Viofo has since upgraded the heatsink over the first few A119 Minis. The version you buy now should handle heat better than the one I tested in this video. 👍 geni.us/ViofoA119Mini
You are undoubtedly a talented reviewer and know how to describe a product’s ins and outs. I appreciate all your reviews and look forward to watching more videos by you. Thank you very much for your helpful advice-greetings from Verona - Italy.
Great review, have bought the mini off your recommendation. My unit is hotter than other dash cams I've had, looking forward to any updates. Two things I've noticed out of the box: 1) the moving g sensor is really too sensitive. It will activate seemingly randomly on dirt roads without anything unique occurring. I'm on the lowest sensitivity setting, and would like an even lower setting. My previous Costco Cobra unit was on a stalk,maybe that gave it more flexibility than this one connected directly to the windshield. 2) Wi-Fi playback on Android is silent even with sound recording switched on. I haven't seen any settings to enable sound on playback, maybe this is a bug.
Another advantage of the V3 is that if you already have an old dashcam it'll probably also be a USBmini powered one so you won't need to mess around with new wiring if you need to buy a new one.
FIRST! (Edit) Thank you vortex for you informative videos, because of your channel I now have a Uniden R8 with a mirror tap and blend mount and a viofo t130 dash cam that I'm getting installed. I wouldn't have known about any of these options without your channel!
Opinion; I think the Viofo is an excellent Dash Cam. 1st No battery, which prevents the Camera from Imploding in the Hot Southern Arizona Sun{my 1st cameras did just that}. the A119 which is a bout 8 years old, is still going strong as my Rear Camera, I also Have 2 A119S Cams, that are approx 6-7 years old{1 went bad, BUT the Factoring sent me a New improved one). Now I just purchased a A119V3, and yes the Video is Sharper, and if your a Night time driver this unit Really shines.and its a 2K.. Oh as a Reminder, While recording, if you If you quickly push the Menu button it takes a Photo like of a License Plate.
I have A119 V3 but looks like usability is significantly improved in Mini.- Emergency button, mount, etc And Mini 2 with IMX675 and Voice Control should be even better! Thanks for the review
Still not sure if opt for mini or v3. Its a 30 bucks difference. Wifi would be nice and also usb-c. But overheating concerns me. Anyway i am not living in a constant hot environment. Its just a few months so.
Great review thanks! It would be great if you can compare parking mode g g-sensor sensitivity. I have A119 V3 and my car was slightly hit and scratched few times already but that was not enough to trigger the recording. I have set to high sensitivity and have to hit my car pretty strong to activate it.
I would have liked you to go more in depth into the differences between the cameras. Was there any difference in low-light performance and motion blur?
That Mini sliding to the right and SD card on the right will be a right pain in the butt for Right Hand Drive cars, where the dashcam is mounted to the left of the mirror housing.!
AUG 2023.. my A119V2 just failed... had a good run and might be my SDcard.. Does one need to buy the hard wire kit to be able to engage the parking mode? Or does the capacitor hold power to run the unit while parked for an hour? Great video BTW! I will probably go with the V3.
Thank you so much for the in-depth review, one thing I was lacking was no video comparision. From those little clips I didn't find it as great as A119v3 at all. I'd also like to know, what is the main selling point of this instead of the ''mini'' aspect, when you can buy A129 Plus (single), which is by comparision basically A119v3 but with WiFi and possibility to add rear cam and even works with that BT button. Or am I missing something?
