Home » Yi Smart Dash Camera Hands-on

Yi Smart Dash Camera Hands-on

Written By Diangson Louie
Published • September 1st, 2018
CamerasHands-on
4 Comments

Car owners will know that it’s a concrete jungle out there and a lot of things can happen anytime that most of the time you’ll wish you have it recorded on camera. That’s why we dash cams were invented so we can document our trips, and if you’re still looking for one, you might want to take a look at the Yi Smart Dash Camera.

UPDATE: This article originally stated that it is a Yi Compact Dash Camera. Based on the packaging, it is a Yi Smart Dash Camera model YCS.1A17.

Let’s start with the unboxing. The Yi Dash Cam comes in a neat package and inside you’ll find the dash cam, manuals, and accessories which include car charger, microUSB cable, and a 3M adhesive mount (not seen in the picture since we already had it installed in the car).

Looking at the dash cam itself, it’s generic-looking and doesn’t have a lot of flair to it. which is fine for us since we prefer our dash cams to be low-key. The body is made of plastic but feels light yet solid. It has a matte finish which repels fingerprints well and is small enough to be hidden behind your rearview mirror.

On the front is the 2MP camera, as well as the microphone at the bottom.

On the right are the microUSB port for charging and reset pinhole. while on the other side is the microSD card slot that supports up to 64GB capacity.

Looking at the top, we the slot for the mount, as well as vents at the top and bottom to keep it cool.

At the back is the 2.7-inch 960×240 TFT screen along with LED lights and four physical buttons to power the device, record, view the recordings and navigate the settings. It’s a low-resolution screen but it’s clear and bright enough for a screen of this size.

What makes the Yi Smart Dash Cam standout is its ability to connect to your smartphone via WiFi and with the help of the Yi Dashcam app. Just download the app, connect to the dashcam via its own WiFi SSD and you’re good to go. All in all, it just took us a few minutes to have it paired and running.

From there you can stream the camera’s POV, view and download the contents of the microSD, and adjust the settings. It’s really convenient as we don’t have to remove the microSD card to view the recordings or tinker with the dashcam itself to adjust the settings.

When it comes to the camera, the Yi Dash Cam has a F/2.0 aperture with a 130-degree Field of View which is enough to cover the whole front of the car. It can record at a maximum of 1080p at 30fps and saves it in MOV format. Maximum recording length is 3 minutes at 330MB per file.

In terms of quality, don’t expect it to be on the same level as smartphones. The footages are oversharpened but have nice colors and contrast especially in bright conditions. It’s good enough for documentation purposes and social media upload. After all, it’s a dashcam, not an action cam.

One of the things we like about the Yi Dash Cam is its emergency recording function that works with the built-in 3-axis G-sensor. In the event of a collision, the EMR function will automatically activate, save the footage, and protect so it won’t be deleted due to lack of memory or loop recording.

Overall, we like what the Yi Smart Dash Cam can do and it has a lot to offer for Php2,499. It’s well-built, has a decent camera quality, and has extra functions that any car owner will appreciate.

If you’re interested, the Yi Smart Dash Cam is available at Lazada (see listing here), as well as official dealers nationwide: Hey Joe Gadget Store, Blade Auto Center, PRG Photo Shop, Urban Gadgets, Smart Future PH, Maricel Online Store, and Smartifact Technology! Visit http://bit.ly/YITechnologyPilipinas for more info.

Yi Smart Dash Cam (YCS.1A17) specs:
2.7 inch TFT LCD (960 x 240) screen
Dual-Core CPU
2MP F/2.0 camera
130-deg FOV
1920x1080P 30fps, 1280x720P 30fps video recording
Wi-Fi 802.11n
Supports 8-64GB Class 10 or above w/ FAT32 format
H.264 CODEC
3D Noise Reduction
Supports WDR functions
Built-in high precision three-axis sensor
Collision video lock storage
Supports iOS 8.0 or later or Android 4.1 or later
3M Mount Bracket
74 x 52.4 x 32 mm
2.5 ounces

xiaomi yi dashcamyi compact dashcamyi dashcam philippinesyi dashcam price

Diangson Louie

This article was written by Louie Diangson, Managing Editor of YugaTech. You can follow him at @John_Louie.

https://www.yugatech.com

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4 Comments

Yan says:

6 years ago

I see some Yi dashcam footage with a red Yi logo on top and a sans-serif font for the timestamp. Anong difference nito don, white logo and serif timestamp gamit nya? Is there an option to change that?
- Reply
mansour says:

6 years ago

this is the regular dashcam. not the compact.
- Reply
Yo says:

6 years ago

Wlang info kung ilang gig na sd card ang pwede, pang 32 gig lng po ba ito?
- Reply