Top 10 Discreet Dashcams
August 24, 2019Disclosure: This is a professional review blog. Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. All of the products are tested thoroughly and high grades are received only by the best ones. I am an independent blogger and the reviews are done based on my own opinions.
Have you ever been driving and thought “I really wish someone could see this”? I know I have. Maybe you got into a car accident and were left wishing the insurance company could see what you saw to prove that you were not at fault. Maybe you were going on a road trip and wanted your friends and family to be able to see the amazing view. Whatever the circumstances were that made you think that, maybe it is time to look into discreet dash cam reviews and find the right one to for you. With that in mind, here is our list of top 10 discreet dash cams.
Top 10 Discreet Dash Cams Comparison Chart
Contents
- 1 Top 10 Discreet Dash Cams Comparison Chart
- 1.1 Product Reviews
- 1.2 Final Verdict
Name | Loop Recording | Viewing Angle Over 150-Degrees | Extra Discreet | Editor's Rating | |
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Thinkware F200D Dashcam | Check price here. | ||||
Garmin Mini Dashcam | Check price here. | ||||
Apeman C420 Dashcam | Check price here. | ||||
Nexar Dashcam | Check price here. | ||||
VAVA Dashcam | Check price here. | ||||
DDPai Mini 3 Dashcam | Check price here. | ||||
Toguard FHD Dual Dashcam | Check price here. | ||||
THiEYE Dashcam | Check price here. | ||||
Rexing Dashcam V1P Pro | Check price here. | ||||
Vizomaoi P28 Dashcam | Check price here. |
Product Reviews
Thinkware F200D Dashcam
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Dual Cameras |
Product Highlights
Thinkware’s F200D Dashcam is a little and discreet dashcam that allows you to record the road in front of you and behind you without detection. With the dashcam comes their viewing app that allows you to review footage and change settings with your iOS or Android smartphone. The whole set up is easy to install unless you opt to have it hard wired in.
The Good
The Thinkware F200D Dashcam has both front and rear cameras. The front camera has a resolution of 1080p whereas the rear camera has a resolution of 720p. Thinkware F200D Dashcam is protected from the heat of your car and there is anti-corruption technology installed. With an optional GPS antenna, the mobile app will not only allow you to view footage from your phone, it will also give you red-light and speed alerts. The dashcam comes with a built-in microphone and speaker and is only 1.34×3.88x.87 inches.
The Bad
This dashcam is a little expensive. The viewing angle is only 140-degrees, which is low when you consider the price but still covers several lanes which should be enough for normal use. You also will need to buy your own microSD card. It can take up to a 128GB microSD card. The GPS antenna is also not included. If you want to make the most out of your Thinkware F200D Dashcam, you will have to make extra purchases.
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Garmin Mini Dash Cam
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Motion Detection |
Product Highlights
The Garmin Mini Dash Cam is a HD discreet dash cam 1080p resolution. It has a built in G-sensor and creates an emergency file backup when it is triggered. Saved footage can be uploaded onto your smartphone and loop recording prevents you from having to manually delete footage.
The Good
The best part about the Garmin Mini Dash Cam is its very tiny size; in fact, the smallest on our list. All together the Garmin Mini Dash Cam is about the size of a car key. When mounted behind the rearview mirror, it is almost undetectable. This product’s exact dimensions are 2.1×1.23×1.15 inches. The Garmin Mini Dash Cam also comes with a one-year warranty on both parts and labor. It is WIFI and Bluetooth compatible and has automatic incident detection.
The Bad
The viewing angle of the Garmin Mini Dashcam is only 140-degrees but covers almost all roads completely. Although the Garmin Mini Dashcam is a discreet dash cam with parking mode, a parking mode cable has to be bought separately and installed by a professional.
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Apeman C420 Dashcam
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Great night vision |
Product Highlights
The Apeman C420 Dashcam is a 1080p full HD dashboard camera for vehicles. It records at a 170-degree wide-angle and turns itself on to record when it detects the car shaking. The Apeman C420 Dashcam features loop recording, deleting old recordings as it records new recordings and is easy to set up. If you have troubles, tech support is always helpful and friendly at this company.
The Good
The Apeman C420 Dashcam is among some of the dashboard cameras with the widest camera view. Continuous recording while the car is turned on and automatic g-sensor incident recording will catch car break-ins also. The Apeman C420 Dashcam produces high quality and superior nighttime footage. Even better, this dashcam costs about half as much as the Thinkware F200D Dashcam and the Garmin Mini Dashcam making it a reasonable option for those looking for a cheap discreet dash cam with a wide viewing angle.
