Over the weekend, PC Worx sent to us a sample of the Transcend TS16GDP230M DrivePro 230, a high-quality dashboard camera by Transcend. There are tons of dashboard cameras (dashcams) available already, and a lot of cheaper, China-made ones do not even hit Php 1,000 mark.
At a retail price of Php 7,399, The Transcend DrivePro 230 is definitely on the more pricier side. Thus, we were expecting a whole LOT of value for this particular product. Thankfully, from the initial unboxing, it looks like we won’t be disappointed.
PACKAGING
The packaging highlights a few features which Transcend wanted to differentiate from the others: Wifi-Live Streaming, GPS, Emergency Recording, and Enhanced Night View. These features alone make the Transcend DrivePro 230 stand out from the rest of the cheaper options. Night View is especially important, as most accidents happen at night time anyway.
PACKAGE CONTENTS
- Transcend DrivePro 230
- Transcend 16GB High-Endurance microSD
- Windshield mount (suction-type)
- Charging Cable
- Manual, Quick Install Guide
So far the package seems pretty standard compared to other dashcams available. We appreciated the fact that it includes a High-Endurance card from Transcend, as the heat directly hitting dashcams will likely affect data storage integrity.
The main unit itself looks sturdier than other dashcams. The material used might seem cheap at first, but it feels fitting to use this type of plastic for this kind of product since dashcams are usually more prone to absorbing heat. Anything rubberized will definitely melt quickly, and anything metallic will absorb heat much faster. Build quality is definitely much better than other similar competitors, and we definitely felt its heft compared to other smaller models.
INSTALLATION
Using the dashcam is pretty straightforward – just insert the memory card, plug in the charging cable, and you’re all set! The charging cable is angled upwards, but it’s probably because the cable is meant to hang from the upper part of the windshield rather than straight down.
When we started the car, the DrivePro 230 automatically turned on. Default resolution is Full HD (FHD) and recordings are set at 5-min limits. This means that the dashcam will record 5 mins worth of video, then record another 5 minutes of video. You can set it in intervals of 1 and 3 minutes as well.
Haven’t really played or tested this yet, so wait for our full review soon!