Transcend DrivePro 230 dashcam review

Aftermarket accessories for cars are a huge business in India. While we often hear about add-ons like a more premium infotainment system with better speakers, alloy wheels, rear parking cameras and sensors, or even performance enhancing parts, we rarely talk about vehicle safety.

Central locking or remote locking system might still be a hot accessory but a passive security setup is just as crucial – which is where dashcams come into play. By recording real-time GPS coordinates and exact vehicle speed, a dashcam is a must for those who want to protect themselves against any unfortunate incidents. Let's have a look at one of the newest dashcams on the market: the Transcend DrivePro 230.

Transcend – known for making pen drives, hard disks and memory card readers – has recently introduced the new DrivePro 230. At first feel, the dashcam feels rather solid, almost like it is carved out of a solid block of plastic; and that is a good thing. In fact, the DrivePro 230 feels almost military-spec in terms of weight, touch and feel. In case of a crash, this feels like something that will most definitely survive.

Everything you do get in the box seems like it is made out of high-quality materials. You get a clip-on clamp with a suction mount that goes up on your windscreen or dashboard, and a charging cable that is a generous 4m long, in case you need to route it through the roof or side panels. You also get a 16GB memory card from Transcend’s ‘high endurance’ series which is designed to record data, even under extreme conditions.

The Transcend DrivePro 230 has a typical wide-angle lens in front and a large and fairly clear screen behind it. Unlike every gadget in 2019, this isn’t a touchscreen. However, the four-button setup on the bottom makes it easy to cycle through the options – and there are quite a fair few of these to go through, too. The dashcam offers a plethora of services like the headlamp reminder, a parking mode where the cam can get activated sensing movement, and even a speed alert system.

But, this is a dashcam after all, so let's talk about how it actually records. In the daytime, the video quality on the DrivePro 230 is crisp, clear and the lens makes sure it captures a good wide-angle shot. You can shoot either in 720p or in full-HD 1080 resolution; although the latter, of course, will mean larger files. The camera also automatically watermarks GPS location in longitude and latitude and a GPS-sourced speed on the bottom right of the frame.

While most cameras record video well in daytime, the Transcend DrivePro 230 really starts to show its edge over others while recording in low-light conditions, or at night. The quality of the video at night is very good – even better than your average smartphone – and the built-in sensors really do adapt well to glare and changing degrees of brightness. All in all, this dashcam does its primary duties really well.

At Rs 19,999, this Transcend dashcam is certainly priced at a premium. But considering that it gives you an additional level of security (in the form of video proof) both when your car is unattended and when you're on the move, it's an accessory that every cautious motorist must have.