Cobra - SC 120 QHD Universal Dash Cam, works with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto - Black

while i love how small it is, i would not recommend or re-buy because the process of downloading clips is so long. you have to have your car on, disconnect from carplay, get on the (slow) app, connect to the devices wifi which is a hit or miss, then finally look through the clips. if you don’t intend to download clips unless there’s an accident, then this might be the one for you, but i like downloading the crazy driving i capture and this does not make it easy. also the app has a built in navigation as if we all don’t already have several built in options in our phone.

The Cobra SC 120 is the essential minimalists’ dashcam. It’s for those who just want to mount, provide power, and forget about it. It provides 1440p resolution, has a built-in G sensor to capture and lock an in-progress video recording, and even has app integrations with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A big part of this dashcam is the use of the DriveSmarter app, because there aren't a whole lot of physical buttons to push on this tiny dashcam. TL;DR…Right off the bat, I’d like to share my thoughts on the camera overall. As a set-it-and-forget-it dashcam, it’s perfect. It provides loop recording, will lock recordings due G-Sensor triggers, and can lock recordings on demand without any apps. Using the DriveSmarter app WITH the camera is a bit cumbersome. Browsing through the recordings feels clunky and slow. I took a star off for that. I’m sure the rest of the DriveSmarter app is fine, but I’m talking in regards to the SC120. Lastly, in order to use this camera’s premium features (Parking Mode, Motion Detection), you’ll need to purchase the hardwire kit, which is sold separately. The dashcam itself is tiny; very very tiny. If clever enough, you could mount this behind your rear view mirror and never notice it was there. The dashcam is mounted using 3M double-sided tape onto your windshield and once mounted has variable adjustability to get that perfect 140 degree angle of your field of view. Power is provided via 12V car socket; a hardwire kit is available as well, but not included in this kit. I feel like the amount of mounting tape should be more than sufficient to hold the webcam in place as it is super lightweight. Use of the dashcam is very simple. Once the car provides power, it’s up and running and provides 3 different statuses based on its LED. It will illuminate blue briefly to indicate power, then flash red to designate video recording. Finally, it will flash purple to indicate that a recording is being tagged and file locked, meaning it will not be overwritten during loop recording. You’re off and running! Video quality is 1440p @ 30Hz with a 140 degree field of view. This is plenty to catch what is in front of you. The SC120 It has two buttons: an (1) action button and a (2) mic on/off button. The action button can prompt an immediate lock on the existing recording in the event you catch something that wasn’t already caught (or felt) by the G-Sensor. Sometimes you may pass by something “interesting” and a simple press of the button will lock that recording. The action button can also prompt “Trip Clips”, which are time lapse video recordings of your current drive. This is activated by pressing the action button twice. Finally, you can flash the included 16GB SD card by holding the action button for 5 seconds. As for the mic, a simple press of the mic button will toggle the mic on and off. If you’re not a big app person or don’t intend to use the car integrations, then you can simply pull the SD card and download your videos onto your computer. If you want to get the full potential from this dashcam, you’ll want to use the DriveSmarter app. At a very minimum, it will help you frame your shot because it doesn’t have a dedicated screen. But the app also provides real-time information, such as traffic conditions, red light cam notifications and even speed traps. If using CarPlay or Android Auto, DriveSmarter will be your main app displayed on your screen, much like Google Maps or Apple Maps. This could be a tough space to fight for as many of us are accustomed to the native map apps. But you can toggle between apps if you choose to. Finally, the SC120 provides both Parking Mode and Motion Detection. The caveat is that you must have the hardwire kit to utilize this feature. Parking Mode will pull low power to the G-Sensor when parked and off, and will begin recording when the sensor detects motion. Similarly, Motion Detection will pull low power and record detected motion while your car is parked and off. There are concerns about battery drain in this mode and Cobra suggests to cap the amount of time in this mode. But back to basics here; this is a dashcam that is your eyes (and ears if you want) while you’re driving to your daily destinations. Until you run into a sticky situation of your own or see something interesting, this dashcam should go unnoticed day in, day out. Its size alone provides that out-of-sight-out-of-mind with respect to other bulky dashcam units. It’s a fantastic unit for the price and comes from a very reputable company.

It is a great dash cam would def reccommend this! It catches literally everything.

