Best Selling Dashboard Cameras under $200

Dash cams in the $100-200 range are ideal for most every day drivers.

They have all the necessary features for a smart purchase while being affordable, a true win-win.

A dash camera is an extremely useful device in times of disasters or road accidents. It’s a device that captures the scene right in front of you, automatically. The video footage that your dash camera captures can be used as evidence in court and police investigations when you get involved in a traffic accident. That’s why it’s always good to invest in the best mid-tier dash cams today.

For a dash camera to be considered as one of the best mid-tier dash cams today, it needs to have all the necessary and basic features innate in a functional dash camera. In order to provide a really great review, I have tested the top mid-tier dashboard cams this year. This helped me provide a more detailed review of the products that you can actually rely on, today.

 

Best Mid-Tier Dash Cams of 2017 – Comparison Table

Dashboard Camera	Name	Video Quality	Lens Angle	Parking Mode	GPS	Wi-Fi	Our Consensus	Price
	Transcend Drive Pro 200	Full HD	160°	No	No	Yes	Great value pick	Check Price
	Rexing S300	Full HD	170°	No	Sold Separately	No	Perfect turn on and forget model	Check Price
	Papago Go Safe 535	Super HD	160°	Yes	No	No	All around dash cam	Check Price
	Goluk T2	Full HD	152°	Yes	No	Yes	Feature rich	Check Price
	ITRUE X6D	Full HD	170°	No	Sold Separately	No	Great dual channel dash cam	Check Price
	Vantrue X2	Super HD	170°	Yes	Sold Separately	No	Great value pick	Check Price
	Garmin dash cam 20	HD	Listed as "wide-angle lens"	No	Yes	No	All around dash cam	Check Price
	Falcon Zero F360+	HD	120° rotating lens covering 180°	No	No	No	Great for Uber and taxi drivers	Check Price
	DOD TECH LS460W	Full HD	140°	No	Yes	No	One of our favorites	Check Price
	Street Guardian SG9665GC	Full HD	120°	No	Yes	No	Top of the line choice	Check Price

However, it would be good for you to find out what you need to look for in a dashboard camera to know whether you are buying the best mid-tier dash cams of 2017 or not. The first thing you need to keep in mind when buying the top mid-tier dash cams this year is its lens. The lens of a dash cam plays a vital role in the product’s overall performance. Without a great lens, it almost always ends up capturing scenes in poor and unclear video quality.

Another thing you need to consider when looking for great mid-tier car dash cams is its special features. Almost always, the best mid-tier dash cams are equipped with WIFI, GPS, wide angle lens and automatic crash detection sensors that will your data protected in times of accidents. These features are really necessary in order for a dash cam to be extra useful to you.

Upon testing the products that were recommended by a lot of users, I realized that the best mid-tier dash cams of 2017 need not be tremendously expensive. I’ve noticed that I can actually buy a great dash camera with a price range of $100 – $200. This price range is already considered reasonable for a great quality dash camera. It’s true that there are more expensive dashboard cameras around, but why do you have to buy it when there are many products that are affordable and have the same features, right? 

The top mid-tier dash cams this year are equipped with features that make them stand out among many available dash cameras out there today. There’s a common misconception that a good dash camera is always expensive. However, that’s not always the case. There are great mid-tier car dash cams that will not cost you more than $200. A great dash camera doesn’t always need to be pricey. Here is a quick preview of the best mid-tier dash cams you can find in the market today:

The products that I mentioned above are the top mid-tier dash cams this year. They vary in size and item weight, but these products have a lot of similar features. When you buy any of these products, it’ll really be a great investment because they can be multifunctional. If you are planning to invest in these top mid-tier dashboard cams, you should know more about each product.

To know more about the best mid-tier dash cams of the year, here’s a more detailed review for you:

Best Mid-Tier Dash Cams of 2017 – Top Picks & Reviews

 

1. Transcend DrivePro 200

 

Transcend is a very popular brand when it comes to electronic devices and accessories. It’s one of the leading manufacturers of the top mid-tier dashboard cams available today. This company is known for making products that only have the best qualities and features. Transcend is also known to have products that are highly durable and multifunctional, just like DrivePro 200.

