Vantrue S1 Dash Cam Review - My Verdict: Pretty Decent Dual Dash Cam System

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Last Updated: February 19, 2023

As a driver, I'm always looking for ways to increase my safety and security. One tool that has become increasingly popular in recent years is the dash camera, which can provide valuable evidence in the event of an accident and deter theft and vandalism. I recently tried out the Vantrue S1 Dash Cam, a compact and feature-packed device that promises to deliver high-quality video and reliable performance. In this review, I'll share my experience using the Vantrue S1 and provide my honest assessment of its features and performance.

To be honest, I did not read the full description for the Vantrue S1 dash cam before purchasing it. For some reason I thought that this will be a super tiny dash cam that I can attach to the front windshield. The truth is, there are two dash cams inside of the box. This is a good thing if you are looking to be recording what's happening in the front of your vehicle as well as in the rear. The downside is that it takes some time to set up due to the wire hiding task.

For the purpose of testing this dash camera set, I did not spend too much time to ensure that all of the wires are hidden properly and doesn't make the interior of my car look like it has gotten a cluttered wire problem. You will see my hack job of "hiding" wires if you keep reading.

Vantrue S1 Dash Cam Review

Without sharing too much information about my address or order confirmation number, you can see that I got a pretty good deal on this Vantrue OnDash S1 dash cam. I just happened to be browsing Amazon on Prime Day which resulted in me saving $30 from the regular price. Item was shipped quickly and arrived within 2 days. Condition of the package when it arrived was perfect.

Vantrue S1 Pros and Cons

Vantrue S1 dash cam review: Design & features

While I found the Vantrue S1 dash cam a bit bulky, it isn't a terrible nuisance on your front windshield. Since I do already have a radar detector and a toll responder glued to the front windshield, this camera fit right in. As a matter of fact, since I placed it a bit to the right of my radar, I couldn't even see it behind my rear view mirror unless I really tried to.

There's good news functionally. The mid-range system comes with a lot of features. It includes 4K recording when using the front cam alone (it's 1080p with both cameras recording), GPS, and a Sony Starvis CMOS sensor that provides clear recording regardless of the conditions. Its adjustable camera is another solid feature. In addition, the pivot on a rear view camera allows you to place the device anywhere on your windshield.

The major flaw for this camera set up, in my opinion is the double sided adhesive tape. Once it makes contact with your windshield, that is it. You cannot peel it off easily and reposition. Front and rear cameras are both in the same predicament.

The S1 also comes with all the usual dash cam features, such as an incident detection system, parking guard, and parking guard. Both of these start recording after a collision or other incident. The 24/7 parking guard needs a hardwire connection, as usual. You can also use the time-lapse mode to show a quick highlight reel of your road trip, but this will not be used often.

Vantrue S1 dash cam review: Setup

Vantrue S1's "lazy-L"-shaped unit can be attached parallel to the windshield with a sliding fixture and a sticky mount. There is no suction cup option. Once the adhesive has been applied, that's it, you cannot move the cameras unless you ruin the tape and need to re-apply it. The device itself cannot be adjusted much even if you disregard the no suction cup situation. If you have a vehicle with a steep (more vertical) sloping windshield, this camera might not be a good fit for you.

When you are setting up the camera, you should not forget to add the micro SD card into it. The first time you insert the Micro SD card the S1 device will throw an error that will read something like this: "SD Card Error. Please format SD card." The good news is that you do not have to take the card out and go through extra steps on your own computer. The Vantrue S1 device has an option that allows you to format the Micro SD card in the device itself.

Once you do that, you will be good to and can continue setting up the camera.

The wiring system is not extremely well designed since it is difficult to insert the power cable and rear camera sockets because they are so close to each other. It is also not very obvious which end to insert into which camera.

The S1's menu system was pleasant to surprise me. It had a simple rolling menu with context-sensitive buttons labeled everywhere. You should get familiarized with the menu since that is going to be how you set up your SD card, parking monitoring, amongst other functions.

Vantrue S1 dash cam review: Video and audio quality

The S1's front and rear cameras produce excellent results during the day. I was very happy with the front facing camera's video results, however, was not extremely impressed with the rear camera. The contrast seemed to be lesser on the rear camera versus the front one as you can see in the picture below.

The wide-angle lenses allow you to see the entire road from a great perspective. However, contrast can sometimes become a problem, as the sun can add to the haziness.

Things get fuzzier at night, especially the rear camera, which can struggle with clear, well-lit photos without additional light sources. In addition, the front lens can be affected by streetlights, which can cause significant flares.

Headlights can also make it difficult to see vehicle tags clearly from certain angles. But, again, this is a great effort, even though many low- to mid-range dash cams struggle at night. Word of advice that I didn't listen to myself, you should really clean off your rear windshield since that might be the reason why the camera view was looking not focused.

The sound quality is generally good, although voices and playback can sometimes sound a little more distorted than they are.

Vantrue S1 Dash Cam Parking Function

The Vantrue S1 is advertised to have the ability to automatically record when you are not driving. Through my testing, I have yet to find it to be true. I have tested the parking function 16 times out of which the camera never recorded when the car was parked. The only time it recorded when it was in the parking function was when I was getting out of the car or getting into the car.

Video quality with front and rear cameras on

Above are a few images of the front camera quality in different lighting conditions. As you can see, the quality is definitely not 4K. Images that are captured by the camera itself turn out to be 1920 x 1080 which is pretty good. However, to capture an image you need to press the "OK" button while driving, so you must ensure that the camera is in an accessible position.

The way I have my camera set up, makes it a bit tricky to intuitively get to the button. Therefore, my advice for you would be to really think it through where you will be placing the two sided tape, because once it's on the glass, it will be difficult to remove.

Vantrue S1 Reviews

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Vantrue S1 dash cam review: Verdict

My experience with the S1 camera was pretty good so far. While the camera itself is not class-leading, the Vantrue S1 is a decent front and back dash cam system that doesn't break the bank. I feel like if it had the mobile connectivity and less customers being disappointed with the quality of the camera's software as well as the lack of heat resistance, it would be a great purchase. Another aspect that could get improved is the mounting to the windows. Current camera uses adhesive tape to attach to the windows which is hard to remove in case you want to take it off.