Oh yeah I ran both cams at the same time, but forgot to add clips of both at the same time, lol. The two cams looked very comparable though. That’s a really good point about the A129 Plus. IIRC the Plus lacks buffered parking recording, but otherwise yeah it’s very similar…
@@VortexRadar True I forgot about buffered parking recording. So it looks like it depends on which set of features does one prefer... Cheap, great video, but lacking WiFi, BT and only few parking modes - A119v3 (around 99USD) A bit more expensive, great video, with WiFi, BT and a bit more parking modes, possibility to add a rear cam in the future, newer chipset - A129 Plus (around 120USD) Adding a bit more to the price, comparable video quality as previous ones, WiFi, BT, all the parking modes, ''mini'' aspect, USB-C connector, even newer chipset - A119 mini (around 140 USD)
My GPS mount 4 prong connectors failed and eventually it stopped sending power through the GPS unit to the dashcam. I then had to plug the power directly into the dashcam, effectively removing the GPS function all together. I hope the mini connectors are more robust.
Привет! Спасибо тебе за этот прекрасный обзор! Ты- лучший! Отличные и грамотные обзоры! Я определился, какой регистратор я куплю! Из России 🇷🇺 with love!
Thanks for the excellent review. May a stupid question but has the mini a internal battery that is in use when the car cuts the power supply? If no, can I put a powerbank in between to use the cam for longer parking recording? I don't want to to use the additional hardware cables to connect power supply directly from car battery.
I just posted a direct comparison of the V3 vs Mini. Lemme know what you think if you have the time. Uploaded without waiting for processing but should support 1440p60 which is what I used for the Mini.
I’ll go for the A119 V3, Bigger screen & No wifi or Bluetooth interference with other wireless connections inside vehicle. Also Viofo app has the majority of reviews very Low.
Well I was thinking about getting the mini, but I live in Houston tx, my electronics over heat in the winter time as well lol. So I wonder how well this would work for me.
You said at 2:40 that A119 mini has longer parking record time because 5 pin connector, but test showed a 2,5W consumption compared with 2W consumption for A119 V3 in parking mode.
Heat temperature rating is???? Bc it's getting hot as fk here in florida!!! Inside a Car temperature is hitting 112+ degrees , which one is rated for 165 to 200 degrees??? THKS I need 2 great front and back dashcams and second 1 for both sides. which ones do you recommend?? THKS
The new layout of the mount and sliding mechanism isn't great for us in Australia with RHD cars as I usually mount the camera on the passenger side of the mirror which this is all wrong for.
I’ve done that before, but it’s very easy to forget to plug it back in next time you drive and then you have no camera protection, so be careful if you try that. Personally I’d rather adjust the timer and voltage cutoff settings to not drain the battery much if that’s a concern.
I will be in Arizona this month for vacation with temperatures reaching 117 outside. I’m afraid to even have my dash cam installed cause inside the car when parked gets to oven cooking temperatures
@@jordyworley91 I have a BlackVue and NextBase dashcam installed in my cars w/o any issues here in AZ. I just thought it would be a true test to see if the nini overheated.
@@Tristand09 not sure, but I assume that's an option. My casual research on these devices is that most of them default to fifo hierarchy on the files, unless you opt for "no overwrites", which may be a requirement for commercial vehicles.
Right, rec starts/stops recording. The exclamation button is the emergency record which protects the clip from being overwritten once the card gets full.
Can the Viofo A119 video recording be flipped 180 degrees? I want to mount the dash cam on the dashboard rather that the windscreen to be able to hide it more easily when parked.
What if you press emergency button just one second after the new clip was started recording? The event was recorded in previous file and you save only videos after the event? in couple of hours the event video will be overwritten.... Is there any safety feature so that this situation never occurs?
It varies between dashcam models. Some will save two full clips, before and after, to cover the whole event. Other dashcams create brand new clips just for the event, covering X seconds before you press and Y seconds after.
When you connect phone to the dash cam, aren't you loosing mobile internet connection? As far as I am concerned, you either use wi-fi or mobile data with your phone. Isn't it?
Sure but just for a moment. U wont be connected for long. But anyway in preferences in ur phone it might be possible to activate data while connected to wifi.
What exactly does the emergency record button do? Does it save something that happened in the previous 5 minutes? Does it just start saving an ongoing recording?
