Vantrue Nexus N4 Pro dash cam review: 4K peace of mind on every journey
The N4 Pro simultaneously records from its front, cabin and rear cameras at 4k,1080p and 1080p at 30fps. Pictures: Vantrue.
Dash cams are no longer just gadgets for techies; they’ve become essential for peace of mind. From proving fault in accidents to capturing number plates in car parks, the latest generation of cameras now adds smart features to make everyday driving safer and simpler.
The Vantrue Nexus N4 Pro is weighty, but reassuringly so. The magnetic GPS mount clicks neatly into place, and the main unit feels premium, even if slightly bulkier than slimmer rivals.
Mounted beneath my vehicle's rear-view mirror, it sat centrally without overly obstructing the windscreen. The rear and cabin cameras are compact but still bring trailing wires that need to be routed carefully.
It has a 3.19-inch non-touch IPS display that’s bright and clear. You can navigate the simple menu system via the physical buttons beneath the display, and there’s a large orange button on the left for power, emergency recording and snapshots.
Setting up took me about an hour, and mostly thanks to threading the thick rear cable through the trim and panels. The instructions are excellent, and the magnetic mount makes clipping the main unit on and off simple. The mount itself is stuck to the windscreen with 3D sticky tape.
The interior-facing camera, with its infrared LEDs, is particularly handy for taxis, rideshare drivers, or families who want cabin coverage.
The Nexus N4 Pro is absolutely crammed with features. You get three channels: 4K 30fps front, 1080p rear, and 1080p interior. There’s GPS logging, Wi-Fi connectivity, a mobile app, voice control with 12 commands, and optional extras like a CPL filter to reduce glare.
Parking modes are comprehensive: buffered motion detection, collision detection, low-bit rate and low-frame rate recording. That means the dash cam captures 10 seconds before and after movement is detected, which is invaluable if someone scrapes your car in a car park.
The lack of cloud storage might disappoint some, but the fast 5GHz Wi-Fi transfer to the Vantrue app works well. You’ll need a microSD card with support for up to 1TB. I tested it with a 64GB card, but if you’re driving for a living, I’d recommend going for the maximum capacity available.
At the end of each journey, the camera provides detailed statistics, including total time, driving time, starting altitude, average speed, maximum speed, and total mileage. You can save the stats as either a JPEG or a PDF, but you’ll need to do so after each journey manually, since the camera doesn’t store the information automatically.
The 4K Sony Starvis 2 sensor is excellent, with crisp detail during the day and standout low-light performance at night. I found licence plates were difficult to make out in standard video mode due to motion blur, but enabling PlatePix in the image quality settings on the Vantrue app significantly improves their visibility, as well as that of road signs, even on dimly lit country roads. The option wasn’t available until I did a firmware update, so if you don’t see it, you’ll know an update is required.
The HDR balances glare and shadows effectively, while the interior camera’s infrared captures the cabin clearly in complete darkness. The rear camera is a touch less consistent in focus, but still perfectly usable.
The new “PlatePix” mode does a surprisingly good job at enhancing number plates in rain or poor light, a feature that could prove crucial after an accident.
The Vantrue Nexus N4 Pro isn’t the smallest or cheapest dash cam, but it’s one of the most capable I’ve tested. With 4K clarity, robust build, excellent night vision, and reliable parking modes, it’s a serious piece of kit for anyone who wants peace of mind on the road.
€280 Vantrue Nexus N4 Pro
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