Customer Ratings & Reviews

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.

A tiny witness for your daily drives that is easy to install and records good detail. It may not have the fancy features of more expensive models, but it gets the job done while also being inconspicuous and a great value. Highlights: * Very compact. * QHD resolution for fine details. * Wide field of view. * Includes a suitably-sized 16gb microSD card and can accept replacements up to 256gb. Room for Improvement: * Power requirements may prevent some USB-C cables from working. * Reflections from inside the windshield can be annoying. * Can’t view live or recorded video through app if phone is connected to CarPlay. Setup: As with most dash cams, the first thing to do is to plug it in and power it up. Dash cams used to need to be hard-wired to the car’s fuse panel which is still the preferred method, but new ones like this Cobra SC-120 come with a 12v (cigarette lighter) adapter for easy plug-and-play installation. The lighter plug has a long cable with a USB-C right-angle connector on the end that plugs into the dash cam. Other ways of connecting to power through your car’s OBD port or hard-wired connections are available as optional accessory purchases. After the cam is powered up, the next thing to do is set it up using the free App for your phone. This dash cam uses a combination of Bluetooth and WiFi to establish that connection. If your car has a built-in WiFi hotspot, you can use that keep the dash cam connected to the internet instead of to your phone directly. Otherwise, your phone will temporarily connect to the dash cam via WiFi when needed to change settings, view recordings or check the live video. The app and a built-in voice in the dash cam guide you through the initial connection and setup but getting it connected to my phone was a tad finicky. It took a few tries but I eventually got everything connected and working. The live video is clear and fluid but with a slight bit of delay. I used this live video the check the placement of the dash cam on my windshield. Perhaps it’s the angle of my windshield or maybe the lens on the dash cam doesn’t have a polarizing filter, but there was a bit of reflection from inside the car shown in the video. After finding a good spot for this tiny dash cam, it was easy to clean the spot and stick it on. The bracket is tight enough to prevent accidental movement but flexible enough to adjust the angle of the camera for the perfect view. Now that the dash cam is mounted and working, the last big part of the installation is to neatly route the power cable around the windshield and to the car’s power port. Using the tool provided, it was relatively easy to tuck the wire in to the trim and make it look neat. Small cable clips are provided if needed to hold the wire in places where pliable trim may not be easy to find. If this dash cam is the only thing you have to plug in to that 12v cigarette lighter, then you’re all set. While that lighter plug also has an USB-A port to use for other things in the car like charging your phone, I also have a radar detector that came with a 12v cigarette lighter plug connected to its power cord, too. I tried using a standard USB-C cable to power up the dash cam by plugging it in to the radar detector’s plug but the dash cam didn’t get enough power and didn’t work. Same goes for the radar detector plugging into the dash cam’s lighter plug. Perhaps I just need to find a suitable USB-C cable that works for the dash cam, but it doesn’t appear to be a standard one. For now, I’ll just have to swap lighter plugs, but this is something that may be an issue for anyone with both a dash cam and a radar detector that both came connected to 12v cigarette lighter plugs. Usage: Under normal circumstances, the dash cam will power up with the car and immediately start loop recording. A reasonably-sized 16GB microSD card came with this dash cam so it can record quite a bit before automatically erasing the oldest recordings to make room for newer ones. You can always replace the bundled memory card with a larger one up to 256gb if needed, but you shouldn’t need to. There are only two buttons and one light on the dash cam. The main button can be used to mark recordings to be saved like in the event of an incident or just to mark something seen that should be saved. That button can also be used to manually format the memory card to keep it working smoothly. The other button turns the built-in microphone on or off for privacy. The light indicates when the dash cam is powered on, recording, etc. Everything else is available through the app. For the dash cam, the app lets you modify all settings, view recordings and check the live video. If you have the dash cam wired up to have power when your vehicle is off, it will also work when parked to monitor the car and record video in the event of a parking incident. If your car has a persistent WiFi hotspot as well, then the dash cam’s video can be remotely accessed. The app also has navigation and shared incident reports from other app users like marked radar traps, traffic cameras, etc. If your phone is connected to CarPlay in your car, that app can show its map and incidents on your car’s screen. This app does not allow access to the dash cam’s live or recorded videos through CarPlay. Your phone has to be disconnected from CarPlay for those features to work in the phone’s app. I would be nice to have access to the dash cam’s video and settings on your car’s display, but it is understandable that it doesn’t work because your phone connects to both CarPlay and the dash cam via WiFi - just not simultaneously. If you want to grab videos off the camera faster or don’t want to deal with the app and WiFi, you can easily remove the microSD card and put it in your choice of card reader. A shorter USB-C data cable is provided to connect the dash cam directly to your computer for local file access, but this 8 inch long cable is so short that you’d probably have to prop your laptop on your dash to reach to where the dash cam is mounted since the dash cam is not really meant to be removed once installed. Overall: This a basic dash cam with a tiny footprint and good video quality. Basic installation is easy but it also supports other installation methods if your needs are more advanced. It doesn’t have many of the features of higher-end models, but it definitely does the job of recording higher-quality video while driving without being a distraction to the driver. Once set up, you can essentially forget it’s even there until you need it… like any good dash cam would.

