Garmin Dash Cam 45 Review

Maintaining your vehicle is one of the many ways to prevent unwanted expenses and damage. However, when it comes to driving every day, there are always unexpected risks. These days, thanks to developments in technology, we can protect ourselves and our vehicles from additional costs, insurance claims and damage by always using a dash cam like the Garmin Dash Cam 45. 

This gadget can help prove your innocence on the street in case of a collision or aggressive police interaction. We want to provide you with a thorough breakdown of the Garmin Dash Cam 45 and three other leading dash cams on the market.

Comparison Table

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What Is the Garmin Dash Cam 45?

First, we are highlighting the Garmin Dash Cam 45 and outlining all of its unique features, design quality and overall rating. The Garmin Dash Cam 45 is a very compact and discreet camera. This dash cam is designed with automation and practicality in mind, offering its user a seamless experience that requires no engagement from the operator upon the vehicle’s start up. The Garmin Dash Cam 45 is a discreet device that will record your drives and is GPS enabled to boost your driving record with accurate and reliable accountability.

Product Specs  

The Garmin Dash Cam 45 is a great little camera that has a lot of intuitive features that are beneficial to the inconspicuous user. The camera has magnetic mounting capability, so it can be easily attached to the windshield or easily hidden when away from your vehicle. This dash cam will begin recording upon ignition and also saves the footage that it captures to help prove accountability if you find yourself in an accident, collision or unfriendly police interaction. 

Since it is easily unmountable with magnets, you can use this dash camera at a split-moment’s notice to record whatever may be necessary along the way, especially in the case of an emergency. The Garmin Dash Cam 45 records in HD 1080P and merges with Virb, an app that corresponds with the dash cam to give the driver special alerts for upcoming collisions or other relevant warnings. It will mention the location of red lights and speed cameras, as well. 

The dimensions of the Garmin Dash Cam 45 are 2.2 in. x 1.4 in. x 1.6 in., and it weighs in at a very compact weight of 2.08 oz. This dash cam comes equipped with an SD card, so it is ready to record straight out of the box.

How It Compares

We picked a few similar products available on the market to see how they compare.

• Falcon Zero F170HD Dash Cam
• Cobra CDR 855 BT Dash Cam
• Rexing V1 LCD FHD Dash Cam

Garmin Dash Cam 45

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The Garmin Dash Cam 45 sits in a nice and affordable moderate price range, accessible by any user who is dedicated to improving the overall safety of their vehicle and driving experience.

Ease of Use

This dash camera is great for all levels of users whether you are technologically inclined or not. Out of the box, it is intuitive to operate and has a straightforward interface. It is important to care for this camera, as well as any electronic stowed in your car, as temperatures may affect its functionality. However, other users report that a specific firmware update helps the camera operate without issue. 

We recommend not stowing a device in your car, as it can attract attention, but there is always a risk of environmental conditions. Wireless connectivity is easy and works seamless with the Virb app, which is accessible from your mobile device.

Features

The Garmin Dash Cam 45 is compact, easy to use, and quick to mount to your windshield by magnetic attachment. The camera itself is 2.1 mega pixels that operates at both 1080p and 720p. This high-quality image capture works great, even in low-light driving conditions. With both collision and lane departure warnings, your Garmin Dash Cam 45 will help keep you and your vehicle safe. 

This dash camera is also equipped with a GPS-enabled automatic incident detection sensor, which will preserve prior footage and the footage following a collision, making it easy to store evidence and precise data.

Design Quality

Overall, the design of the Garmin Dash Cam 45 is impressive. Its sleek camera body and easy-to-use magnetic mount makes it easy for you to make this dash cam a part of your driving routine. The menu interface is so intuitive that you may not even need the user manual. Weighing only 2.08 oz., the Garmin can easily slip into your pocket or bag, so it can be protected from harsh elements within the car or from a potential break-in. 

Image resolution could be better, helping capture license plates at a distance, but it performs well at close distances. Wi-Fi and GPS enabled, the Garmin Dash Cam 45 will function seamlessly to record your location in case of a collision. Data is easily transferrable.

Warranty

Garmin offers a one-year limited warranty, which will cover manufacturer parts and malfunction. Visit Garmin.com for more information regarding the warranty of the Garmin Dash Cam 45.

Pros

• Seamless use; the dash cam records upon vehicle ignition
• High-quality image capture of 1080p and 720p, ensuring clear playback
• Moderate price range and affordable
• Easy to use, ready to record straight out of the box
• SD card included

Cons

• May react poorly to intense environmental conditions
• Light glare; this can be solved by adding a filter
• Poor resolution

Falcon Zero F170HD Dash Cam

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Next, we will look into the Falcon Zero F170 HD Dash Cam. This camera is full of features that will help you stay safe on the road. This compact camera  offers HD video with 1920 x 1080 resolution and a 170-degree angle width capture, and it engages automatically upon vehicle ignition. The Falcon Zero is a moderately priced competitor to the Garmin Dash Cam 45, equipped with GPS, precise night vision, an emergency automatic collision sensor and 30fps capture speed. 

Ease of Use

The product is simple to install in your vehicle with a swivel mount. The product software is not very straightforward, but footage is accessible both live on the device and later at home on your TV with HDMI 1.3. It comes with a long, 10-ft. cord for running along the border of your car in order to have a wire-free view.

