70mai M500 dashcam evaluation: Svelte and inexpensive

Key Takeaways

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

There are many great 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 sit down alongside the highest of your windshield and never get in the best way. That’s excellent news, particularly when you 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 large 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 superb.

Really useful

70mai M500

The M500 is a kind of nice bargain-basement fashions the place the specs are method higher than anticipated given the worth level. It’s bought 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 Digicam Decision: 5-megapixel, 1,944p
Subject of View: 170-degree
Model: 70mai

Execs

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

Cons

No rear display because of the slimline design
Connectivity may be often patchy
Hardwiring wanted for extra options to work

Worth, availability, and specs

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

70mai M500

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

What I preferred concerning the 70mai M500 dashcam

Surprisingly potent

Contemplating it sits on the decrease finish of the market by way of value, the M500 affords numerous 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 potential to seize a 170-degree viewpoint. That’s spectacular too.

I used to be additionally equally impressed by the nighttime capturing high quality of the sensor and lens mixture, with some glorious HDR properties enabling me to get high-quality footage in less-than-ideal situations. 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 have to 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 a lot going for it, I did discover a couple of issues that had been much less straightforward to reside 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 likewise preview footage on-screen, within the automotive. Granted, it took me no time in any respect to obtain and set up 70mai’s cell app, which does work nicely, however the lack of a display could put some off.

Whereas the M500 has a lot going for it, I did discover a couple of issues that had been much less straightforward to reside with.

The opposite challenge — which affects 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 package to do that, which 70mai sells individually at further price. The most important draw back to doing that is that it doesn’t permit me to maneuver my dashcam from car to car as and after I have to. 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 superb little bundle, with slimline dimensions making it very interesting. There’s a scarcity of rear display and the necessity for hardwiring so as to acquire the advantage of 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.