Correct. Depends on each manufacturer’s implementation. There’s not one way to do it. Please read your specific dashcam’s manual to learn more details.
Viofo has since upgraded the heatsink over the first few A119 Minis. The version you buy now should handle heat better than the one I tested in this video. 👍
geni.us/ViofoA119Mini
The new features appear to be well implemented.
Subbed for overheat updates.
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I just bought the a119v3 earlier today for my new car. I think I still got a great choice.
I just love how the download button and the delete video file button are sooooo close to each other in their app.
You are undoubtedly a talented reviewer and know how to describe a product’s ins and outs. I appreciate all your reviews and look forward to watching more videos by you. Thank you very much for your helpful advice-greetings from Verona - Italy.
Great review, have bought the mini off your recommendation. My unit is hotter than other dash cams I've had, looking forward to any updates. Two things I've noticed out of the box:
1) the moving g sensor is really too sensitive. It will activate seemingly randomly on dirt roads without anything unique occurring. I'm on the lowest sensitivity setting, and would like an even lower setting. My previous Costco Cobra unit was on a stalk,maybe that gave it more flexibility than this one connected directly to the windshield.
2) Wi-Fi playback on Android is silent even with sound recording switched on. I haven't seen any settings to enable sound on playback, maybe this is a bug.
Another advantage of the V3 is that if you already have an old dashcam it'll probably also be a USBmini powered one so you won't need to mess around with new wiring if you need to buy a new one.
that can be solved with a cable usb mini to usb c
with logic like this the whole world would still be using floppy disks as storage
@@mijnnaamisaaron haha true
FIRST!
(Edit) Thank you vortex for you informative videos, because of your channel I now have a Uniden R8 with a mirror tap and blend mount and a viofo t130 dash cam that I'm getting installed. I wouldn't have known about any of these options without your channel!
Congrats! That’s some great gear. 👍
@@VortexRadar all I need is Jammers (when uniden adds them for R8) and I'm Gucci
Thank you! This video gave me confidence to buy a119 V3 as a gift to my boyfriend :)
Opinion; I think the Viofo is an excellent Dash Cam. 1st No battery, which prevents the Camera from Imploding in the Hot Southern Arizona Sun{my 1st cameras did just that}. the A119 which is a bout 8 years old, is still going strong as my Rear Camera, I also Have 2 A119S Cams, that are approx 6-7 years old{1 went bad, BUT the Factoring sent me a New improved one). Now I just purchased a A119V3, and yes the Video is Sharper, and if your a Night time driver this unit Really shines.and its a 2K.. Oh as a Reminder, While recording, if you If you quickly push the Menu button it takes a Photo like of a License Plate.
Excellent comparison. This was exactly what I needed to make a decision. Thank you!
I have A119 V3 but looks like usability is significantly improved in Mini.- Emergency button, mount, etc
And Mini 2 with IMX675 and Voice Control should be even better! Thanks for the review
You are awesome! This was so hopeful as this is the first dash cam I’ll be purchasing. I think I’m sold on the mini. Thank you so much!
Wow, such a great video with A TON of information I couldn't find until now. Thank you so much!! PS, subscribed!
Welcome aboard!
Still not sure if opt for mini or v3. Its a 30 bucks difference. Wifi would be nice and also usb-c. But overheating concerns me. Anyway i am not living in a constant hot environment. Its just a few months so.
Great review thanks! It would be great if you can compare parking mode g g-sensor sensitivity. I have A119 V3 and my car was slightly hit and scratched few times already but that was not enough to trigger the recording. I have set to high sensitivity and have to hit my car pretty strong to activate it.
I would have liked you to go more in depth into the differences between the cameras. Was there any difference in low-light performance and motion blur?
That Mini sliding to the right and SD card on the right will be a right pain in the butt for Right Hand Drive cars, where the dashcam is mounted to the left of the mirror housing.!
AUG 2023.. my A119V2 just failed... had a good run and might be my SDcard..
