If you search up ‘dashcams’ in Google, you’ll find a tonne of great options, not least the hundreds (if not maybe thousands) of dashcams sold on Amazon. For the discerned motorist such as yourself, this begs a good question, “which dashcam is actually the best?”. Normally, it’s hard to find a ‘bad’ dashcam, since most of them are pretty good, but some have proven to be better than others. One such example is the 70mai A510, and I’ll be frank, I’ve never heard of this brand – 70mai – before this. However, having tested their mid-range offering here, I wished I had tried out their dashcams before, given how good it is. So, how does the 70mai A510 set itself apart?
On the surface, at least, the 70mai A510 is kitted out like most other dashcams that I’ve tried before. Its beating heart is a Sony STARVIS 2 IMX675 HDR sensor, which can be found in almost every other dashcam. Similarly, it works brilliantly at capturing every single detail, crisp and sharp when watching the footage back, and its night-time capabilities are equally impressive. This is true with other dashcams that have this same sensor, but where 70mai’s A510 distinguishes itself is how this brilliant little sensor works alongside the other bits of tech it has. It is no doubt one of the more feature-packed dashcam kits I’ve tried so far, especially at this entry-level price.
A New Gold Standard Among Budget-Friendly Dashcams?
So, a bit more on that Sony STARVIS 2 IMX675 sensor for a start, you can pretty much guarantee great low-light performance. This ought to help a lot when you’re trying to make out the finer details as you’re driving about at night. Plus, since the 70mai A510 has parking surveillance (more on that later), if you’re parking your car under a dark-ish parking garage, the sensor could still record pretty good video. 70mai also advertises 1944p Ultra HD recording – specifically, it has a resolution of 2592 x 1944 pixels – and in practice, it’s very good. When you have to make out fine details like license plates or road signs from a distance, the footage offers a lot of clarity.
Another little factoid for all the photography geeks out there, the 70mai A510 has HDR support, too. This is one of the more consequential things you’d ideally want in a dashcam. It helps with balancing out exposure when it is dealing with bright, contrasting lighting conditions. In other words, it aids in reducing under or over-exposure in challenging conditions. For example, if you’re driving in and out of tunnels, shaded areas, alongside the cover of trees, or tunnels and overpasses, the constant change in lighting isn’t going to negatively impact the footage. All in all, while there are a lot of buzzwords in here, the resulting recordings you get from it are fantastic.
More Than Just Another, Regular Dashcam
I mentioned all the tech this thing has, and the 70mai A510 is just getting started! One of the coolest is the fact that it’s dual-channel, meaning that the kit here comes with two cameras. There’s the primary camera, that fits on the front, attached to the windshield, while the other smaller camera fits on the rear window. With the help of dual-channel recording, the 70mai A510 is thus able to simultaneously record video from both the front and rear cameras, all at once. It might not seem impressive, but that means you’re able to record what is going on around you, rather than just in one direction, such as capturing footage of accidents at the front or the back.
As much as I value having dual-channel recording with my dashcams, the 70mai A510 also comes with some 4G connectivity. Now, I should mention that this has to be bought and installed separately from the base kit. Still, I would still recommend it, if you’re willing to pay a tiny bit more. This 4G module allows you to control the A510 using your phone, paired with the 70mai mobile app. For most regular folks like you and me, it’s nice to be able to receive alerts straight on my phone, as well as use it for real-time tracking. Otherwise, for fleet managers, the 70mai A510 could even help you manage your fleet, like keeping an eye on the cars while they’re parked.
Aside from that, there’s even more tech inside the 70mai A510. There’s a built-in GPS module, which allows you to precisely track your car’s location, speed, and even the route it’s driving on. This can be rather handy if you’re involved in an accident. Elsewhere, the 70mai A510 has a G-sensor to detect knocks or vibrations and use this to then activate the dashcam’s emergency recording feature. So, if someone’s driven into your car while you had it parked, the 70mai A510 will immediately start recording the incident. Additionally, the A510 has a handy loop recording functionality, which allows it to continually record in loops, and overwrite older footage if it’s full.
How Easy Is The 70mai A510 To Install And Use?
Of course, no dashcam is redeemable – in my eyes, anyway – if the installation process is too complex and tough. Well, the good news with the 70mai A510, is that it’s decently easy to install, even for me. As such, for folks who are not particularly tech-savvy, it’s not an overly complex job. It’s good to see that 70mai includes a bunch of stuff in the box to help with the installation. This includes a mounting bracket, an electrostatic sticker, a car charger, a power cord, and even a wiring crowbar to pry stuff and get cables in place. Once the 70mai A510 has been installed, it does look rather good, too. It’s small and sleek enough to not get in the way, which is a plus in my book.
One other cool piece of kit with the 70mai A510 that I’ve uncovered is that it literally has eyes everywhere. Not just counting the 24-hour parking surveillance system, 70mai’s bespoke night vision tech for low-light recording, and wide field of view, it also has built-in ADAS. With that in mind, it’s able to view your surroundings and give real-time voice alerts to warn if you something’s amiss. All in all, for $129.99, the 70mai A510 is one of the best entry-level dashcams that I’ve sampled, particularly so for that price. You might be able to find other dashcams that can do one or two things better than 70mai’s A510, but few excel at multiple fronts as this.
Although, if you’re willing to spend a bit more and in return, get a crisper 4K recording and a higher-end sensor, it might be worth checking out 70mai’s higher-end A810 dashcam.
