Our test candidates nextbase 322GW and nextbase 622GW both belong to the latest dashcam generation, but differ in many respects. Dashcams are small windshield cameras that record the driver’s view of road traffic. The videos recorded in dangerous situations or traffic accidents can be used by car drivers in a legal dispute to clarification of the situation. Because since the ruling of the German Federal Supreme Court (BGH) on 15. May 2018, the short film sequences can be used as support to determine how the actual facts of the case occurred. In Great Britain and Eastern Europe, the little helpers are particularly popular and are part of everyday life. In this country, too, more and more users are turning to the little helpers in winter when the first snow falls. But even dashcams in the mid-price segment deliver sufficiently good video material that later shows the relevant evidence?
Dashcams from nextbase are characterized by good, high-resolution footage from. With the latest dashcam model 622GW from nextbase even 4K recordings and super-slow-motion recordings possible. We clarify to what extent 4K videos compared to those in full-HD or with more frames (super slow motion) for more detail and compare the different resolutions at different weather and lighting conditions. When does 4K make any difference at all??
Hardware nextbase dashcams
both dashcams feature a modern and chic design. The aluminum casing of the newest and recognizably larger nextbase model 622GW looks very classy and pretty. The small and wonderfully compact surveillance camera 322GW, on the other hand, is designed in plain matte black and made of high-quality plastic worked. Both the devices and the accessories, from cigarette lighter cables and USB connection cables to suction cups and adhesive tape, exhibit a very good material and processing quality at.
Both are identical in construction. On the front of the 622GW is a 6G lens with an aperture of F/1.3. The 322GW, on the other hand, features a 5G lens and an F/1 aperture.6 for well-exposed videos. In addition to the magnetic mounting connection for the bracket, which is covered by a protective cap, there are only two buttons in total, a power button on the side facing the driver and a large emergency button on the back for saving the video recording currently in progress (loop, explained in the chapter on operation). The on/off button of the 322GW wobbles a little back and forth. However, this is not a big deal and has no impact on the haptic experience or even functionality. the connections such as a USB charging port, microsd card slot and HD output/input for the rear camera are all available Well-placed, but more about this in the chapter operation.
Our readers ask:
A pocket navigation.De readers were interested in what video length in minutes you can record on a 32 mini card can be stored. This and many other details about the hardware equipment are answered in our table in the section: evaluation hardware. Fortunately, the manufacturer’s specifications correspond to our test results. For about 30 minutes of the 4K sequences, for example, 10 GB are needed on the SD card.
The test results for the 622GW give no cause for criticism speaker output and the two microphone inputs (front) of the premium ride tracker 622GW, because they consistently provide convincing audio quality. The mid-priced cam 322GW, on the other hand, has a somewhat smaller speaker output and only one microphone input, probably due to its practical, compact design. The effects of this are described in the audio and video section. Both cams have a very stable magnetic active holder (powered click& go mount), with which a solid alignment of the camera possible is and over which the dashcam can be removed on the one hand super simply and on the other hand is very securely fastened.
It nothing wobbles and nothing vibrates. Also nothing adjusts by accident with light touches. Only our hard test in a jerky smart on cobblestone streets reveals the weighty disadvantage that the 622GW has due to its size. In contrast to the smaller dashcam, gravity makes the video image dance quite a bit, as documented in the video in the section on image stabilization. The four meter long cable with 12-volt adapter, that goes into the cigarette lighter is fixed to the cable. Therefore, you cannot use a USB socket in the vehicle to power the dashcam. We would like a practical adapter, with which one could then switch flexibly to USB connection.
The ferrite core sits very close to the holder by default and was a bit of a pain in the test, because it occasionally in the view hung. It also made cable routing difficult. Although the interference attenuator can be removed (not recommended) and move, but whether it fulfills its function so well at other positions is questionable. In any case, a better view can be achieved by moving the iron core as far as possible towards the dashcam or in the opposite direction up to the rear-view mirror. And finally: what must, that must. The small "troublemaker" is just necessary.
Touchscreen of the nextbase 622GW and 322GW
A few words about the display, which is also a touchscreen is: the HD IPS touchscreen of the 622GW measures 3 inch and 2.5 inch for the older of the two car cameras. The display of the small 322GW is overall brighter and has better colors. However, this statement only applies to the screen, not to the video quality, which we will compare in the chapter on audio and video. looking for a setting to manually change the display brightness, we unfortunately did not find it. The screen brightness of both cams adapts to the ambient light only automatically to.
Practical settings: the driver can decide whether the touchscreen display should adapt to the ambient light and dim at night should or whether the screen during the ride generally after 30 seconds switched off completely should (auto shutdown).
Even if the display the 322GW performs slightly better than the top model, so the 622GW does not really give cause for complaint. The screen is sufficiently bright and the color representation is equally satisfactory.
interfaces and sensors of the nextbase 622GW and 322GW
Worth mentioningAccording to the manufacturer, the 322GW was the first dashcam in the world with bluetooth connectivity. In the meantime it is no longer the only one. Both dashcams are equipped with bluetooth 4.2 low energy and a wifi interface equipped to transfer video data to the compatible smartphone or tablet (android 5 or higher version).1 and ios 12.1) or around SOS emergency functions and the alexa voice control on the 622GW, which we will discuss in more detail later. both cameras are compatible with other module cameras, including rear view cameras, rear window cameras and interior view cameras as well as radar modules as parking aids. among other things, the HD output/input on the right side of the dashcams is.