Does one need to buy the hard wire kit to be able to engage the parking mode? Or does the capacitor hold power to run the unit while parked for an hour? Great video BTW! I will probably go with the V3.
Thank you so much for the in-depth review, one thing I was lacking was no video comparision. From those little clips I didn't find it as great as A119v3 at all.
I'd also like to know, what is the main selling point of this instead of the ''mini'' aspect, when you can buy A129 Plus (single), which is by comparision basically A119v3 but with WiFi and possibility to add rear cam and even works with that BT button. Or am I missing something?
Oh yeah I ran both cams at the same time, but forgot to add clips of both at the same time, lol. The two cams looked very comparable though.
That’s a really good point about the A129 Plus. IIRC the Plus lacks buffered parking recording, but otherwise yeah it’s very similar…
@@VortexRadar True I forgot about buffered parking recording.
So it looks like it depends on which set of features does one prefer...
Cheap, great video, but lacking WiFi, BT and only few parking modes - A119v3 (around 99USD)
A bit more expensive, great video, with WiFi, BT and a bit more parking modes, possibility to add a rear cam in the future, newer chipset - A129 Plus (around 120USD)
Adding a bit more to the price, comparable video quality as previous ones, WiFi, BT, all the parking modes, ''mini'' aspect, USB-C connector, even newer chipset - A119 mini (around 140 USD)
Love your channel. Very informative with a great presentation.
Had mine through heatwave no issues, about two months now
Really helpful video in deciding what to buy!
My older A119 V2 has issues at random due to GPS mount. If temps are below 50ºF, at times it will shut off/on like 3-4 times after it receives power.
My GPS mount 4 prong connectors failed and eventually it stopped sending power through the GPS unit to the dashcam. I then had to plug the power directly into the dashcam, effectively removing the GPS function all together. I hope the mini connectors are more robust.
I was looking to upgrade my very old Mobius (not even a dashcam), but the technology hasn't evolved that much in 8 years. lol
Привет! Спасибо тебе за этот прекрасный обзор! Ты- лучший! Отличные и грамотные обзоры! Я определился, какой регистратор я куплю! Из России 🇷🇺 with love!
И какой регистратор ты купил?Впечатления о нем?
@@nickalias4698 a119 mini. Работает без единого сбоя.
I would love if Viofo would integrate speed and traffic warnings on their dash cam's like other high end dash cam's.
That smartcord placement is exactly how I had it my car before I upgraded to the r7 - had to do a double take😄
I immediately recognized that intersection you filmed at because I live nearby it... funny
Thanks for the excellent review. May a stupid question but has the mini a internal battery that is in use when the car cuts the power supply? If no, can I put a powerbank in between to use the cam for longer parking recording? I don't want to to use the additional hardware cables to connect power supply directly from car battery.
Excellent detailed rundown. Thanks.
I just posted a direct comparison of the V3 vs Mini. Lemme know what you think if you have the time. Uploaded without waiting for processing but should support 1440p60 which is what I used for the Mini.
Looked like the V3 has better video quality. It's way sharper in daylight than the mini.
I can't get the A119 mini here in Canada yet. Maybe it's a good thing to give time for Viofo to work on the overheating issues.
Use the link in the video description and order from Viofo. They ship to Canada.
omg i was about to search about these tow 😂 after i finished couple u videos and i just saw u already making a vid of these tow 🌹
I’ll go for the A119 V3,
Bigger screen & No wifi or Bluetooth interference with other wireless connections inside vehicle. Also Viofo app has the majority of reviews very Low.
Smaller but larger bezel, and much thicker. I am not sure I will take the Mini over V3 even if they are the same price.
Well I was thinking about getting the mini, but I live in Houston tx, my electronics over heat in the winter time as well lol. So I wonder how well this would work for me.
You said at 2:40 that A119 mini has longer parking record time because 5 pin connector, but test showed a 2,5W consumption compared with 2W consumption for A119 V3 in parking mode.
