A dashcam for cars is slowly becoming a necessary accessory in India. Not only is it useful to record video evidence in case of an accident, but also to provide proof when you need to claim insurance or issue a counter-complaint against incorrect traffic tickets. Some might also use a dashcam to record picturesque locations on a road trip. While some dash cameras are available at an affordable price, they tend to compromise on video quality and features. Qubo, a Hero Group company, has launched its Dashcam Pro 4K in India as a premium offering under Rs. 10,000.
The Qubo Dashcam Pro 4K not only claims to provide high-quality video footage but also comes with several handy features. The company sent us its dual camera model, which features both the front and rear cameras along with other accessories. Should you consider buying the Qubo Dashcam Pro 4K? Here is our full review to help you decide.
Qubo Dashcam Pro 4K’s display can be used to watch the rearview video feed as well (dual-cam bundle)
Qubo Dashcam Pro 4K price in India
The Qubo Dashcam Pro 4K is available in India at Rs. 9,990, which includes just the front-facing camera. If you want the rear camera bundle, then the combo along with its accessories will cost you Rs. 12,990.
Qubo Dashcam Pro 4K design
The Qubo Dashcam Pro 4K is quite compact. Its wide, rectangular shape makes the black-coloured camera look like it is a part of the car’s interiors (your experience may vary), and it doesn’t obstruct your view too much. The ultra-wide camera sensor is located on the front of the device, while the back features a 2.8-inch viewfinder, which can also be to used to switch between various modes and settings. It is not a touchscreen and to access these modes, you have four dedicated buttons on the bottom of the camera.
The left side of the device has the power and reset buttons whereas on the right side, you have a mini-USB port for connecting the front camera to the 12V charging socket. Next to the connector port is a microSD card slot. There is a micro-USB port on the top of the device that is used to connect to the rear camera. The box contains a 12V power adapter, long cables for the front and rear cameras, suction mount, a pry tool, and a warranty card.
The rear camera is sort of cylindrical in shape with one side being flat. The right corner has a 360-degree hinge cover that allows you to adjust the camera angle while mounting it on the car’s surface. Unlike the front camera, the rear camera does not require a suction mount as it attaches via double-sided adhesive tape.
The Qubo Dashcam Pro 4K can be paired with a 1080p rear camera
Qubo Dashcam Pro 4K features
As the name suggests, the Qubo Dashcam Pro 4K delivers a 4K resolution video feed. However, it is not true 4K as the 8-megapixel Sony IMX415 sensor is actually recording in 1080p and upscaling it to 4K. The front camera has an f/1.8 aperture which claims to help capture high-quality videos with a 140-degree field of view even in low light. The camera is also said to use a digital noise reduction algorithm to reduce noise. The optional rear camera can only record in 1080p.
The Qubo Dashcam Pro 4K also supports Advanced driver-assistance systems, also known as ADAS, which has been a recent trend in the automobile industry. The device uses built-in AI systems and real-time video for various ADAS-related functions such as Lane Departure Warning System, Forward Vehicle Motion Detection, and Forward Collision Warning System. The Dashcam Pro 4K has built-in GPS to geotag the footage and also accurately view your driving route and speed.
The Qubo Pro app has multiple tabs to access and control various features
You can enable or disable the ADAS-related features on the device by using the buttons. Alternatively, you can use the Qubo Pro app. The app’s user interface is quite simple and easy to use. You can tweak various device-related settings within the app including enabling or disabling audio, parking mode, jolt triggers, etc. Installing the app is a must as it is a more convenient medium for transferring photos and videos from the camera to your phone.
The Qubo Dashcam Pro 4K supports any Class 10 SD card up to 1TB. If the storage is full, it will delete older footage and replace it with the live feed. In case you want to save some of the older footage, it is best to transfer it to your device with the help of the app.
Qubo Dashcam Pro 4K has a microSD card slot on the right side for storing video recordings
The app also provides the option to enable TimeLapse recording, checking footage of various events, such as “jolts” or “ride start/ stopped”. The device marks an event as a “jolt” whenever the car goes on a big bump or pothole at a considerably high speed. The dashcam, while recording the event, informs the user with a tone. It also notifies the user when the car breaches a set speed limit.
Transferring recorded footage from the camera to the phone requires a few steps. First, you need to scrub through the timeline and select the starting timestamp of the video. Next, you can choose to screen-record the exact section you wish to save or download it straight away. The Qubo Pro app will let you download one minute videos for up to three minutes, which will be saved within the Gallery section of the app. To save a video on your phone’s native gallery app, you need to select the videos you want to save and tap on the share icon at the bottom to download them.
Qubo Dashcam Pro 4K performance
Daylight video performance of the Qubo Dashcam Pro 4K’s front camera is quite good as I could see and read the number plates of a couple of cars ahead of me. I am referring to number plates specifically as the footage can be highly useful in case of an accident. Anything beyond three meters is usually not as detailed, but I would not expect any better from a car dash camera, to be honest.
At one point during the review, we did notice the transferred footage freezing and skipping frames when saving it on the phone, however this was mainly due to us using a slower Class 10 memory card. After notifying Qubo about this issue, the company recommended (and shipped one for this review) a UHS-III (U3) Class 10 memory card, which did solve the issue. Bundling a microSD card along with the dashcam should have been an option in my opinion, or least have a disclaimer on the website to alert buyers of which specific microSD card they should be buying.
In case you wish to use the camera for recording videos on your road trip, it does quite a decent job with colours but the dynamic range is not as good in harsh lighting conditions. For such recordings, maybe you could rely on something like a GoPro or your phone’s camera.
Some of the older dash cameras that I have used have struggled with in low-light situations. The Qubo Dashcam Pro 4K surprised me with pretty decent overall exposure. It does tend to blow out the highlights, particularly the surfaces where the beam of the car headlights fall on, but the footage is quite useable.
ADAS-related features worked pretty well. The camera instantly prompted me with an audio alert when the vehicle in front of me or a pedestrian was in close range of my car. The feature, although useful from a safety perspective, can be quite annoying when driving through city traffic. I chose to disable it after a couple of trips.
The rear camera can record only 1080p resolution videos. I did notice that by default, this camera mirrors the footage it records, regardless of the orientation. The overall video quality is obviously not as good as the front camera but is certainly usable to see the number plate or details of the car right behind yours.
The post-sales service of Qubo seemed pretty helpful too. I called the helpline a couple of times for product-related queries, including one where I wanted to understand the features and the service representative, without knowing who I was, managed to answer all my queries quite satisfactorily. Qubo also says that it will replace the product if the user experiences any manufacturing-related issues within the warranty period.
Verdict
The Qubo Dashcam Pro 4K can be considered if you are on the lookout for a good dashcam which offers many features. The front camera captures ultra-wide footage with decent details. The design too is quite neat and you also get all the required accessories in the box. The only downside is that the device is slightly more expensive than some of the alternatives available online.
Price: Rs. 12,990 (front + rear cameras)
Pros
- Compact design
- Feature-rich
- Wide field of view of the front and rear camera
- Full range of accessories bundled with the camera
- Customer care service
Cons
- Slightly expensive
- App experience could be better