Features

The Falcon Zero F170 HD dash cam comes with a variety of unique and useful features. The device is stocked with auto-record upon ignition, a G-sensor to lock footage when there is an abrupt vibration or jolt to the vehicle, and loop recording that gives you options for varying lengths per video. HD photo quality, night vision, an included SD card and a wide dynamic range are a few other key features of this dash cam.

Design Quality

The overall quality of this dash cam is not too impressive. We don’t believe that the price tag reflects the quality or the function of this camera. It is common for this dash cam to experience battery issues fairly early in its lifetime. The image and video quality of this camera is great, and its features work as reported. We experienced issues with the camera overheating, regardless of the environmental conditions. This is an expensive camera that does not out-perform its cheaper competition.

Warranty

Falcon Zero offers a one-year limited manufacturer’s warranty for hardware and malfunction. Customer service can be patchy and unresponsive. Check out Falconzero.com for more information regarding the warranty.

Pros

• Easy to install and useful swivel mount
• Large and clear screen for setting functions and reviewing footage
• Responsive G-sensor initiates the auto-record function
• HD image quality

Cons

• Overpriced for its quality and performance
• Poor battery life (must remain plugged in)
• Unreliable customer service
• Software updates cost money

Cobra CDR 855 BT Dash Cam

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Moving on, we are looking at the Cobra CDR 855 BT Dash Cam. This camera will connect to your mobile phone through Bluetooth to correspond with the Cobra iRadar app. Using the iRadar detector, this dash cam will alert the driver upon approaching red light cameras, police, speed cameras and potential forward collisions. The CDR 866 is user-friendly and includes a 2-in. LCD screen, 160-degree wide angle and 1080p HD video. This Cobra dash cam also uses a G-sensor to activate automatic footage lock and a quick-release mount. 

Ease of Use

The Cobra CDR 855 mounts easily and has a quick-release function. Overall, the software is challenging and requires firmware updates often with frequent malfunctions. The internal battery is irreplaceable upon malfunction. The camera does not respond well or automatically upon ignition.

Features

The 1080p HD video delivers high-quality images and footage. It is “always recording” upon ignition, though response times may vary. Bluetooth smartphone connectivity operates with the iRadar mobile app and GPS. There are no additional live community alerts or any particular highlights in comparison to competition.

Design Quality

Other than the HD video and easy-mount feature, the Cobra CDR 855 Dash Cam performs as if it were in a low-end price range, yet it comes with a moderately high price tag. It has a poor battery performance and cheap plastic casing, and it is seemingly programmed to fail with many software issues and mechanical glitches within the first year of use. This makes the camera overpriced and unreliable.

Warranty

This Cobra dash cam has no specifications on its warranty, though it is covered by Amazon’s standard return policy. It has a patchy customer service, so buyers beware.

Pros

• Some sellers on Amazon.com offer this product for half the original price
• 1080p HD video footage

Cons

• Poor customer service
• Overpriced
• Unreliable hardware and frequent glitches
• Cheap design

Rexing V1 LCD FHD Dash Cam

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Lastly, we are examining the Rexing V1 LCD FHD Dash Cam. This moderately priced dash cam has some unique features and high-performance qualities. It comes fully equipped with a full HD Sony Exmore IMX323 image sensor offering 1080p video captured at 30fps. The 170-degree wide image range gives the camera great visibility under high and low-light conditions. The Rexing V1 LCD FHD Dash Cam is compact and discreet, offering automatic collision detection using a G-sensor and loop recording. This dash cam is versatile and high-performing. 

Ease of Use

This is an intuitive dash cam that records well upon installation. The camera easily mounts and has a quick-release function, making use very quick and seamless. It records great audio and can be easily muted or unmuted with the touch of a button. This model supports a 128GB SD card, which will allow you to hold more footage and keep more content in the case of an extended emergency. Fluid software and multi-language menu.

Features

The Rexing V1 features high-definition 1080p x 30fps video quality, automatic on and off with ignition, discreet design, high-performance adhesive mounting for easy setup, and temperature resistance that allows the camera to operate at 140° F. This camera is also compatible with 128GB SD.

Design Quality

Overall, the design of this unit is thoughtful and high performing. The device is sleek and offers an adjustable viewing angle, decent audio quality, and an automatic on/off function that makes operation seamless upon ignition. Firmware can be easily updated by the user, providing more longevity and less glitches.

Warranty

Rexing offers a one-year warranty on hardware and manufacturer defects. They also offer a 30-day hassle free return policy. Visit Rexingusa.com for more information regarding the warranty.

Pros

• Adjustable lens angle
• High-quality, high-resolution 1080p HD daytime image quality
• Discreet design and easy-mount unit
• Internal GPS
• 128GB SD compatible

Cons

• Poor night vision
• No Wi-Fi support for file transfer
• Micro SD card not included
• Screen is susceptible to glare

Conclusion

A quality dash cam is invaluable for protecting yourself and your vehicle out on the road, especially in a busy city or while traveling through congested, hazard-prone areas. After examining these four dash cams, we are confident in our concluding review of the Garmin Dash Cam 45. We support this Garmin model and believe that it has superior performance, approachability, affordability, thoughtful design and longevity. 

Its compact, stealth design and HD 1080p video capture offer reliable defense in any situation where a record may be necessary. The Garmin Dash Cam 45 is an excellent option on the market today, and it is at an affordable price point that will keep you and your vehicle insured with the power of evidence in the unexpected moments when you need it most.