The great thing about this product is that it doesn’t look too bulky. With just a weight of 3.2 ounces and dimensions of 2.6 x 2.8 x 1.4 inches, you can almost forget that it’s installed in your car. This size is perfect for car owners who easily get distracted by the slightest movement in the windshield area.

Transcend DrivePro 200 is a compact device that you can rely on every day. Despite its small nature, this device has its own built-in 2.4” LCD display where you can monitor the video footages directly anytime, anywhere. Since it has an LCD display, you can check a video recording immediately when the need arises. You don’t need to have a separate device, like a smart phone, in order to view a video recording. You can just simply press some buttons on the device and you can start viewing footages immediately.

Overall Performance & Ease of Use

Transcend DrivePro 200 is surprisingly easy to use, despite having a lot of great features. You can choose to mount it either on the dashboard or the windshield. You don’t need to be an electronics expert for you to install this small device. Also, there’s a manual included in the package where you can refer to for simple mounting instructions.

Transcend DrivePro 200 has a great lens that can capture 160 degrees viewing angle. This wide angle lens allows you to view cars within 4 different lanes. Unlike dashboard cameras with only 120 degrees viewing angle, Transcend DrivePro 200 lets you capture more area which means your footages covers a more detailed scene. Even if you are just a witness to a road accident that took place three lanes away from you, Transcend DrivePro 200 can still capture the scene clearly.

Transcend DrivePro 200 also has built-in microphones and speakers. This is essential every time you want to playback a certain video footage immediately, without transferring the files to a computer or smart phone. This feature records sounds inside and outside your car. This feature will give you more details about what really happened because sometimes, sounds tell us more about an incident than videos.

Transcend DrivePro 200 has built-in G-sensors that allows the device to perform emergency recording. When a collision happens, between your car and other vehicles, DrivePro 200 will protect the latest video recording which can be used as evidence. Despite the presence of a loop recording feature, DrivePro 200 will never delete the protected file without your permission or knowledge. Even if the storage space runs out, this video footage will still be available unless you delete it yourself.

This product comes with a free 16GB micro SD card that allows you to record up to 240 minutes of Full HD 1080p 30 fps videos or 400 minutes of HD 720p 30 fps videos. When the storage space runs out, the oldest files will be overwritten by the newest ones because of the loop recording feature. You can also use a bigger storage space for this device, up to 32GB.

2. REXING S300

 

REXING S300 is among the best mid-tier dash cams of 2017. By spending only $129.98, you can already own a great dashboard camera that comes in handy every single time. It would be a wise decision to invest in this product because it’s durable and well-built. The design of this dashboard camera even blends in effortlessly in any type of car, so you don’t have to worry about ruining the overall appearance of your beloved car.

REXING S300 is considered as one of the greatest mid-tier car dash cams today because it comes with several outstanding features that are just too hard to resist. This device only measures 5.1 x 3.1 x 1.6 inches but it provides a wide coverage of the road while you are driving. This is all thanks to its 170 degrees viewing angle lens. With this wide angle lens, you will be able to cover your lane and other counter-flowing lanes as well. It captures every minute detail on the road so you can travel with ease.

REXING S300 also comes with a night vision feature that allows the device to capture crystal-clear videos even during night time. More accidents happen during the wee hours of the night so this feature really comes in handy. In case you get hit by a speeding car, REXING S300 can capture its license plate clearly even under poor lighting condition.

Overall Performance & Ease of Use

Generally speaking, I find REXING S300 very easy to use. The device comes with a built-in 2.7” screen that lets me review any recorded video, whenever I want to and whenever it’s safe for me to. There are a few buttons you can use to interact with the device without the aid of a smart phone. It’s also very easy to install. Just mount it on the windshield, like what most car owners do, or put it on the dashboard. After that, just connect its wire to the USB charging spot in your car and then you’re good to go.