The Bad
The Apeman Mini Dashcam is miniature in comparison to the previous models of Apeman dashcams but it is still significantly more obvious than the others on this list. It requires an external power source and you have to purchase a Class 10 microSD card separately.
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Nexar Dash Cam
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150-angle view |
Product Highlights
This mid-range dash cam has a middle of the road price and viewing angle of 150 degrees. The Nexar Dash Cam is a 1080p Full HD Dash camera that comes with cloud storage for video clips, G-sensor and loop recording. The installation is easy enough that anyone can do it without assistance and only takes 5 minutes to complete.
The Good
The 150-degree viewing angle allows you to record all lanes of the road to provide full coverage. If an accident were to happen, Nexar automatically makes you a report that tells you needed information for your insurance claim such as the speed you were going during the accident, where exactly the accident occurred, what the force was during impact, and of course, the crash footage. Accident or not, this dashcam streams live footage and saves recorded videos to the dashcam’s phone application. The Nexar Dashcam comes with a 32GB SD card, a charger, mounts, and lighter adapter.
The Bad
Unfortunately, this dash cam only works when hooked to its app which is available on a limited number of devices running the most recent operating systems. Phone models that have the app available include the iPhone 7 and above, Galaxy S/Note 8 and above, and Google Pixel 1 and above. Also, audio does not save to the app, instead it must be retrieved from SD card.
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VAVA Dash cam
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60 frames per second |
Product Highlights
The VAVA Dashcam is a 1920x1090p high definition dashboard camera with an outstanding frame rate of 60 per second. It also has a night vision sensor, GPS abilities, parking mode, G- sensor and loop records (like all dash cameras found on this list). Up to 5 car lanes can be seen with this dash camera’s lens but the entire camera is on a swivel so you can record 360-degrees if needed!
The Good
Both inside and outside of the vehicle can be recorded with this dashcam’s manually rotatable lens. The VAVA dashcam comes with Sony’s IMX323 CMOS image sensor and rear lens allowing for the dashcam to take great footage and photos at both daytime and nighttime. Out of all of the dashboard cameras on this list, the VAVA Dashcam has the fastest frame rate so you won’t miss a thing. This dashcam will record while driving always; and when the vehicle is parked it will be in standby mode waiting for any motion of the vehicle to turn it on. If something were to go wrong, it is good to know that there is a full 18-month warranty on the VAVA dashcam.
The Bad
The price of this dashcam is a little on the higher range. The swivel ability of this dashcam, despite being fairly small, makes its appearance stand out some once mounted. The VAVA dashcam requires a Class 10 micro SD card which is not included with it. The VAVA Dashcam phone application is also only available for Android 4.4.4 and above, though it will work without it. WIFI connection, luckily, is available for all smartphone devices besides iPads.
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DDPai Mini 3 Dashcam
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Small and affordable |
Product Highlights
The DDPai Mini 3 Dashcam is an easy-to-hide WIFI compatible 1080p high definition dashboard camera with a 140-degree viewing angle. This dashcam employs loop recording, has a 3 axis G-sensor, and a built-in “super capacitor” instead of a battery. Both the inside and outside of the vehicle can be viewed with the DDPai Mini 3 Dashcam’s rotatable lens.
The Good
The built in “super capacitor” can tolerate both high and low temperatures and has a longer lifespan than a typical discreet dash cam battery. It completely removes the need for an external energy source unless you wanted to use the standby parking feature. The DDPai Mini 3 Dashcam’s rotatable lens allows you to see inside and outside of car, though not out the sides. Most of all, this dashcam is both affordable and very discreet, going unnoticed behind the rearview mirror.
The Bad
This dashcam can only view about 4 lanes of traffic at a given time because of it’s 140-degree angle field of view. Another peculiar thing about the DDPai Mini 3 Dashboard is that its smartphone application stops you from being able to use your phone’s data for other purposes like rideshare driver’s apps while the dashcam is connected to WIFI.
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Toguard Dual Dashcam
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Parking Assistance |
Product Highlights
This very affordable dual Dashcam/backup camera is a 4.3-inch mirror with 1280p high definition touchscreen dashcam. It affixes directly to your rearview mirror making it virtually invisible to those around you. Toguard Dual Dashcam can be used for reversing assistance, or as a standard dash cam that replaces your rearview mirror. This dashcam has the highest resolution of all the dashboard cameras on our lists and is probably the easiest to hide!
The Good
The front camera has a viewing angle of 170 degrees and the rear camera has a viewing angle of 140-degrees. The backup camera is trigged by the reverse lights on your vehicle. Parking assistance will help you park into small spaces or navigate through tight areas while reversing. Built-in G-sensor recognizes collisions as they happen and automatically saves them to an “SOS File”. An 18-month warranty comes with this dashcam.