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.

The Cobra SC 120 is a tiny dash camera with impressive video quality. Because the size is so small, I was able to mount without obstructing my view or any of the other electronic items on my windshield. It also has a ball/socket joint where it connects to windshield, which allows for easy adjustments if the mount isn’t perfect (but it is very sturdy once you set the position). It also has wifi, and syncs photos/video with my phone quickly. It includes a 16GB micro SD card, but I had a 256 GB card to make sure I never miss anything. The buttons are all easily accessible and it emits sounds similar to a door bell to confirm that you are ready to go. This camera also comes with a mapping app called “Drive Smarter”. I’ve included screen shots that show the different radar bands and traffic that this app displays. I am excited to use it on longer trips as it may help me avoid a ticket. I’ve tested it against other more popular mapping apps and it has given the same suggested routes, so this is a nice bonus. I’ve never had a dash cam before, but after getting into an accident where I was rear-ended a few months ago, it had been top of mind. While the guy who hit me took full responsibility, I’ve had friends that were not so lucky. There are viral videos of people all the time that should not even be allowed to drive -- I hope I never “need” this Cobra dash cam, but I'm happy that I have it.

If anything this dash cam has going for it, it is certainly small and simple for the device. However, pretty much everything to do with it is through the Drive Smarter app, which you can use without the camera to an extent, if you want to get a feel for some of it. There are only 2 buttons on the camera, one for muting/unmuting the microphone and the other is a multi-function button for saving a clip, changing the mode to “Trip Clips”, a time lapse of a trip, or formatting the SD card. On the bright side, at least it comes with the SD card. Now, the camera is simple to install and really does have a small footprint. It even comes with extra electrostatic sheets and a main sticky pad if you decide to change positions or cars. It only has a 12v lighter adapter and plenty of cord to hide along the trim. There are other options online, such as a parking monitor wiring kit. But, where the downfall of this system is the total reliance on your smartphone and/or a nearby hotspot. Any time you want to connect to the device it has to start with Bluetooth or have to already be on a hotspot. Then, if you choose to look for videos it has to use the app to switch over to WiFi, which takes a bit, but if you already have a car hotspot and your phone and the camera are connected to it together, it goes a bit quicker. Then, you can see some snapshot previews of your recordings, but don’t swap apps or take to long, because you will lose connection and suddenly the app acts like you never had a camera. Asking you to add your vehicle, again. Closing the app out fully and then going back in may recognize the camera, but now you have to wait for the whole reconnecting to Wi-Fi, again, if it doesn’t sit there locked out for a good while. Though, a lot of the frustration can be removed if you have a constant vehicle hotspot running. Then it is essentially a network camera. Some other options in the camera settings also don’t seem to ever register, like adding a name to the watermark. With all that frustration out of the way, the quality of the video image isn’t too bad, but still hard to make out details. Even though it claims 1440p, it looks like it is just an upscaled image as I can see 1080p images from my phone much clearer. It’s still enough to identify vehicles and traffic lights. It picks up audio pretty clear, although most of mine is just the radio. Overall, if you have a vehicle hotspot that you always run and connect the camera and your phone to, it doesn’t seem all that bad. However, if you have to rely on the camera to supply the WiFi and want to do anything through the app, it is time consuming and can be frustrating. After the wait, grabbing what you need and then moving on is all I could handle. I like the other cameras where I control connecting to the WiFi so I know I have a connection and not waiting on some app to figure it out for me.

