70mai M500 dashcam review: Svelte and affordable

Key Takeaways

The 70mai M500 is full of options, together with a 5-megapixel digicam with a 170-degree view.
There isn’t any rear display, however the companion app compensates with nice performance.
The inclusion of built-in GPS and night time imaginative and prescient makes it a stable finances choice.

There are many nice dashcams on the market, however not all of them are fairly as compact and cleverly designed because the 70mai M500. It’s a neat variation on the dashcam theme, in that it has been designed as a landscape-oriented unit that’s slim sufficient to take a seat alongside the highest of your windshield and never get in the best way. That’s excellent news, particularly if you happen to drive one thing like a sports activities automotive which may have a reasonably restricted view out the entrance. Equally, it’s good to have it tucked out of the best way, even when your windshield is generously-sized.

I’ve tried some spectacular rival choices over the previous few months, together with the likes of the expensive Nextbase iQ and the Rove R3 fashions. The massive distinction with the 70mai M500 is that it is competitively priced, however nonetheless manages to pack in loads of high quality options and features. Certain, there’s no rear display, nevertheless it’s straightforward to get by with out one simply so long as you make full use of the supporting 70mai app, which is great.

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70mai M500

The M500 is a kind of nice bargain-basement fashions the place the specs are approach higher than anticipated given the worth level. It’s received all of the necessities, together with high quality video. The slimline design works like a deal with, particularly for automobiles with smaller windshields. The actual fact it is lacking a rear display shouldn’t be sufficient to place anybody off shopping for from it.

Variety of Cameras: One
Entrance Digital camera Decision: 5-megapixel, 1,944p
Area of View: 170-degree
Model: 70mai

Execs

Simple set up and setup course of
Slender form works nice on small windshields
Wonderful smartphone integration

Cons

No rear display as a result of slimline design
Connectivity may be often patchy
Hardwiring wanted for added options to work

Value, availability, and specs

The M500 is obtainable now. Amazon at the moment has it priced at $109.99 within the US and £89.99 within the UK. I feel that’s nice worth contemplating the unit is properly designed, effectively put collectively and packs in loads of options.

70mai M500

Variety of Cameras: One
Entrance Digital camera Decision: 5-megapixel, 1,944p
Area of View: 170-degree
Model: 70mai

What I favored concerning the 70mai M500 dashcam

Surprisingly potent

Contemplating it sits on the decrease finish of the market by way of worth, the M500 provides a whole lot of efficiency. There’s the 2.7K Extremely HD recording capability, which, because of the M500’s 5-megapixel sensor, means 2,592 x 1,944p footage that I discovered greater than useable in most conditions. This consists of capturing license plates and street signal particulars. The opposite bonus with the M500 is its capability to seize a 170-degree viewpoint. That’s spectacular too.

I used to be additionally equally impressed by the nighttime taking pictures high quality of the sensor and lens mixture, with some glorious HDR properties enabling me to get high-quality footage in less-than-ideal eventualities. That included wet days when cloud cowl actually takes the sting off recording. There are different options I like, too, such because the built-in GPS for capturing real-time journey information — together with date, time and pace. Plus, there is a raft of supplementary options like parking surveillance. You will must hardwire the digicam into your automotive for the latter to work, although.

Most dashcams require you to hardwire them to reap the benefits of all their out there options.

What I did not like about 70mai M500 dashcam

Not fairly as straightforward because it appears to be like

Whereas the M500 has lots going for it, I did discover a number of issues that had been much less straightforward to dwell with. First up, there’s no rear display, which I’ve encountered loads of occasions earlier than. The difficulty is I’ve additionally skilled sufficient dashcams to see the true good thing about with the ability to perform setup and in addition preview footage on-screen, within the automotive. Granted, it took me no time in any respect to obtain and set up 70mai’s cellular app, which does work effectively, however the lack of a display could put some off.

Whereas the M500 has lots going for it, I did discover a number of issues that had been much less straightforward to dwell with.

The opposite problem — which impacts most dashcams, to be trustworthy — is that the parking surveillance options require me to hardwire the dashcam into my automotive to work. I’d want a equipment to do that, which 70mai sells individually at further price. The largest draw back to doing that is that it doesn’t permit me to maneuver my dashcam from automobile to automobile as and after I must. Anybody searching for a completely mounted dashcam although, will discover that it’s value doing due to the additional performance that comes with it.

Do you have to purchase 70mai M500?

Total, the 70mai M500 dashcam is a wonderful little bundle, with slimline dimensions making it very interesting. There’s an absence of rear display and the necessity for hardwiring so as to acquire the good thing about all its options and features. Nevertheless, it represents glorious worth for cash, comes with voice management and has an app that lets me simply handle all of controls and photographs. It’s a really respectable bundle.

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