I’m not sure if Viofo has added the ability to turn off the GPS module in parking recording mode yet.
I'm glad you can get a new dash cam but what about all the people that bought the 1st batch of dash cams that overheat.
Can the camera be installed on interior tinted window strip without problem for camera view?
Wonderful reviewer! Thank you
🙏👍
Thank you very much for that detailed review. That is very helpfull for me.
Vortex, what about information that Viofo removed support H.265 in it's new models (A119mini/A229)?
Heat temperature rating is???? Bc it's getting hot as fk here in florida!!! Inside a Car temperature is hitting 112+ degrees , which one is rated for 165 to 200 degrees??? THKS
I need 2 great front and back dashcams and second 1 for both sides. which ones do you recommend?? THKS
My mini shuts down when it’s 80 degrees outside and parked in the sun
A hardwire kit and a polarizing lens are available for the Viofo A119 V3 as well as the A119 Mini. Are these accessories worth getting?
I think so, definitely
The new layout of the mount and sliding mechanism isn't great for us in Australia with RHD cars as I usually mount the camera on the passenger side of the mirror which this is all wrong for.
old A119 kick the bucket so I guess I try the mini
Does the WiFi capability mean that it works directly with your phone or do you need a WiFi hotspot for the camera and phone to connect through?
Your phone connects to the dashcam directly. There's no hotspot involved.
How is the nighttime, low light environment and ability to clearly capture plates on the older model?
th-cam.com/video/ZPBC64QFVrg/w-d-xo.html
Can you disconnect it from the cigarette port if it’s in the garage? To save car battery life ?
I’ve done that before, but it’s very easy to forget to plug it back in next time you drive and then you have no camera protection, so be careful if you try that. Personally I’d rather adjust the timer and voltage cutoff settings to not drain the battery much if that’s a concern.
A true test to see if mini overheats is to run it in AZ during the month of Aug. If it overheats, we know there is an issue.
I will be in Arizona this month for vacation with temperatures reaching 117 outside. I’m afraid to even have my dash cam installed cause inside the car when parked gets to oven cooking temperatures
@@jordyworley91 I have a BlackVue and NextBase dashcam installed in my cars w/o any issues here in AZ. I just thought it would be a true test to see if the nini overheated.
It has issues, it’s overheating here in San Diego with heat wave of 98 degrees. Camera felt like it was on fire.
I love how small it is! Very discrete and people are less likely to see it, what’s the difference from the exclamation mark button and the rec button?
Dashcams record over old data, if you don't need it... the ! button protects the file from being overwritten, if there's an incident.
@@mattmanyam oh, so the rec button doesn’t protect it? My thinkware u1000 is set to which the files never get overridden
@@Tristand09 not sure, but I assume that's an option. My casual research on these devices is that most of them default to fifo hierarchy on the files, unless you opt for "no overwrites", which may be a requirement for commercial vehicles.
Right, rec starts/stops recording. The exclamation button is the emergency record which protects the clip from being overwritten once the card gets full.
Would be great if dash cams would finally use USB C connectors, instead of the old, bulky ones.
@vortex Wanted to check regarding the heating issue… is heating still an issue… couldn’t find the pinned comment to check it
You’re right! I added the update comment a while ago, but forgot to pin it. Thanks for the heads up. Fixed!
Can the Viofo A119 video recording be flipped 180 degrees? I want to mount the dash cam on the dashboard rather that the windscreen to be able to hide it more easily when parked.
Que camara para mi carro me recomiendas????
Great video!
Ok, so the mini isn't worth it. Going directly to the V3 then. Thanks 👌🏼
This heat issue is hardware related, there is no software fix that can correct this without significantly degrading performance.
They fixed the heating issues. That was a problem with the initial batch and believe they're using a new heatsink.