Cobra SC120 comes with a very good quality dash camera which records with a high quality resolution (not 4k though, but good enough). Its 140-degree camera has a wide coverage of recording. It’s a basic dashcam without the addon screens and other gimmicks, which I think are just distractions. All I need is a dashcam that records, and this does it very well. This comes with everything that’s required for installation. The camera which needs to be mounted by removing the adhesive tape, 12v power cable that connects to the car lighter port. The wire is lengthy enough to install it all the way around the passenger side. The charger has a USB slot if you need to charge your phone simultaneously. It comes with a 16GB micro SD card. Installation was simple and straight forward. And it doesn’t occupy much space on the windshield, which is good, as its somewhat discreet. It comes with a mic-off feature for privacy. It pairs with Drive Smarter app for complete experience. This app is not the best in class. Even before installing the camera on the car, I powered on the camera with a USB charger, installed the app on my phone and paired them up and tested the recording. For some reason, the first video was recorded with August date, but from the next video it got the date and time correct. And then I installed it on the car and used it as-is. It’s a bit of a struggle to always stay connected with the app. It didn’t allow me to update firmware as the connection was spotty. But it works more often than not. This also connects to Android Auto / Apple CarPlay but I couldn’t test it as I do not have them on my car. I was able to download the recordings to my phone using the app, which is convenient. We can also connect the camera directly to a laptop thru a USB cable and download the videos. 1 minute of recording occupies 107 MB. So the 16GB would hold about 2 to 2.5 hours of recording. We can install a higher capacity micro SD card. It auto deletes oldest recordings to make space for the new ones when it runs out of memory. There is an option to click a button on the camera to permanently save a particular clipping (prevents it from getting deleted). Daylight recordings are very good. And the night videos are somewhat good. I have attached pics of both recordings. Overall, I am happy with the dashcam and I think it’s a pretty useful device to have on the car and given its small size, its somewhat discreet. For its actual purpose, this dashcam is very good.

I've recently been testing out the Cobra SC 120 QHD Universal Dash Cam, and let me tell you, it's been quite the ride (pun intended). As someone who's had their fair share of "meh" dash cams over the years, I was pleasantly surprised by this little powerhouse. Let's dive into the details! What's in the Box? The Cobra SC 120 is a compact, well-built unit that doesn't hog up your windshield real estate. It comes with a sturdy mount that attaches easily to your windshield a power cable, a cable to connect the camera to a PC, a tool to tuck the cord behind my dash, some cable mounts, and even a 16GB SD card! Setup: Quick and Painless Setting up the SC 120 was a breeze. I found a spot right next to my rearview mirror in my F150 to mount the camera. It took me about 20 minutes to install the camera and route the power wires to my cigarette lighter adapter (CLA) plug. The process was pretty straightforward. Once the hardware was in place, I downloaded the companion app from the App Store onto my iPhone. The app installation was quick and intuitive, getting me up and running in no time after creating an account and then connecting to the camera's own "Wifi network". Performance: Crystal Clear Day and Night Now, let's talk about what really matters - the video quality. I took my daughter to soccer practice at dusk, and on the way, I fired up the app's live mode. I was genuinely impressed by how crisp and clear the footage was. The QHD resolution really shines here, capturing details that my previous dash cams would have missed. But the real test came after dark. While my daughter was at practice, I took a drive around town. Even in low light conditions, the SC 120 delivered exceptionally clear footage. It's like this little camera has night vision superpowers! Ease of Use: User-Friendly with a Slight Hiccup The Cobra SC 120 is pretty user-friendly overall. The app interface is intuitive, making it easy to access and review footage when needed. However, there's one small con to note: you can't use the app and Apple CarPlay simultaneously. The camera still records, so you're not missing any action, but it can be a slight inconvenient if you need to review footage, requiring you to disconnect from CarPlay, but honestly, that's the only fault I could find on this thing. Pros: - Compact and well-built design - Easy installation process - Impressive video quality, especially in low light conditions - User-friendly app interface - Doesn't obstruct view while driving Cons: - Can't use the app simultaneously with Apple CarPlay (like I said..not a biggie) The Verdict After putting the Cobra SC 120 QHD Universal Dash Cam through its paces, I can confidently say it's a solid five-star product. It's a significant step up from the "meh" dash cams I've used in the past 5-10 years. The combination of easy setup, excellent video quality, and user-friendly operation makes it a great choice for anyone looking to add an extra layer of security to their daily drives. Whether you're a daily commuter, a road trip enthusiast, or just someone who wants peace of mind on the road, the Cobra SC 120 has got you covered. It's like having a reliable co-pilot that's always keeping an eye on the road for you. So, if you're in the market for a new dash cam or looking to upgrade from an older model, I highly recommend giving the Cobra SC 120 QHD Universal Dash Cam a shot. It's definitely earned its place on my windshield.