I've owned a few dashcams over the years, but never a Cobra-branded one. Like most people, I think of radar detectors when I hear Cobra, and to my surprise this dashcam has a "radar detector like" feature. More on that later. It's the smallest dashcam I've owned, which is actually a nice change. My previous ones were almost prohibitively large to be mounted on the windshield, especially as more modern cars contain cameras or some other electronics behind the rear-view mirror. With the smaller Cobra camera, it fits nicely in a crowded area of the windshield. The power cable was plenty long for my Toyota Highlander. Mounting it was simple, and I used the little clear sticker first, then the mount on that. This allows the camera to be fairly easily removed from the windshield because you remove the sticker and along with it comes the entire camera. It's by no means "portable" but you shouldn't need a 600 degree heat gun to remove it. On that note, I wish dashcam companies would make a product that's truly portable. I'd like to have a portable one I can just stick up in a rental. Maybe a suction mount? The quality is fine for me, although if you are seeking a 4k Sony Starvis sensor dashcam, this isn't it. While it is just a front-facing camera, the video quality is great, even at night, but don't expect to read license plates from a distance with it's resolution. When I mentioned "radar detector like," remember that Cobra radar-detector DNA? Well to start, the camera is "Car Play and Android Auto compatible" which I took to mean it integrated somehow into Car Play. Erm, not really as it's just a Cobra mapping app that runs and operates independent of Apple Maps/Google Maps/Waze. So there is no traffic or live re-routing, it's just a map with basic A-->B routing. I tried this app on a few drives and it is indeed pretty basic, i.e. it won't pick a route, it makes you select the desired route yourself. Maybe Google Maps has spoiled me. Nah, that's an unfair comparison since Google Maps is the gold standard and honestly can't be beat. Anyhow, finally to that "radar detector like" comment. I could definately be wrong, but I believe Cobra has radar detectors that connect to the internet to share real-time data. This data appears to be piped into the Cobra CarPlay/Android Auto mapping app since you get radar-detector alerts like "Ka Band 700ft." I can't deny that's cool, so I use the Cobra app while Google Maps does the actual navigation in the background, sending audio directions as expected. Kind of like I used to drive with Waze open for speed traps and traffic logic, but have Google Maps do the navigation work. For the features and capabilities this dashcam has, it it's MSRP, is honestly a pretty compelling option for many. If you want a rear camera, you can just run a 2nd one of these or some other low-cost dashcam mounted to the rear window. That way you are covered if someone slams into the back of you or some other incident outside of this front-facing camera. But for a dashcam that provides high-quality video, the ability to benefit from crowdsourced via iRadar app users where actual radar detectors provide alerts to this dashcam is pretty cool. I recommend this for just about anywhere, particularly if you have CarPlay or Android Auto.

Cobra's latest SC 120 Dash Cam intrigued me with it overall size and price. I always wanted to get a dash cam, as driving has become more dangerous these last few years. I have encountered some very dangerous driving situations lately. The SC 120 was my choice to test as the size, price, and feature set makes this dash cam a no brainer. the Some impressive features of the SC 120 are: QHD / HD resolution Trip Clips - time lapse videos Parking Live View - Network and Hardwire Kit needed 360 Alerts In the box: Everything needed comes packaged the box. All you really need to do beside install the dash cam, is download the app in either iOS or from the Google Play store. Compact QHD Dash Cam 16GB SD Card Cable Management Kit Temporary Install Film Power Cable Experience with SC 120 dash cam: Setting up the SC 120 took about 20 minutes in total. The setup was super easy as I choose to install the dash cam on my front windshield underneath my rearview mirror. I was able to run the data cable with the included clips to install the dash cam. This allowed the installation to remain neat and tidy. Also, everything I needed was included in the box which I really liked. Daytime image quality is impressive. Driving at night is a little hit or miss as far as image quality is concerned. As long as there is light in the designated image field of view, the video quality is pretty good. The images comes out less desirable when there is a lack of lighting. The wide 140 degree field of view, captures pretty much everything in front of you. Where the Cobra SC 120 falls short is the app experience. I'm currently using the Android version, and I've noticed several issues. When connecting to the dash cam from the app, it takes several minutes to fully connect. Sometimes the connection failed on me. I had to force close the app and restart it on several occasions. I saved several clips to the cloud and I have been unable to access them from my drive smarter online account. The website shows no videos available. Maybe some of these issues within the app can be resolved by a firmware update. I am able to access all I still think the Cobra SC 120 is a must buy for budget conscious buyers that's in the market for a quality dash cam with a lot of premium features. I like this dash cam so much, I will get get another one for my other vehicle.