What if you press emergency button just one second after the new clip was started recording? The event was recorded in previous file and you save only videos after the event? in couple of hours the event video will be overwritten.... Is there any safety feature so that this situation never occurs?
It varies between dashcam models. Some will save two full clips, before and after, to cover the whole event. Other dashcams create brand new clips just for the event, covering X seconds before you press and Y seconds after.
When you connect phone to the dash cam, aren't you loosing mobile internet connection? As far as I am concerned, you either use wi-fi or mobile data with your phone. Isn't it?
Sure but just for a moment. U wont be connected for long. But anyway in preferences in ur phone it might be possible to activate data while connected to wifi.
Any more feedback or Up dates on overheating update on the A119 Mini ?
Any updates, when available, will be mentioned in the pinned post.
@@VortexRadar, it appears that the pinned post isn't actually pinned. (Great review, though!)
Does the mini not pull the date and time data from the GPS (like the V3 does?)?
I'm on my second Viofo cam both seem to suffer from random reboots...anyone else?
One cause could be the high temperature. Could you contact our tech team to better serve you in this? -> support@viofo.com
Do this cameras have a front and rear dual channel cam option?
Can it be silenced completely? No beeps and no annoying voice announcements?
Sure you can turn off the voice announcements altogether
How does tinted windows make it not seeable with the A119 Mini
What exactly does the emergency record button do? Does it save something that happened in the previous 5 minutes? Does it just start saving an ongoing recording?
th-cam.com/video/aMSnFFn-FZs/w-d-xo.html
@@VortexRadar - so, the length and time before and after the video clip "varies"?
Correct. Depends on each manufacturer’s implementation. There’s not one way to do it. Please read your specific dashcam’s manual to learn more details.
Now the latest Mini A119 has STARVIS 2 sensor?
Yep. Here’s the video on the updated Mini 2: th-cam.com/video/iC0WghkIzIk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=LFykiLEqUTrTS3G_
Thank You.
will they make it so you can add a rear camera?
Not these ones. They sell models that are designed to give you rear recording like geni.us/ViofoA129PlusDuo and geni.us/ViofoA229Duo
Can you confirm that this supports 60fps? The amazon and official page listing only lists 30fps.
It supports 60fps 100%.
Is there a connector-adapter-pigtail available to use A119v3 wiring setup to convert to new USB plug for A119 Mini?
There is Mini USB to TYPEC adapter in the market.
Did they fix the overheating issue? It's 119 here in Cali
Yeah new versions are much better than what I tested
What does the emergency button do?
Here ya go: th-cam.com/video/aMSnFFn-FZs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=eAY_L1w_T2QS93TY
and thank you for the trick :)
Is the WIFI or Bluetooth turned ON by default? I don't need it to be on by default
That’s adjustable. I leave it off by default too and only turn it on when needed.
Don’t see the Pinned overheating update ?
Ah yeah I added the comment, but forgot to pin it. Whoops! Thanks for the heads up! The note is there now. :)
excellent vide.thank you
Are both cables compatible with each other?
Nope
@@VortexRadarso you can't use the same mini usb cable?
@@mets23q A mini usb to usb-c adapter will work
Excellent.
footage of them both?? or did i miss something?
Basically the same
Do they work with Mac computers to review events
Yep. The screenshot showing video files on the card was from my Mac. ;)
If you want to call it a mini you should have ditched the LCD
The A119 Micro 😄
Don’t care about the size, but Wi-Fi alone worth the extra buck
Hi guys can I run this off the cigarette lighter only
Yes, you can. But you cannot use parking mode when your car is parked without a power supply.
based off the driving footage we have to live in the same area haha. saw my house on the video
Oh wow haha. Howdy neighbor!
Hi your video is very informative
And I like your cheanal all video I see…
Thank you so much for video….👍🏻
Can we get viofo a229 review pls
Eventually yeah. Lots of projects and each one take a ton of time. :)
Dude made an entire comparison video without any actual footage comparison... that's an L