Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Discrete entrance, inside, and rear cameras
- Type-C energy and skinny cabling
- 4K captures
- Excellent video high quality from all three cameras
Cons
- Quite a number of wires to accommodate
- Connecting app to cellphone required a number of reboots
Our Verdict
On Amazon (not the seller website), the sub-$300 Viofo A139 Pro 3CH (entrance, inside, rear) sprint cam is a discount. The system makes use of three separate, freely-placeable cameras. Captures are glorious throughout the day, excellent at evening, and we admire the slick design and skinny cabling.
Price When Reviewed
399.99
Best Prices Today: Viofo A139 Pro 3-channel sprint cam
$289.99
Most of the three-channel sprint cams we evaluate consolidate the entrance and inside lenses into one physique. This cuts down on cabling, however can imply compromising on the place you place it—e.g., hiding it behind the rear view mirror might minimize off your inside protection.
Not so with the Viofo A139 Pro 3CH whose inside digital camera is a separate unit. There’s additionally a discrete rear view digital camera for the final word in versatile protection. The cherry on high is the excellent (evening) to glorious (day) seize high quality of all three cameras.
One caveat. While the A139 Pro 3CH was obtainable for $290 on Amazon on the time of this posting, it was $370 on the vendor’s own website (discounted from an MSRP of $400). Guess which value we like higher?
Note: See our roundup of the best dash cams to study competing merchandise, what to search for in a splash cam, and shopping for suggestions.
Viofo A139 Pro: Design and options
As talked about, the three-channel A139 Pro system consists of a important physique with the controls and a 2160p/140-degree field-of-view entrance digital camera, plus separate 1080p/170FoV inside and rear view cameras. The inside and rear cameras are similar in measurement and form (properly rounded and engaging), with the inside digital camera sporting infrared lighting.
Generally talking, I’m not an enormous fan of display-less sprint cams such because the A139 Pro, although the design makes up for that absence considerably with plainly labeled buttons and standing lights on the digital camera’s rear deck.
The motive I favor a show is that I don’t wish to be reaching for my cellphone (interrupting anything I’m doing with it) at any time when I wish to verify a video, or to vary a setting. Granted, these are comparatively uncommon cases; however there’s additionally the truth that I’m simply not as phone-centric as many different trendy residents. Use your personal bias in judging this side of the sprint cam.
On the opposite hand, I have to commend Viofo on the connection and wiring options. The energy connection is Type-C, which is one thing I’d wish to see the world lastly consolidate round to be able to minimize down on cable waste. Viofo additionally opts for a lot thinner cabling to the inside and exterior cameras than most programs.
Thin cabling is less complicated to cover and fewer obtrusive in locations the place it may’t be hidden. The cables are a bit stiffer than regular, however that didn’t hinder my set up. The connectors are additionally smaller than regular and click on into place. Sweet.
The Viofo A139 Pro’s captures are nice, its cabling is first-rate, and the three cameras are a incredible approach for ride-givers to realize close to 360 diploma protection.
Software options embody a parking mode, time-lapse recording, and low bit-rate captures to save lots of storage. The A139 Pro accepts as much as 256GB SD playing cards and is warrantied for 18 months after registration.
GPS is built-in into the digital camera, as you’ll see within the captures beneath. But you’ll additionally observe that the time is off. I wrongly assumed that Viofo, an previous hand within the enterprise, would mechanically set it utilizing the GPS data, however solely the date was set. Go determine.
Viofo A139 Pro: Performance
Getting a display-less sprint cam to attach with its app—the one means of fixing many settings—is a part of its efficiency. Hence, I have to point out that it was like pulling enamel to get the A139 Pro 3CH to attach first to Wi-Fi, after which the app. The course of required energy biking the digital camera a number of occasions.
When it lastly linked to the app, it chirped about switching to 5G and a number of energy cycles had been once more required, in addition to quitting and re-launching the app. It was all good ultimately, however Viofo ought to work on this preliminary course of. Note that this was on Android, not iOS.
I’ve already praised the A139 Pro 3CH’s video high quality, however in finer phrases: Daytime element is sharp in each gentle and darkish areas; colour is properly saturated and correct; and movement is dealt with very effectively. There’s no body tearing, and not one of the shot-through-quivering-gelatin impact that I lately skilled with the Garmin DriveCam 76.
If the day seize beneath appears a little bit darkish in temperature, it’s as a result of I used the polarizing filter that was included with the A139 Pro 3CH Viofo despatched me. Relative hue remains to be correct and particulars are straightforward to differentiate.
Note: Right-click on any of the photographs and choose “Open image in new tab” to see them at full decision.
Daytime inside captures had been among the many finest I’ve seen. Yes, that’s the cable to the rear digital camera that I had not but run alongside the convertible high. That’s additionally my backpack and considered one of my canine within the foreground.
The 1080p rear captures throughout the day are equally compelling—higher than some entrance video I’ve seen.
Come nighttime, and the A139 Pro’s efficiency dropped off a bit. Part of that could be as a result of I forgot to take away the polarizing filter. Perhaps I used to be bowing to the inevitability that most individuals can even overlook to take action frequently. Just saying….
You can nonetheless make out element within the entrance, which is an important side, however environment undergo a bit in that regard. On the opposite hand, the A139 Pro dealt with headlight flare extraordinarily effectively. There is not one of the blowout you’ll see from cheaper cameras. Impressive.
There was additionally a significant drop-off intimately with evening inside captures. Nothing deadly, however in contrast with the daytime inside seize above, the distinction in acuity is apparent.
On the opposite hand, the rear digital camera appears to do exactly as effectively at evening as throughout the day. Forgive the huge moisture drops. They’re from the copious rain we’ve been having right here in San Francisco and I didn’t discover them on the time. Look in between the drops, nevertheless, and also you’ll see spectacular element.
In whole, the A139 Pro is a superb daytime digital camera, and in the event you forgive some particulars within the environment, a wonderful nighttime recording equipment. The stellar approach it handles headlight flare may very well be paramount within the case of a head-on collision. Nice job, Viofo.
Note that the A139 Pro 3CH makes use of a brilliant capacitor for one or two seconds runtime ought to the facility supply fail. That’s sufficient time to save lots of the final video, however to not seize occasions put up energy loss. Power loss is uncommon in accidents, however not exceptional.
Should you purchase the Viofo A139 Pro?
Purchased from Viofo’s web site, the A139 Pro 3CH is costly and a extra hesitant advice. On Amazon for greater than $100 much less, nevertheless, I’ve no hesitation by any means. The captures are nice, cabling is first-rate, and the three cameras are a incredible approach for ride-givers to realize close to 360 diploma protection. A brief-lister, to make sure.