The Bad
First, the Toguard Dual Dashcam must have an external power source. Second, it is more difficult to set up because the rear camera must be wired into your reverse lights. The SD card is also not included, but with this dashcam’s affordability, it is worth it.
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THiEYE Safeel Zero Mini Dashcam
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Simple installation |
Product Highlights
The THiEYE Safeel Zero Mini Dashcam is a small dash 1080p HD cam that dangles from your windshield with a 170-degree viewing angle. This dashcam comes with functions like a parking monitor, emergency recording, and loop recording to ensure the road is recorded and the footage accessible anytime it is needed.
The Good
Both daytime and nighttime footage is recorded and streamed clearly in 1080p full high definition resolution. The THiEYE Safeel Zero Mini Dashcam has a large F/1 6-glass lens aperture that is fantastic at gathering light allowing for a clear view even in low light conditions. The dashcam is powered by the USB car charger so there is no need for hardwiring making this an easy install. The THiEYE Safeel Zero Mini Dashcam can rotate 360-degrees manually allowing you to record in any direction you want to. If you do not want this dashcam dangling down from your windshield, you can also mount it to your dashboard itself as there is a 180-degree reverse function! Either way you place it, it is very small and discreet.
The Bad
Like many dashcams, the THiEYE Safeel Zero Mini Dashcam requires a Class 10 MicroSD card up to 32GB that has to be purchased separately. A bigger concern is that if motion detection is turned on the camera will not record continuously. Make sure you turn this feature off when you are actively driving your vehicle.
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Rexing Dash Cam V1P Pro Gen 3
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Pricey |
Product Highlights
This is a dual front and rear dashboard camera that records in 1080p high definition with a 170-degree view angle. It comes equipped with loop recording, a G- Sensor, WIFI compatibility, and a “supercapacitor” instead of a battery.
The Good
Although some of the other options on our list also have a viewing angle of 170-degrees for the front camera, the Rexing Dashcam V1P Pro Gen 3 records with a 170-degree angle with both the front and rear cameras. Both cameras capture footage in 1080p HD. The front camera can be adjusted vertically and horizontally. The rear camera can be adjusted vertically. It also comes equipped with a 2.4” LCD screen. The Rexing Dashcam V1P Pro Gen 3’s use of a supercapacitor as an alternative to a normal lithium battery means that it will last longer and more reliably. It also makes this dashcam more resistant to extreme temperatures.
The Bad
This is the most expensive dash cam on our list and may make it not worth it for some customers. It is also not as discreet as many of the other options on the market. You will have to buy a Class 10 or higher MicroSD card and you must have your dashcam plugged into the car power connector. The built-in supercapacitor is only meant for emergency file back-up. Also, as a consequence of having a built-in LCD screen, the Rexing Dashcam V1P Pro Gen 3 is bigger than most of the other options on this list making it more difficult to conceal.
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Vizomaoi P28 Dashcam
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Dual dash cam |
Product Highlights
This high-end option has the ability to record the road in front of the vehicle and inside of the vehicle itself with a 150-degree viewing angle. It records in 1080p HD from both cameras simultaneously. This dashcam performs well in both daylight and low-light environments. It also has a loop recording feature, g-force sensor, auto accident detection, and records in high definition inside and outside of the vehicle.
The Good
The Vizomaoi P28 Dashcam has both a microphone and speaker. This dashcam’s utilization of Sony’s Exmor IMX323 sensor in the front and the rear camera provides great video quality in all different light conditions. Each camera can be rotated horizontally 330-degrees. With WIFI connectivity and the dashcam’s app, you can view, save and share on social media all of your footage.
The Bad
This dashcam does not have a parking mode when the vehicle’s engine is off. Although this dashcam may blend in with your rear-view mirror from the outside of the car, it is rather large and can probably be spotted by someone who is looking for it. This one is tied for the most expensive dashcam on this list.
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Final Verdict
If you are looking for a discreet dashcam that does it all without breaking the bank, I would recommend the Toguard Dual Dashcam. This discreet dual dashcam records with a 170-degree view angle in both cameras and acts as not only a dashcam but also a reverse guide. This dashcam will not be noticed by anyone unless they are a passenger in your car because it replaces your rear-view mirror. To top it all off, it is very inexpensive. Alternatively, If you do not want to have your dashcam as part of your rear-view mirror, the THiEYE Safeel Zero Mini Dashcam is another good option. Affordable and versatile, this dashcam does it all. It has a loop recording feature, g-sensor, a 170-degree viewing angle and can be rotated 360-degrees to record anywhere you want to record. You can choose where is right in your vehicle for this dashcam as it has a 180-degree reverse feature allowing you to mount it upside-down on your windshield or right side up on your dash.