kicks on at the lowest setting. We could sometimes set it off by lighting knocking on the driver’s side window. We found ourselves turning this off because it would burn through the battery while the car is idle (who knows what is setting it off as no one or thing came close to the car during the times we left it alone and walked away). We prefer when the G-sensor requires a pretty good bump to the vehicle when set to “low”.
Last but not least, one of the first things you should hit in settings when you first break it out of the box is remember user information, as this is disabled by default. If you don’t do this, you will lose all of your settings anytime you update the firmware. Although this isn’t a flaw per se, I think it would have been better to have this option enabled by default so that the user doesn’t unexpectedly run into this. It doesn’t take time to set it back up, but it’s just an experience that could be avoided.
Our Conclusion
Both cameras are great for capturing the road with and saving you in the case of an emergency (when it comes to your side of the story), or when you simply witness something on the road you’d like to share or offer as evidence. If you like keeping track of your road trip and basking in the upgraded resolution and features, then the 512GW is a great option for you. If you find that you simply need something you can throw up on the windshield and forget about, with no concern of resolution and the finer details in the image, then the 212 Lite is a great place to start as it will still get you what you need. We like them both and although they aren’t perfect, nothing really is and they definitely leaned closer to great than not, leading to a good score for things.
| Buy 212 from Amazon | Buy 512GW from Amazon | |
Our Rating | Average Price* $79.99-$179.99 |
*Average price is based on the time this article was published
Downloads:
Replay 3 Software (PC or Mac): Click here
iOS App: Click Here
Android App: Click Here
Video:
Additional Images:
Specifications
Nextbase 212 Lite:
- Resolution: 1080p@30 (Max)
- GPS Logging: No
- Reflection Free: No
- Wifi Enabled: No
Nextbase 512GW:
- Resolution: 1440p@30 (Max)
- GPS Logging: Yes
- Reflection Free: Yes
- Wifi Enabled: Yes
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 and keep in the loop!
