Should you buy the Thinkware T700 dash cam?

With the national lockdown restrictions eased but international travel plans still all over the place, 2021 is the year of the road trip. We've always thought one of the best car accessories to take on a road trip is a dash cam, and, luckily for you, Thinkware has just launched one of the most advanced dash cams out there – the Thinkwarere T700. 

What makes the T700 so advanced? It features a brand new Thinkware Connected Service feature, enabled by the Vodafone Smart SIM, which boasts a number of key capabilities, chief among which is the ability to tune into your dash cam from anywhere in the world.

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But, should you but the new Thinkware T700 dash cam? We've taken a look to find out…

Thinkware T700 dash cam: Design

The Thinkware T700 dash cam is a very discrete little package indeed, it's designed to sit neatly behind your rear view mirror and silently record without being noticed.

The T700 measures 110mm x 60.4mm x 32.2mm, and doesn't feature a distracting screen, instead you'll have to view any recorded footage from the smartphone app or by inserting the microSD card into your laptop.

There are five buttons, one large record button, a voice recording button, Wi-Fi button, SOS button, and last but not least, the power button.

The bracket for the dash cam is attached to the windscreen using a 3M sticky pad, and the T700 slides smoothly into the mount. Once in place, the lens can be angled, allowing you can capture the perfect view of the road ahead.

The power cable needs to be hardwired into your car's fusebox, so it constantly gets power even when the vehicle's ignition is turned off.

Thinkware T700 dash cam: Price

You can find the best prices for the Thinkware T700 dash cam below:

Thinkware T700 dash cam: Features

As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, the Thinkware T700 can do more than the average dash cam. 

With the Thinkware Connected Service, monitoring, downloading, and accessing recorded footage has never been easier through the dedicated Thinkware Connected app. 

The camera can be managed locally via WiFi using the Thinkware Link app, to change camera settings, review and download footage as well as update the firmware and speed camera database.

So far, that's really nothing new, but this dash cam also features an LTE connection, which enables a host of innovative safety features which we've listed below:

• Remote live view: a feature that enables users to view real-time footage of their vehicles in both ‘continuous recording mode’ and ‘parking mode’.
• Real-time parking impact video: a feature capable of detecting all forms of vehicle contact and relaying footage of incidents directly to users via notifications on the Thinkware Connected app.
• Emergency contact messaging: In the event of an emergency due to an accident, the location and alarm information is automatically communicated via an SOS message or manually via the SOS button on the dash cam via SMS to the registered mobile emergency contact number.
• Vehicle status & driving history: a feature that monitors the vehicle’s motion status including vehicle battery voltage check. This also includes the monitoring of driving history with data analytics on driving behaviour and travel history such as date, time, and distance of journeys. The camera can also be switched off remotely.
• Captured the image of the most recent parking location: in Parking Mode, this feature enables users to view vehicle location through the dash cam’s front and rear-view cameras at Full-HD quality.
• Remote firmware data update: with this feature, users can conveniently upgrade and update their firmware and speed cam data remotely to enhance dash cam features and maintain optimal operation.

These features are enabled by a Vodafone Smart SIM, which will work in over 90 countries with roaming included at no extra cost. The SIM is designed specifically for use in smart tech devices and you don’t need to be an existing Vodafone customer.

In addition to this, the T700 also boasts road safety features that include a safety camera alert system, front vehicle departure warning and lane departure warning systems, a forward-collision warning system, and a low-speed forward-collision warning system, to ensure greater road safety for drivers.

Thinkware T700 dash cam: Performance

The T700 also offers an expansive view of the road with 1080p full HD resolution and a wide 140-degree field of view front and rear (if you also have the Thnkview Rear camera). 

In addition to this, you can also benefit from the dash cam’s Super Night Vision feature that comes with real-time image signal processing that enhances the brightness of night time parking footage. 

On the topic of parking, the T700 enables you to make the most of its feature-rich Parking Mode that includes, Motion and Impact Detection or time-lapse recording plus Energy Saving Parking Recording which reduces energy consumption by 60%.

1080p resolution is okay for a range-topping dash cam, and certainly makes it easier to download and view footage, but if you're looking for higher resolution footage there are dash cams that offer 4K recording.

Thinkware T700 dash cam: Verdict

This Thinkware T700 is a very impressive dash cam with a long list of features. We love that it removes the reliance on having your smartphone with you all the time – it just sits behind the rearview mirror and works.

We would have liked to have seen a 4K recording option, but our MicroSD card, wallet, and laptop graphics card are happy that it maxes out at 1080p.

The T700 connected dash cam is available now and is priced for a 1CH with a 16GB SD card at £269, and for a 2CH with a 32GB SD card £349.

A Vodafone Smart SIM costs £3 per month in the UK for Thinkware Dash cam users.

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