REXING S300 automatically turns on and records videos when you turn on the ignition of your car. You don’t have to switch it on and off manually, which saves a lot of time and makes the device more efficient. Every time you turn off the engine, the device automatically saves your video recording and then turns off by itself. REXING S300 has a built-in back-up power supply (100 mAh battery) so it can capture emergency recordings even when the car is parked.

REXING S300 dash cam uses AR0330 highly sensitive image sensor so it provides superior and sharp video quality. You can easily spot the road signs captured in the video and every little detail that happened on the road.

3. PAPAGO GoSafe 535 Car Dash Cam

 

PAPAGO is another great manufacturer that makes the best mid-tier dash cams today. PAPAGO is the leading manufacturer of electronic devices and accessories that will keep us safe while driving. GoSafe 535 is a good example of their top products having the best quality. It’s equipped with a lot of awesome features that you cannot find in any other similar products sold in the market this year.

PAPAGO GoSafe 535 is a dashboard camera that has a compact build but comes with several extremely useful features. One great thing about this dashboard camera is that it’s designed to effortlessly blend into any car’s interior. Since the product comes in black color, you can easily hide it behind your rearview mirror or mount it on the dashboard, without creating too much distraction.

PAPAGO GoSafe 535 uses Ambarella A7L chipset that’s responsible for the superior image quality of the device. This chipset enables the device to capture super HD videos that’s perfect for recording road scene footages. Even during night time or under poor lighting conditions, GoSafe 535 still records superb videos that can come in handy anytime.

Overall Performance & Ease of Use

PAPAGO GoSafe 535 is extremely popular because of its unique and highly functional features. At first, I thought that it would be quite difficult to operate this extremely functional device, but then I was wrong. Surprisingly, GoSafe 535 is very easy to use and operate. Once you have mounted it on the preferred location, all that’s left for you to do is to connect it to the USB charging port in your car.

PAPAGO GoSafe 535 comes with 2 mounting choices. You can use either the suction cup or the 3M adhesive mount that’s already included in the package. Also, when you use GoSafe 535 for the first time, you need to set the date and time first in order to have a more accurate recording detail.

Since PAPAGO GoSafe 535 uses Ambarella A7L chipset, it means the device will be able to capture SHD videos without any problem. Normally, the highest resolution for mid-tier dash cams is only 1080p Full HD but GoSafe 535 can have a resolution of 1296p Super HD. Coupled with the device’s 160 degree wide angle lens, you’ll be able to capture every significant detail on the road.

One of the best special features of GoSafe 535 is the exclusive On-The-Go feature. This feature allows you to instantly share your video recording via email or you can directly post it on your social media accounts. You just need to have the PAPAGO CAM ON app and use the OTG cable (included in the package) for you to enjoy this special feature. For this price range, it’s really rare to find a dashboard camera with OTG feature.

Lastly, GoSafe 535 has exclusive driver assist features that will keep you safe every time you drive on the road. It includes Driver Fatigue Alarm, which is a really great safety feature. Before you can enjoy the Driver Fatigue Alarm, you have to configure the device first and set your preferred resting intervals. With this feature in place, the device will remind you to take a break from driving after 30 minutes, 1 hour or 2 hours of continuous driving.

4. GOLUK T2 FHD

 

GOLUK T2 FHD was only released during the 3^rd quarter of 2016, but it has already become one of the best mid-tier dash cams existing today. GOLUK T2 FHD dash camera will give you more than your money’s worth. This chic device is equipped with both basic and exclusive features that will surely keep you safe while driving. GOLUK T2 FHD dash cam doesn’t only record evidence of road accidents but it also gives you warnings when you are driving on the road.

The good thing about GOLUK T2 FHD is that you don’t really have to switch it on and off every time you want to record videos of the road. This little device comes with an automatic on/off feature that sets it apart from smart phones and action cameras. GOLUK T2 FHD is must be connected to your car’s cigarette lighter power source. Whenever you start your car, it triggers the dash camera to turn on and start recording. This feature will save you a lot of time and trouble.