The presentation was very simple looking. Not too many items or accessories, just what u see in the shared pic. Which leads to the setup, it was very simple to do. All you have to download the app and register. To power it on, just plug it into the 12v port in your car. It’s a usb-c cable might I add and it has a transfer cable. The size is compact, smaller in person from what I thought, which is good for discretion and its very lightweight. After plugging in the SC120, you have to add your vehicle before you’re able to add the device. There will be a firmware update but that goes fast. After you are finally connected, you are good to go. All of this is done on the app. I did a small test and to capture the scenery u want, u just click the action button once and it automatically saves in the app. Overall, it definitely is compact and unnoticeable and very transferable, depending if u are going to use it in different cars, and it’s not in the way while plugged into the 12v. Enjoy capturing and don’t forget your SD card!

This Cobra SC 120 Dash Cam is a great entry level camera to have for documentation for your drives. This may be a smaller sized and concise camera package, but it does the overall job well with what it offers and the features included. The dash cam has a maximum video playback quality of QHD 1440P video resolution, and can also be scaled down to a lesser resolution if you choose to. This dash cam is different than most since it does not have a screen for visibility and controls. Primarily you'll need to utilize the Drive Smarter Cobra mobile app, which is available on both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. I'm using the Apple CarPlay version paired with my iPhone. Since this dash cam is smaller it makes it a more compact footprint on the driver's windshield which allows for less obstruction of view from the driver or passenger seat. Once you get this up and running, you'll rely mainly on the Cobra mobile app for all your reporting and guidance features. You can use this Drive Smarter app much like a GPS similar to the more popular app based GPS systems. What I noticed with the Drive Smarter app is that it has community based alerts that will notify you of police spotted or laser radar to allow you awareness of what may be around you. Playback and viewing is done via connecting the app to the camera over wifi, and then you can view the recordings on your smartphone. Easily download any clips you need from your dash cam to your phone storage album. This proves to be helpful especially if you get into an accident and need documentation to provide. Overall the app is easy to use and allows for some basic settings and functions to operate your dash cam. Included within the package is the actual dash camera, power cable (USB-C), temporary install film, cable management kit/tool, and a 16GB micro SD card. The only thing that would have made this better would have been an included suction cup style mount for more flexibility in case I need to move it from one vehicle to the next. All in all I think this dash cam is a great addition to any vehicle for safety and peace of mind. It offers the basic function of recording and documenting video in forward facing form, but also gives you the Drive Smarter app ability to be aware of speed traps or police on the GPS.

Good video quality and love tge size. Idk why all dash cam apps are trash but this one is a little less trash. Biggest issue I have is no matter what I do the time will not sync so it says im recording in June for some reason

The only thing I don’t like is in order to view the pictures on my phone. It requires me to turn off my CarPlay. So I just pulled the SD out and use a card reader to view them on my phone.

The size is great it fits perfect next to the toll pass and out of my line of sight. Only issue, I have to format the memory card Every Time it powers up. It only takes 5sec. But still annoying.

Great video and sound quality. Unfortunately we could only access the footage using a laptop as it has poor bluetooth connectivity.The DriveSmart app seems to have some bugs that haven’t been fixed. 2/5, might recommend to someone who wouldn’t mind not being able to access footage from a phone.

Easy to install. Had no issues setting up. Great resolution.

Good view at night, I recommend it, good price, easy to use, does not need much space on the windshield.

Love this camera! Sometimes it takes a while to connect to the app but its worth the money for sure.

Love this product! It was easy to install. I love that it’s compact. It automatically deletes after a few days. You also have the option to save a recording on your phone.

I like this cam recorder. I would recommend to anyone

Easy installation,easy to use app and the discreteness is amazing