The Vantrue OnDash S2 3CH is an advanced dash cam with lots of added features that will help you keep safe on the road. Each of the three lenses has an angle of view of 160°, with the front-facing camera able to record 2560 x 1440p at 30fps while the rear and internal cameras can record in 1080 x 1080p.
It can be used in any car, although the Vantrue OnDash S2 3CH does very much feel like it's more suited to a left-hand drive car due to the position of the ports – and the wires connecting it to the rear camera and power outlet are incredibly long.
Vantrue OnDash S2 3CH: Specifications
Lens: Front 160°, Inside 160°, Rear 160°
Front + Cabin + Rear resolution: 2.5K1440p + 1080p + 1080p (HDR) 30fps
Front + Cabin recording mode: 2.5K 1440p + 1080p 30fps
Single Front recording mode: 2560x1440p 30fps
Audio: Built-in microphone and speaker
Memory: 32GB-512GB microSD Class 10 (not included in the box)
Video File Format: MP4
USB Port: Type C
See also our guide to Best 3 channel dash cams
Vantrue OnDash S2 3CH: Key Features
The main feature of the Vantrue OnDash S2 CH3 is its ability to record HD video from three perspectives. It's easy to change between recording modes; simply tap the touch screen and you can cycle through front only, front and internal, or front, rear and internal (there is no option to just record front and rear).
It has built-in GPS tracking to monitor your location and speed (in either mph or k/h) and location. There is a Vantrue Cam app that you can download to your phone or tablet, which can save videos automatically to your device, and the G sensor is able to pick up whether you've been involved in a crash.
When driving at night, the front and rear cameras benefit from a Sony Starvus CMOS sensor and HDR technology, enabling it to capture high-quality video even in low light. The internal camera also has four infrared LED lights that illuminate the driver and passengers, making it perfect for taxi drivers.
There is also a parking mode, which might sound misleading – it doesn't actually help you park – but when hardwired it means the camera will start recording as soon as it detects movement, regardless of whether the engine is on. So if someone drives into you while parked, it should give you some idea as to who the culprit is. You need to purchase the hardwiring kit separately, as the Vantrue doesn't have an internal battery.
Vantrue OnDash S2 3CH: Build and handling
The Vantrue OnDash S2 3CH features a sensitive, high-quality touchscreen that can be set to auto power-off so that it doesn't distract you when driving. Each of the lenses is able to rotate through roughly 45°, so that you can make sure they're aligned correctly with the road.
Following the instructions in the manual, I cleaned my windscreen with water, made sure it was dry and attached the electrostatic sticker. I then peeled off the sticker and stuck the dashcam to my windscreen and while it felt like it was firmly stuck on, two days later it fell off while I was driving.
While the device does feel well made, it doesn't seem like it's really designed for right-hand drive cars due to where the USB-C ports are. When stuck on my windscreen the wires seem to come out of the "wrong side", making it much harder to neatly secure them.
In the diagram it shows that you can neatly tuck them down the side and across the passenger's dash, but in reality you'd need the wires coming out of the left-hand side to do this neatly. It would also benefit from having an L-shaped USB-C cable for the rear camera so it's much easier to plug in. Initially, I stuck the dash cam on too far up my windshield so couldn't get the rear wire in.
Vantrue OnDash S2 3CH: Performance
The Vantrue OnDash S2 3CH required a microSD card (not included) up to 512GB, which is days and days worth of recording. The front-facing camera is able to record in high-quality 2K while the rear and internal cameras can record in 1080p, which is still very good quality at 30fps.
Setting up the camera is really easy and once it's secured to your windscreen you won't ever really have to go into the settings – unless you want to disable the G sensor, enable night mode and so on. As soon as your engine is switched on the dashcam will start recording, and if it's hardwired it will continue to record even when parked.
Vantrue OnDash S2 3CH: Verdict
The Vantrue OnDash S2 CH3 isn't the cheapest dash cam by any means, but it is fairly advanced – and the wider touchscreen display makes it easy to see. Its recording capabilities are pretty impressive, the video is crisp and clear from each camera and covers a wide angle of view.
Built-in WiFi and GPS are really useful features, and being able to review footage on your phone makes life a lot easier – especially if you find yourself involved in a crash where you need to send off footage to an insurance company.
The dashcam itself is a good size but the wires it comes with are so incredibly long that it's hard to stash them away neatly – and if you're anything like me, this will drive you mad. There's nothing I hate more than looking at the messy wires, so it might be a case of having to replace the USB-C cables with shorter ones.
It is a very good dash cam, it looks smart, has some really useful safety features and is really easy to set up. If it's something you're going to use every day it's well worth the money, but if you don't use your car all that often you might be better off with something a bit more basic.
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