GPS reception nextbase 622GW and nextbase 322GW
All nextbase dashcams of the series 2 use data of the two satellite systems GPS and GLONASS, to provide a precise location fix point. The data update rate is done with 10 hz, that means 10 times per second. In addition, the new nextbase cameras have a so-called GPS hotstart, which stores the last satellite positions (GPS fix point) for up to two hours. The GPS quality of both cams seems to be high, because always a fast reception was to be recorded. In addition, both dashcams have a generally good track position to record, which is why for us in the GPS reception between the devices no differences were noticeable. the picture below shows how the gps track takes a short runaway in the tunnel because there is no gps signal available. But this circumstance is quite normal. Otherwise the track points reliably on the road. A special situation results in vehicles with heated windshield (by heating wires). Here the track points are not quite optimal on the track.
In addition to the sensors mentioned above, the premium dashcam is equipped according to the manufacturer with improved and enhanced night vision and other image sensors from sony which, among other things, make for clearer night shots. however, the night mode cannot be set manually, but is activated automatically by the ambient light. In addition, the 622GW has ambarella H22 quad-core chipset, which two simultaneous recordings in different resolutions created a low- and high-quality version. While the dashcam records at 4K, even a coupled rear camera module can record in full HD at 30 fps. 4 files are then saved in high and low quality respectively. However, recording in small and large resolutions is not a unique selling point of the more expensive dashcams; the 322GW can also do this. the low resolution files can be easily sent by smartphone without overloading the data volume.
G-sensor and parking mode
The filter integrated in both dashcams acceleration sensor, also called G-sensor, detects impact while driving as well as vibrations in parking mode. following sensitivity levels can be adjusted for the G-sensor: low, medium, high or off. The higher the level, the more sensitively the sensor reacts. The park guard function of the 322GW generally responds somewhat more sensitively to vibrations than that of the 622GW. A wiggling the vehicle with your hand does not trigger an evidence video of the cameras yet, a light tumbling already, it does not make a difference whether the impact comes from the inside or from the outside.
We have at low sensitivity level but here the vibration must be quite strong to cause a reaction. A wobble is rather smooth and has no acceleration peak. However, in this setting, the dashcams are unlikely to detect vandalism to the car, for example by key scratching. If you have a well-founded suspicion that there is such a creep in the neighborhood, it helps to set the sensitivity of the G-sensor higher. Note, however, that a high level could be a problem in stronger winds. Then maybe every gust of wind will be recorded, but probably the perpetrator as well. It is therefore good to use the regulate the brightness level depending on the weather or your intentions to be able. If the dashcam parking sensor is alarmed, the dashcam takes a 30-second video and immediately locks it against accidental overwriting or erasing.
Polarization filter of the nextbase 622GW
The high quality dashcam model also has a polarizing filter in front of the lens, the reflections on certain materials, like the dashboard on the windshield, reduces and contrast values of the colors are improved by converting certain light waves that appear glaring into heat and thus absorbing them. The small 322GW does not have such a filter, but is compatible with one. Such a polarizing filter can be purchased as an optional accessory and attached in front of the lens of the camera. The polarization filter of our premium dashcam is uniquely calibrated according to instructions, by turning the aperture on the lens until the reflection on the windshield is the lowest. as our videos prove later, calibrating the filter is worthwhile especially in sunshine. The reward is fewer reflections.
Attention is required, do not adjust the filter too strong, because otherwise the brightness of the recordings suffers. The more intensively the filter is adjusted, the less light comes into the object. The best way is to test during some rides which setting is the best one. Simply attaching the camera and driving off is therefore not the case here for now. The dashcam needs some attention and care at this point.
Battery life in parking mode
How annoying is it when you have to leave for work or come back from shopping and are just about to get into the car, but accident damage is discovered?. And of course there is no one far and wide to witness anything. The park mode both dashcams therefore monitors the parked car at all times. Most car drivers are concerned that the dashcam battery long endurance so that the car battery does not run down when parking or. Over night power must be provided. During the test of the parking mode we have ca. 15 shocks and thus 30second protected video recording triggered. The cameras had been set to the highest possible resolution, which means:
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with 1080p and 60fps with 4K and 30fps, without image stabilization enabled and without extreme weather mode.
For the battery life in park mode we measured the following values:
- The parking attendant of the 322GW still showed one of three charging bars and a red flashing battery LED after 11 hours, but only after 31.5 hours the small windshield lens really ran out of steam.
- The 622GW showed already after 10 hours one of three charging bars and a red flashing LED, after 29-30 hours it turned off completely.
For the fact that the currently best dashcam from nextbase had to record 4K videos quite frequently within the 29 to 30 hours, it held a quite a long time through. Our mid-priced dashcam test candidate triggered video recordings even more frequently due to its more sensitive sensors and in view of our influences. Without a doubt, the solid battery performance of the 322GW in our test. Granted, 4K clips aren’t strictly necessary in park mode, especially since filming is done while stationary. In addition cost 4K videos a lot of battery capacity and memory, even if they are, as here, only 30 seconds long. We pushed the limits of the cams a little at this point. Normally, you can expect less activity on the car in everyday use, which certainly guarantees three times our tested battery life, for the 622GW are ca. 3 days (full-HD-recording) and for the 322GW ca. 4 days of battery life to be expected.
Charging the dashcams
The cameras automatically load while driving. Take the dashcams take it to your home for charging, one charge lasts about 50 – 60 minutes. It is important to remember to stop image recording immediately after plugging in the dashcam, or else loop recording begins as well as when driving. To indicate active recording, the stop button on the bottom left of the display flashes, but if you plug the device in and walk away, the camera continues to record happily. And once the memory card full is, which can happen quite fast especially with 4K movies, all previous movie sequences are overwritten – so unfortunately happened in our test, because the hesitant touchscreen of the 622GW did not react to our click on the stop button unnoticed. Of course we are aware that this is a feature and not a bug. In this situation, however, it would have been good if there had been an option to deactivate automatic recording when connected to power would give.