Customer Ratings & Reviews

I think the Nextbase iQ 4K Smart Dash Cam with 4G/LTE and GPS is a clear step forward from previous Nextbase models with a more connected and smarter thanks to its 4G/LTE features. These new capabilities open up great possibilities, though they also come with the trade-off of a monthly subscription. For me, after the trial period, the real question will be whether the ability to access camera functions remotely (when my phone isn’t in the car) justifies that extra cost. I drive a large SUV and had been using a previous Nextbase camera for about three years. Moving to this new model was, for me, a step in three directions and one expectation: 1.- Better video quality. 2.- The ability to record from three views — front, passengers, and rear. 3.- Easier access to recordings through an improved app. 4.- And, ideally, a complete installation kit that wouldn’t require hiring an installer. I’m glad to say all four expectations were met. 1.- The main unit combines front and interior cameras in one piece, both shooting in 4K with a wide 140° view. Mounted near the rearview mirror, it captures everything from the road ahead to the passengers (even the third row in my SUV). 2.- With the rear camera added, all three views record simultaneously. In the app, you can switch between them with a tap very intuitive. 3.- The new iQ app is a big improvement. The initial setup took me longer than expected, about 30 minutes (linking via QR code and updating firmware wasn’t instant), but once done, the connection is solid. I can access and download clips, send messages to the car, and adjust sensitivity or alerts remotely. As of today (10/10/25), all looks great except one feature called “Roadwatch A.I.” is still marked coming soon. 4.- Installation was straightforward because everything you need is in the two boxes (for the front and the rear cameras). I powered my frontal camera via the OBD port and followed a couple of YouTube videos to hide the cable. The back camera is powered with the front camera. The result looks cleaner than the setup for my previous camera, which used the cigarette lighter. Now, all that positive has in my view a few trade-offs worth noting: a.- Subscription: The camera technically works without one, but most of useful features are locked behind the paid plan. The messaging about “solo protect” being enough is, in my opinion, misleading. Please note that I called the technical support to confirm that: "the "solo' option will give you access to recordings by reading directly the memory card in your laptop".  b.- Credit card requirement: Even though the first month is free, I don’t like having to enter my payment info right away before deciding if I’ll keep the service. c.- Mount type: The new adhesive mount is solid, but you only get one shot at positioning it correctly, unlike the old suction cup. d.- Warranty: For the price, a one-year warranty feels short, especially when my older model still works perfectly after years of use. Overall, if car security and connectivity are priorities and the subscription fits your budget (maybe even offset by an insurance discount), this is a great option. But if you prefer a one-time purchase without ongoing costs, one of the earlier models might be a better fit.

I’ve been use the Nextbase iQ for about a week now. Here’s the short version: amazing footage (can’t be 4K), advanced features, but some rough edges (and extra costs, oh yeah, subscriptions). The video quality for the front camera is on point, and what you’d expect from 4K. It captures everything in with good detail. I’ve used it during the day and at night… both have gotten good video. The rear camera (when it works…) also looks great, and the GPS tagging is fast and accurate. Build quality feels premium — this thing is solid, like it belongs in a luxury car. I drive a Lexus… though not a very expensive one… that counts right? The voice alerts and smart parking features are slick, and I really like the emergency SOS function for peace of mind since I didn’t keep that with my car services. Now, my only real complaint — reliability and cost creep. The rear camera likes to drop out every now and then, which is frustrating when you’re paying top dollar. Firmware updates help, but it’s still finicky and haven’t completely resolved the issues for me. Also, a lot of the fancy “smart” options (remote live view, cloud storage, AI detection, etc.) require the upgraded subscriptions. Without paying monthly, you lose a lot of what makes this system unique. Not a deal-breaker, but it feels a bit like buying a sports car and then finding out cruise control costs extra. Setup was straightforward; the app is decent, though not perfect. It took me a few tries to get everything paired and updated, but once it’s running, it’s mostly smooth sailing. Hardwiring is definitely recommended. This thing draws more power than your average dash cam. Excellent overall. Easily one of the best-looking and smartest dash cams I’ve used. Just wish the rear cam was a little more reliable and the premium features didn’t nickel-and-dime you with subscriptions.