Just like any other great dashboard camera out there, GOLUK T2 FHD also has Loop recording feature. This feature allows your device to automatically overwrite the oldest saved recordings and replace it with the new ones. If you think you’ll need a certain video footage, then it’s best to transfer the files to your computer or smart phone.

Overall Performance & Ease of Use

GOLUK T2 FHD may not have a built-in LCD display, you can still monitor your video footages through your smart phone. This is all thanks to the WIFI feature included in the device. You just need to download the application that can control your GOLUK T2 FHD. The package even comes with a Wireless Remote and Magic Key that will help you configure the device conveniently. With this awesome feature, you will be able to share your videos via email or you can immediately post it on your social media accounts.

The good thing about dashboard cameras without LCD display screens is that they can be positioned in any way you want to. GOLUK T2 FHD has a 360 degrees rotatable structure for better viewing. Aside from that, this device also has wide angle lens that lets you capture more than just the cars on your lane.

GOLUK T2 FHD can support up to 64GB memory, which means you can record a lot of full HD videos before the memory runs out. Despite the presence of Loop Recording feature, this device automatically protects emergency recordings triggered by the G-sensors. When your video is protected by the device, it will not be overwritten even after a long while.

5. ITRUE X6D Dual Car Dash Cam

 

When it comes to top-of-the-line dashboard cameras, you have to trust ITRUE. This is a well-known dash cam manufacturer that doesn’t only make sure you get the best features, but also a presentable and sleek design as well. ITRUE X6D Dual Car Dash Cam is a revolutionary product – deviating from the normal mono dash cams today.

It’s true that a dashboard camera captures every detail that happens in front of your car. However, what happens when you are hit by another vehicle at the rear? With X6D Dual Car dash cam, never again will you worry about providing evidence that your car was hit from the back. This feature is one of the major reasons why ITRUE X6D Dual has become one of the best mid-tier dash cams today.

With the dual camera feature, you can place one dash cam on the windshield or dashboard and install the second camera on the rear. This will give you a better view of both the front and the back areas of the road. The front camera has a viewing angle of 170 degrees while the rear camera has a viewing angle of 120 degrees.

Overall Performance & Ease of Use

It’s quite surprising to know that ITRUE X6D Dual is very easy to use and install. Considering its great features, one can easily conclude that it’s somehow complicated to install. However, that’s not true. You only need to mount both cameras in place and connect it to your car USB charging port (sometimes the cigarette charger lighter) and set the date & time. After doing this, the device will switch on and off by itself together with your car’s ignition.

ITRUE X6D Dual Car Dash Cam uses a superior quality chipset that allows you to capture videos in 1080p Full HD format. When you use this video recording format, you will be able to clearly spot the road signs, or even license plate numbers, even at 5 meters away just by simply zooming in the video. Even at night time, or during daytime when it’s a bit shady, X6D can still capture crystal clear images of the subjects.

Since the product comes with a built-in 2.4” LCD display, you can instantly monitor and view your video footages anytime you want, as long as it’s safe for you to do so. You don’t need to connect the device to your smart phone or use a remote to control the device. You can just use the built-in buttons located just below the screen.

6. VANTRUE X2 Dash Cam

 

VANTRUE is one of the top players when it comes to producing the best mid-tier dash cams. All over the world, this brand is recognized to have high-quality and practical products. Their dashboard cameras have all the necessary features you can ask for in a dash cam, especially the X2. Over the years, they have been producing state-of-the-art devices that will keep you safe while driving on the road.

VANTRUE X2 dash cam is really impressive. I never expected it to be so functional because the size is just too sleek and posh. The greatest thing about this dashboard camera is that it blends into any type of car. X2 only measures 3.5 x 1.4 x 1.9 inches, so it doesn’t obstruct the view on your windshield or distract you from driving.

It’s equipped with a 2.7” inch LCD Display that lets you instantly monitor a video footage at any given time, as long as it’s safe for you to do so. You can interact with the dash camera without using a separate remote key or a smart phone.

