Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam review: small and light, but potent too

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The Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam is fantabulous worth for money. Given its affordable value point, nan Piqo does what nan immense mostly of users want and captures clean, crisp and mostly clear footage. It’s easy to spot nan quality successful value erstwhile its footage put alongside video from nan much muscular Nextbase iQ, but that’s a overmuch much precocious and higher-spec model. Anyone wanting a dash cam that's elemental to group up and use, pinch footage that tin beryllium quickly utilized successful nan arena of an incident, will find nan Nextbase Piqo nan cleanable low-cost option.

Pros

  • +

    Compact and easy to install

  • +

    Decent video and an app to match

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    Keenly priced for nan characteristic set

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    Clearly displayed information successful shot

Cons

  • -

    No integral rear video screen

  • -

    Audio proved patchy successful testing

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    Some limitations owed to nan specification

Why you tin spot TechRadar We walk hours testing each merchandise aliases work we review, truthful you tin beryllium judge you’re buying nan best. Find retired much astir really we test.

Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam: two-minute review

Nextbase is simply a good known marque sanction successful nan world of dash cams, and 1 of its caller models, nan Nextbase iQ smart dash cam, was a existent measurement guardant successful position of providing shooting potency on pinch a bevy of superb features. While it’s small wonderment that that exemplary presently tops our database of nan best dash cams, different awesome caller summation to its lineup is nan Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam, which is akin to a ‘Lite’ version of nan Nextbase iQ bruiser.

This is simply a much basal offering, but that’s not to opportunity it should beryllium overlooked. In fact, anyone wanting a straightforward, non-nonsense dash cam that tin seizure awesome video but needs very small effort erstwhile it comes to nan installation portion should surely see it. The Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam is keenly priced, and while it doesn’t person a rear screen, which mightiness put immoderate off, nan supporting Nextbase app much than makes up for that.

If anything, utilizing nan Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam on pinch nan app makes this compact exemplary moreover much appealing. The different appealing facet of this exemplary is its dainty shape factor. It’s overmuch smaller and lighter than nan Nextbase iQ, which intends it's hardly noticeable erstwhile mounted conscionable successful beforehand of nan rear-view mirror. However, contempt its diminutive stature, nan Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam packs a reasonable punch erstwhile it comes to performance, pinch galore of nan aforesaid smart features and functions recovered connected nan Nextbase iQ squeezed into a much compact design.

The Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam is speedy and easy to fit. It tin beryllium powered utilizing nan supplied 12V plug connector, while anyone wanting a much imperishable fixture tin bargain an optional hardwire kit, which mightiness require master installation if meddling pinch car electrics isn’t your thing. Either way, each of nan fitting kit is wrong nan box, including nan 12V cablegram and connector, windscreen stickers, and a instrumentality for pushing nan cablegram down trim panels.

While nan 1K HD type of nan Piqo is cheap, and delivers decent video that's somewhat amended than 1080p acknowledgment to nan 2560 x 1080 pixel solution and 140-degree section of view, nan exemplary to spell for is nan 2K, which boasts 2560 x 1440 pixels and a 145-degree section of view. Price-conscious purchasers will find it much than suitable, moreover compared to nan high-end musculus of nan 4K Nextbase iQ. It’s an perfect compromise.

While nan Nextbase iQ is an always-connected camera, nan Piqo tin beryllium simply plugged into nan 12V socket, but location are optional pro instal cablegram and nan link cablegram kits disposable to unlock precocious features for illustration nan smart parking functionality to seizure immoderate car parkland mishaps. Additional smart features are coming wrong nan Piqo, but they’re not rather arsenic potent arsenic nan iQ’s.

Nextbase has a subscription exemplary for enhancing nan wide look and consciousness of nan Piqo, pinch its ‘Protect’ scheme emotion for illustration reasonable worth for £29.99 per year. There’s a free ‘Solo’ subscription too, which is leaner but lets users adhd a customized overlay aliases ‘skin’ to video clips. Standard footage still gets nan use of travel information anyway, pinch nan likes of date, clip and velocity each shown successful a bully typeface astatine nan ft of nan video clip.

Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam

(Image credit: Future)

Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam: value and availability

The Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam is arsenic easy to bargain arsenic it is to instal acknowledgment to nan worldwide beingness of this brand. It tin beryllium purchased from nan Nextbase website, and from starring online and bricks-and-mortar retailers. There are 2 versions to consider, depending connected your needs. The 1K (HD 1080p) version costs $129.99 / £99 / AU$199, while nan beefier 2K (HD 1440p) exemplary retails for $149.99 / £119 / $299. Even nan much costly exemplary is little than half nan value of nan Nextbase iQ, which is disposable from $399.99 / £349.99.

Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam: specs

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Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam 2K / 1K specs
Video2K 2560 x 1440p / Piqo 1K 2560 x 1080p
Field of position (FOV)145 /140 degrees
StorageMicroSD up to 512GB, not included
GPSYes
Parking modeYes, pinch changeless powerfulness cable, not included
App supportNextbase Mobile app
Dimensions3.2 x 4 x 10.8cm
Weight2.57oz / 72.5g
BatteryNo

Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam: Design

The main entreaty of nan Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam is its compact shape facet – it's overmuch smaller than nan chunky Nextbase iQ, and location are a fewer different rival dash cam models that are likewise svelte. The Piqo really stands retired acknowledgment to its mini and lightweight construction, and it's a good-looking instrumentality too, pinch a soft achromatic integrative main lawsuit that comes pinch nan mounting bracket already attached. The creation and build value consciousness each spot arsenic bully arsenic different Nextbase models, but nan lightness of nan Piqo is striking, particularly compared to nan Nextbase iQ.

Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam

(Image credit: Future)

Inside nan container are fixed sheets for nan windscreen. These alteration nan Piqo to beryllium fixed to nan solid without nan request for putting nan very sticky 3M self-adhesive pad straight connected nan glass, which is useful if nan camera needs to beryllium moved to different conveyance from clip to time. A slot for nan microSD paper is connected 1 broadside of nan case, and a connector socket for nan powerfulness cablegram sits connected nan other. The camera lens sits connected nan beforehand of nan unit, while a information LED connected nan backmost glows aliases pulses depending connected what nan Piqo is doing during setup and operation. Power is supplied simply by plugging nan camera into a vehicle's 12V powerfulness socket, via nan supplied cablegram and adaptor, though arsenic mentioned an optional hardwire kit is available.

Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam

(Image credit: Future)

Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam: Performance

The Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam is an perfect action for anyone who wants a dashcam that has nan imaginable to beryllium much adjuvant than conscionable videoing nan roadworthy ahead, but arsenic useful perfectly good without unlocking its other imaginable if it’s not needed. Considering nan inexpensive and cheerful value point, nan 2K exemplary delivers very respectable footage, and worked peculiarly good during grim and grey autumnal days during testing successful nan UK. There are compromises, of course, particularly erstwhile comparing footage to that from nan 4K Nextbase iQ.

A assortment of footage captured by nan Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam revealed that it's very capable, pinch nan use of travel information being captured and displayed on nan bottommost of nan footage for bully measure. Audio seemed to beryllium little impressive, pinch an occasional crackle coming successful trial footage, though truthful acold I've not been capable to find if this is thing to do pinch nan trial car itself aliases nan dash cam unit. It surely shouldn't beryllium capable to put anyone disconnected buying nan Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam.

Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam

(Image credit: Future)

Capturing footage is simplicity itself, pinch a setup process that's beautiful overmuch plug-and-play, and which is completed by downloading nan Nextbase app (for iOS aliases Android). The app is impressive, though interestingly, erstwhile plugged successful nan Piqo gets connected pinch signaling footage during journeys moreover if nan app setup hasn’t been completed. Anyone who's not bothered pinch mounting up accounts and entering login specifications mightiness find this appealing, but added worth comes from nan Nextbase subscription options outlined above.

Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam

(Image credit: Future)

A subscription gives you entree to other features for illustration SOS, Guardian Mode, Witness Mode and Smart Parking, albeit successful Lite versions compared to those recovered connected nan Nextbase iQ. The free Solo subscription offers Smart Parking, Guardian Mode Lite, Witness Mode Lite, entree to nan Piqo Mobile app and sound control, positive 30 days of unreality storage. Optional kits to move nan Piqo into an always-on dash cam are available, and adding nan Protect subscription gets you 180 days of unreality retention and emergency SOS functionality, on pinch an other 2 years warranty.

The Nextbase iQ offers an illustration of really useful nan other features tin be, but nan reality is that galore budget-conscious dash-cam buyers are looking for a elemental measurement to seizure nan roadworthy ahead, and for specified users this is simply a dash cam that's elemental to group up and offers awesome worth for money. In fact, that’s really nan principle of nan Piqo's appeal: it’s no-nonsense, and each nan amended for it.

Should you bargain nan Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam?

Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam

(Image credit: Future)

Buy it if...

You want simplicity
The Nextbase Piqo is wonderfully speedy and easy to group up. It tin beryllium plugged successful and configured successful minutes, pinch powerfulness supplied via a cablegram from nan 12V socket recovered successful nan mostly of vehicles.

You mightiness want other features
The beauty of this dash cam is its simplicity, but pinch a subscription upgrade and a changeless powerfulness proviso nan Nextbase Piqo offers a wealthiness of precocious features including parking surveillance.

You emotion an app
Controlling nan Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam is champion done via nan Nextbase mobile app, which is cleanable for managing video contented and tweaking those further features if they’ve been configured.

Don't bargain it if...

You for illustration a rear screen
The Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam is simply a compact model, and arsenic a consequence there's nary rear screen. Setup has to beryllium done successful tandem pinch nan Nextbase app, truthful there’s fundamentally thing connected nan camera portion speech from a microSD paper slot and powerfulness port.

You want 4K video
The Nextbase Piqo comes successful 2 exemplary variants, pinch nan cheapest exemplary offering 1K and nan somewhat much costly version boasting 2K video. Both are bully for mundane monitoring. However, much discerning video fans mightiness for illustration nan crispness delivered by nan 4K of nan premium Nextbase iQ.

You want to debar a subscription
To get nan champion from nan Nextbase Piqo you'll want to return retired a subscription. The paid action costs £29.99 per year, and offers much functionality and much unreality storage.

How I tested nan Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam

  • I installed nan dash cam into a trial car for a group play of time
  • I utilized it for respective journeys during some time and night
  • I connected it to my telephone and downloaded recordings for comparison

I lived pinch nan Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam for a week aft installing it successful a conveyance I was besides testing. Following group up and installation, I past powered up nan dash cam immoderate clip I did a journey, which meant it was utilized during daylight hours and aft acheronian too. I tested nan Nextbase Piqo Dash Cam utilizing nan 12V plug successful powerfulness option, alternatively than nan much imperishable difficult wiring route. However, speech from not having nan ever connected powerfulness functionality, I sewage to research each of nan disposable features of nan 'Free' subscription option.

  • First reviewed November 2024
Rob Clymo

Rob Clymo has been a tech journalist for much years than he tin really remember, having started retired successful nan wacky world of people magazines earlier discovering nan powerfulness of nan internet. Since he's been all-digital he has tally nan Innovation transmission during a fewer years astatine Microsoft arsenic good arsenic turning retired regular news, reviews, features and different contented for nan likes of TechRadar, TechRadar Pro, Tom's Guide, Fit&Well, Gizmodo, Shortlist, Automotive Interiors World, Automotive Testing Technology International, Future of Transportation and Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology International. In nan uncommon moments he's not moving he's usually retired and astir connected 1 of galore e-bikes successful his collection.

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