The Nextbase IQ XR dash cam bundle is a good way to add an additional source or security to your vehicle. The install can be a simple as plug and play with your vehicles OBD port and maybe a little more challenging such as adding the power source from one of you fuses in the fuse box. After that your next challenge will be what to do with all the cables and how to hide them. Simple enough I should say. The install process is guided by the app when you first start it up. Overall mounting is as simple as a double-sided tape. It feels very stable however the front vie camera can be a little bulky and heavy so time will tell how long it will last on that that hot windshield. The front camera portion has a camera to that will record the front and inside of the vehicle. The rear view is to be mounted in the back part of your vehicle to record the back as you drive. The local video files can be accessed by a memory card in the camera, however if you want any other future you have to pay for a subscription. You can always check their pricing online to give you an idea of the current pricing. With the subscription base you will be able to receive alerts and view a live feed, otherwise all date will be stored on the memory card. Overall, I rated 4 out of 5 just because the features are very limited on the free plan. An idea would be to add a free feature that would allow you to access video files from the memory card while you are connected to the same network. However, I do have to say it was niccelybuilt little things here and there that can be corrected but overall, this is a great bundle.

The Nextbase iQ 4K Smart Dash Cam Bundle with Cabin Cam and Rear Window Cam is a conundrum to me. It wants to be so much and I wish that it could be what it intends to be, but as it is, it is a lot of extreme frustration. The setup is easy. To start, the dash cam/cabin cam unit is powered by either your vehicle's OBD port or via the fusebox. I chose to use the OBD port. The bundle comes with the necessary hardware for your choice of setup. Once plugged in, the camera chimed on and I thought I was ready to go. Apparently at that point I didn't have a good enough signal to do the needed update. A screen came up suggesting I drive around until I have good coverage. I drove all around my neighborhood and every time I saw that it was downloading the update, I would pullover to get it done. Every single time it would download the update, but it would not install the update. I don't know if it ever did install it. I did drive around to do some errands and I could get nothing to come up on my phone screen for the live-view, and I could not get anything in the library to display either, so I assumed it was not recording. Is it supposed to record 24/7? Is there a setting I can change for that? I couldn't find anything for this. When I parked at my destination, the camera showed me it was in Parking Mode and I was thrilled to see that. However, after I pulled out of the parking spot, the camera wouldn't come back on! I did come to find the files from my drive did eventually go to the library. But only the files up until I parked and nothing from after that. What I did see was quality - it recorded the front in 4K and the cabin in 2K and the videos were very clear. I could clearly hear myself singing in those videos as well! I realized there is a delay from the time of recording to the time it gets uploaded to the app to see. There is a monthly subscription fee that includes cloud storage and 4G among other things and is really necessary to be able to record videos. Because of the lack of connectivity that didn't allow the Nextbase iQ 4K Smart Dash Cam Bundle with Cabin Cam and Rear Window Cam to perform as expected, this is a no-go for me. Perhaps it is because I live in the Pacific Northwest I don't get proper reception? I really don't know and it is possible that this could work where you are. There are a lot of features that this dash cam has and I would have loved to be able to try them out. If this dash cam bundle worked as it was supposed to, I would love this thing!

The Nextbase iQ 4K is an outstanding dash cam - especially the capture quality, where it matters most for me. The captures are really excellent, even at night. The detail is impressive enough to reliably pick up important information like license plate numbers, which is the entire point of a security camera like this. (As a bonus, I recently shared some fall foliage footage on a particularly scenic drive. I'm not a content creator or anything, but it was a big hit with my extended family.) I was pleased with the physical setup. The unit is sleek and minimal, and I was initially worried about it blocking my eyeline, but it blended in as just another part of the dash almost immediately. Installation was straightforward using the OBD power connection. Although it's not a pass-through and has to be unplugged when the car is serviced, that hasn't been a material inconvenience. Connecting the camera to the app was just as easy. Where the iQ gets crowded is the feature list. There are a lot of functions in the app, and many of them are redundant with my car's built-in driver and parking assistance systems. For owners of older models without those features, I think the advanced alerts and monitoring would be valuable. For me, there's a bunch of extra stuff to scroll through. I do appreciate having the GPS tracking and geofencing alerts as another layer of intel in case of theft or an incident, even if a bad actor would probably figure out how to unplug the unit first. I initially sweated a bit over the camera not having horizontal swivel—it only moves vertically and front-to-back—but I didn't have any trouble getting it perfectly positioned, so that turned out to be a non-issue. Overall, the superb video quality and the peace of mind that comes with it are worth the investment, even if the comprehensive feature set is more than I strictly need.

Expensive but offers peace of mind. Like that it comes on when senses motion close to car and that loads to the cloud.