Overall Performance & Ease of Use

VANTRUE X2 dash cam is one of the best mid-tier dash cams of the year due to a number of reasons. This product uses an impressive Ambarella A12A55 chipset that produces the best video quality for a dashboard camera. You can record videos with 2.5k resolution, which gives you a sharp and clearer footage than any other dashboard cameras today. VANTRUE X2 allows you to record videos in 2560 x 1440 super HD format at 30 fps plus an HDR feature. The recording with this kind of resolution will show every minute detail on the road effortlessly.

VANTRUE X2 also uses 6-layer glass lenses, allowing you to capture rich colors even under poor lighting conditions. Coupled with the HDR feature, VANTRUE can produce superior quality night recording footages. It balances the light or the dark areas to make sure that you remain safe while driving at night.

VANTRUE X2 also has an amazing Parking Mode feature. Actually, you can choose between 2 parking modes when using X2. Your device will automatically record any movements within 10M from the front, detected by its built-in Motion Detector. There’s also this Time Lapse parking mode wherein the device will just keep taking pictures within a set time interval then edits it out together to create a video clip.

7. Garmin Dash Cam 20

 

GARMIN dash cam 20 has a lot to offer. Unlike other dash cams with this price range, it already comes with a built-in GPS feature that lets you accurately record video footages with exact location and time. This is very important when you use the footage as evidence of a road accident.

After testing this product, I’ve notice that there are a lot of great features that are often underestimated by a lot of car owners. It offers superior quality video recordings, day and night. You may not find this product cheap, but the price is very reasonable considering its great features.

GARMIN is a popular manufacturer of the best mid-tier dash cams today, together many other brands. When I examined the product, I was impressed with its build. It’s obviously well made and durable, which gives it a more dignified look.

Overall Performance & Ease of Use

Generally speaking, GARMIN dash cam 20 is easy to use and user-friendly. The device uses .AVI formats so it will be easy for car owners to watch the video footages on a Windows-based computer. However, this is not quite efficient for MAC users. If you are using MAC operated computers, then you still need to download VLC media player or the free Garmin Dash Cam Viewer application for MAC.

GARMIN dash cam 20 records videos at a resolution of 1080p Full HD. It offers superb video quality and crystal clear images during daytime, as well as night time. The product uses wide angle lens that allows it to capture a wider field of view, unlike any other dashboard cameras.

You won’t have any problems using GARMIN dash cam 20 because it has an automatic on/off feature. Once it’s properly installed, the device automatically turns on when you switch the ignition on. It will start recording videos of the scene in front of you from the moment you start your car.

8. FALCON Zero F360+

 

FALCON Zero F360 dashboard camera is probably one of the most stylish and multi-functional dash cam existing today. At first glance, I have mistaken it as a rearview mirror, because honestly it looks like one (as shown in the picture above). Actually, you can mount it on your car’s built-in rearview mirror and replace it with a multifunctional device.

FALCON ZERO F360 has an LCD display that functions as your rearview mirror while the device records video footages of the road. Since this is a dual dash cam, you can adjust the cameras to face the opposite direction (or both at one direction only) – the front and the rear. The cameras attached to the bottom part of the LCD display are rotatable at 360 degrees. It gives you a better coverage of the road and can even function as your self camera while driving.

You don’t need to have a remote or use a separate smart phone in order to interact with FALCON Zero F360. You can make use of the buttons that come with the device and can playback videos, set the date and time, and configure the device according to your preference by pressing only a few buttons. FALCON ZERO F360 is truly a dynamic and impressive product.

Overall Performance & Ease of Use

FALCON ZERO F360 is easy to use. You just have to mount it on your rearview mirror and connect the power cord (already included in the package) to the car’s cigarette lighter port. After installing it like that, you are now ready to use this impressive product.

When you start the engine, FALCON ZERO F360 automatically turns on and records video footage of the road. Unlike any other dash cameras today, you don’t need to turn the device yourself. You don’t even have to worry about turning it off because it shuts down automatically when you stop the engine of your car.

