VanTrue OnDash N2 DashCam Review -1080p/720p Dual-Lens Dash Cam

There are multiple reasons to buy a dashcam these days. They can provide irrefutable evidence in the event of an accident or damage to your vehicle, as well as capturing those unexpected moments. Remember that amazing footage of the giant meteorite exploding over traffic in Russia?

Over the last week of using the VanTrue N2, I haven’t managed to capture any meteors, but I’ve seen some really bad drivers and pedestrians. The built-in microphone and rear-facing camera have also provided some interesting in-car footage – Mostly of bad singing and fighting kids on the backseat.

The VanTrue N2’s hexagonal body measures 100mm in length with a width of 38mm. Featuring a non-glossy charcoal finish with minimal decorations and absolutely no chrome in sight.  I’ve never understood why some dashcam manufacturers choose glaring design elements that draw the eyes attention. The OnDash N2 is subtle and inconspicuous and small enough to go unnoticed, especially when tucked up behind the rearview mirror.

The front of the N2 dash cam has a central F/2.0 wide-aperture lens, an Infrared LED and a speaker output for footage playback. Its top surface has a quick release slot for attaching the standard suction cup holder or the optional GPS mount.

The rear of the OnDash N2 has a 1.5 inch TFT LCD screen. The display shows icons around the edge that help to easily identify which features are currently active.

To the right of the display is the rear-facing camera lens. The camera swivels independently to adjust its angle without affecting the front camera position. To the left of the display is an ‘ok’ button, used to start/stop recordings and to select menu options. Alongside the ‘ok’ button is a multifunctional button that will either take a snapshot, save the current recording or switch on the Parking Mode.

I cannot fault the build quality or design of the OnDash N2 or its mount. The same however can’t be said for the car charger.  There’s a good amount of length to route the cable neatly around the window, however, the cable should have been detachable rather than hardwired to the charging plug.  With a detachable USB connector, the cigarette unit could be disconnected and replaced with a Portable Powerbank to provide an overnight power source.

I recently reviewed a car charger that had an inbuilt 4000mAh power bank called the Nomad Roadtrip. The addition of a unit like this would really make the Parking modes a far more useful feature than it currently is. I was able to use the USB charging cable for this purpose, but with a limited length, it’s not an ideal or long term solution.

Once the memory card has been installed, the Vantrue OnDash N2 will continuously record footage in normal mode. The duration of video can be set to either 1, 3, 5 or 10 minute clips depending on your preference. Once the card is full, the N2 will simply begin recording over the oldest footage. Should there be an accident, the dashcam is fitted with a G-Sensor that will automatically protect the footage and store it in the event folder. If at any time you wish to manually save the footage, you can do so by pressing the snapshot/emergency button to the left of the display.

Despite the huge amount of settings and features on the Vantrue OnDash N2, I found it very user-friendly and easy to navigate through the settings. The UI is simple to understand, and the manual is extremely detailed.

Day-time N2 Dashcam Footage

Below is the video footage I recorded during the day taken from my video review.

Night-time N2 Dashcam Footage

Here is footage I recorded later that evening.

With the exception of the car charger, I really like this product. For those who are not overly concerned with using the parking motion sensor or time-lapse function, this dashcam is ideal. If you are intending to power the OnDash N2 overnight, then you’ll need to source a longer USB cable than the one provided. You could possibly store a Powerbank in your sun-visor to solve this problem or simply buy a USB extender cable. It’s just a shame Vantrue didn’t design the car charger to avoid the need to do so.

For me, it’s certainly not a deal breaker and I think the overall performance of the OnDash N2 easily makes up this oversight. The video and audio quality are great and its subtle appearance helps prevent any unwanted attention.