You have a reliable smart doorbell to watch for porch pirates and unwelcome visitors. And there’s probably a top outdoor security camera watching your driveway or yard, too. But what about your car, where things are just as — if not more — likely to go wrong? This is why dash cams exist, and once you’ve had a dash cam, you’ll never want to go back. There’s relief in knowing if there’s an incident, you’ll have video coverage.
Powerful 4K dash cams are quite affordable, with several options that’ll only run you a couple of hundred dollars — like Miofive’s new flagship dash camera, the S1 Ultra. There’s a lot to like about the S1 Ultra, and its capabilities expand through the companion app. It has a few drawbacks, though, so it won’t suit everyone.
Miofive S1 Ultra
$120 $198 Save $78
The Miofive S1 Ultra has a lot to offer, the marquee perk being its sharp 4K video resolution in the front and rear lenses. Plus, built-in GPS connectivity logs your speed and a 5GHz Wi-Fi connection allows for quick video viewing and control via your phone.
- Great value for the price
- Built-in GPS
- Quickly review footage on the app
- Good low-light and nighttime performance
- Prepare for cable management
- Cameras only record at 30 and 25 FPS
- Lacks diversity in mounting options
Price, availability, and specs
The Miofive S1 Ultra is a reasonably priced midrange dash cam, with an MSRP of about $200 for the front and rear camera pair. Alternatively, the front camera as a standalone costs $80. The rear camera can’t be purchased on its own. Unfortunately, buying options for the S1 Ultra are a bit limited. It’s available directly through Miofive or on Amazon.
The Miofive S1 Ultra ships with a 64GB storage card, but if you want to use something faster or with a higher storage capacity, there are lots of
quality microSD cards
to choose from.
What’s good about the Miofive S1 Ultra?
Setup is easy enough, and the front cam 4K is excellent even at 30 FPS
For experienced dash cam users, installing the S1 Ultra is a familiar process. It starts with choosing an area on the windshield that won’t obstruct your vision and then prepping the glass for the adhesive mount. After wiping and drying the windshield, the anti-static sheet must be set in place, followed by a 3M sticky pad, and, finally, the camera. First-timers will find installing the main front camera’s wiring is simple enough, with the potential for a greater challenge when laying cable from the front camera to the rear.
While there’s nothing specifically flawed about the S1 Ultra’s rear cam setup design, the two cameras require a wired connection to communicate. How easily that cable routes along your car’s interior will depend on your vehicle’s make and model. I installed the Miofive in a 2020 Mazda CX-30, and laying the cable was easy enough, but I ended up with a large bundle of spare wire that swung around when I opened the car’s hatch and was just annoying and in the way.
The Miofive S1 Ultra leverages an 8MP Sony sensor for stellar daytime video, and a wide f/1.8 aperture for higher light sensitivity in the dark, which leads to better night vision. In most cases, on cameras like this one, I find the highlights in night vision to be way blown out, but that wasn’t all that big of an issue with the S1 Ultra. Nighttime footage, understandably, is a lot grainier and less detailed than daytime — less ambient light and all — but the S1 Ultra’s low-light captures were still comparatively good.
Daytime colors would be scored as perfectly true to life if it weren’t for a barely perceptible undersaturation and a slight skew to the warm side. But for this camera’s purpose (recording incidents and clearly reading faces or license plates), it’s a non-issue.
Nothing about the S1 Ultra’s build or UI stands out — not in a good way or a bad way. The cameras themselves seem well-made enough, with plastic housing and 3M mounts; the front cam draws power from your 12V lighter/car charger port, and the rear camera pulls its power from the front cam.
The onboard buttons are easy enough to navigate. You can change the resolution, update the speaker volume, and perform other core tasks directly on the camera. Miofive offers a free companion app, which connects to the camera via Wi-Fi and provides expanded control over the camera. The app isn’t required to use the camera, but it makes file management a lot easier, since you can remotely mark recordings as important or delete them.
What’s bad about the Miofive S1 Ultra?
Higher frame rates, even at 1080p or 2K, would be nice
Probably the S1 Ultra’s biggest flaw is that it doesn’t capture video at any frame rate higher than 30 fps, even if you step the resolution down to 2K or 1080p. For a driver doing most of their commuting within city limits, where cars probably don’t go more than about 45 mph, 30 fps is usually adequate. However, there might be situations where a higher fps rate would be useful.
There are a few things disappointingly missing from the S1 Ultra’s hardware. For one, I wish Miofive would’ve included an optional suction mount to make moving the dash cam between cars or changing locations on the windshield easier. This would be helpful for multi-car households or people who frequently drive rentals.
As with the Rove R2-4K Pro, a dash cam also recently reviewed by Android Police, the 3-inch IPS panel is not a touch screen, but the absence on the Miofive wasn’t particularly painful — as my large-handed partner pointed out, touch controls on a screen that small would probably be either painstakingly rudimentary or prone to bumps and mis-touches, especially while the vehicle is in motion.
Read our review
Review: The Rove R2-4K Pro dash cam hits the sweet spot between specs and price
Great specs with reasonable compromises
Some premium dash cam features are also missing with the S1 Ultra. For instance, there’s no cabin recording and the parking monitor requires a hardwiring kit (extra purchase) to function. Also, not that I expected it on the S1 Ultra, but there are some dash cams that come with an optional LTE connection, so you can check in on your car feed anytime, anywhere. The Miofive companion app only allows for short-range connection.
Should you buy it?
Dual 4K might be overkill for your needs
The Miofive S1 Ultra is a capable and reasonably priced dash cam that will serve you well, no matter the driving conditions. Despite a few missing hardware features and no premium perks, the S1 Ultra has a lot to offer. The built-in AI components provide an added layer of protection and support driver awareness, and, with the Wi-Fi connectivity, managing recordings directly from your phone makes the large 4K files less of a hassle.
However, the AI “perks” will feel a tad gimmicky and overkill to some, especially if your vehicle already offers safety features like tired driver alerts — as is the case with the 2020 Mazda that the Miofive lived in.
All in all, without the rear 4K companion, the S1 Ultra may be an excellent 4K dash cam, but there are a few excellent 4K dash cams out there, so Miofive’s doesn’t necessarily provide stark contrast against its competitors. It’s capturing the same level of detail in the rear that makes a difference.
Miofive S1 Ultra
$120 $198 Save $78
The Miofive S1 Ultra is a standout dash cam for its dual 4K recording, but the front cam is a worthwhile purchase, even if you leave out the rear cam. If the S1 Ultra had a suction mount and cabin recording, it would be the total package.