This device supports up to 32GB memory which is equivalent to 8 hours of Full HD videos. Once the memory runs out, the Loop Recording feature is triggered. This feature overwrites the oldest stored video footages to give way to the newest ones. If you think you will need a video footage later, then it would be better to transfer the files to your computer.

The device is also equipped with G-sensor that detects accidents that involves your car. When this happens, the G-sensor triggers the Emergency Recording feature which locks the latest video recording and protects it from being deleted when the Loop recording feature takes place. This will help you retain the evidence that your car was hit by another vehicle.
It can become crucial evidence in court and police investigations.

9. DOD Tech LS460W

 

DOD Tech LS460W is one of the best mid-tier dash cams you can ever find today. Equipped with the latest technology, this device will give you full HD video recordings of the road while you are driving your car. This remarkable device only costs $170 – a reasonable price for all the benefits it provides.

DOD Tech LS460W uses the New Sony Exmore Image Sensor that provides a clearer and a more enhanced video quality. Because of the New Sony Exmore Image Sensor, even the videos taken at night, is clearer compared to what other dash cams in this price range can offer. Despite poor lighting conditions, DOD Tech LS460W can capture 1080p Full HD videos. This simply means you will be able to get hold of a video footage that has more details and has crystal-clear images.

Overall Performance & Ease of Use

The good thing about DOD tech LS460W dash camera is that it doesn’t weigh and look too bulky. If not just for the bright LCD display, I would have forgotten that I was using this camera. This is great for car owners who want to keep the camera concealed for security purposes. Also, DOD Tech LS460W is very easy to use and install. After mounting it properly on the dashboard or on the windshield, you only need to connect it with your car’s charging port for power supply.

DOD Tech LS460W is also equipped with a built-in GPS feature that helps you capture more accurate videos with location and date stamps. This will be extremely useful whenever you need the video for evidence purposes.

Technicality aside, DOD Tech LS460W also supports 12 different languages. This makes the device more user-friendly all over the world. The languages supported by this device includes Portuguese, Chinese, English, French, Spanish, German, Cestina (Czech), Italian, Greek, Polish, Norwegian and Slovensky Jazyk. This feature allows various users to configure the device themselves, without asking the help of Google Translate.

10. Street Guardian SG9665GC V3

 

Street Guardian SG9665GC V3 may be the last in this list of the best mid-tier dash cams, but it certainly isn’t the least. In fact, Street Guardian SG9665GC V3 has so many awesome features to offer. When I tested this device, I was amazed at how functional it can be.

This device only measures 4 x 4 x inches, but it has offers some of the best dash cam features known today. It even comes with its own LCD display where you can instantly view your video recordings anytime you want to.

Street Guardian SG9665GC V3 uses NOVATEK NT96655 processor. This processor makes the device extremely efficient. The videos recorded by the device are really smooth and gapless. This is all thanks to the fast NOVATEK NT96655 processor.

Overall Performance & Ease of Use

Street Guardian SG9665GC V3 is branded as Set-it-and-Forget-it device. The reason for this is that you only need to install it in your car and the rest will be handled by the device itself. Once it has been properly connected to the car’s charging port, the device will turn on/off together with the engine. The moment you start the car, the device automatically turns on and same goes when you turn off the car, too.

Equipped with Sony Exmore IMX322, Street Guardian SG9665GC V3 records 1080p full HD videos at 30 fps. The Sony Exmore image sensor is known to be the most sensitive and efficient image sensor available, so it’s expected that any device using it will have crystal-clear footages of road incidents. Never again will you struggle to find the license plate number of a speeding car that hit your vehicle.

Final Verdict

All the best mid-tier dash cams mentioned above are impressive, but the product that really stood out among them is the FALCON Zero F360. It’s a one-of-a-kind product that surpassed my expectations. It’s very easy to use and the price is just right for all the features it provides. My favorite FALCON Zero F360 feature is 360 rotatable dual cameras. It gave me a wider field of view and a more flexible dashboard camera.

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