The Vantrue E1 Pro is a small front-only dash cam that records 4K at 30fps through a 158-degree lens, with GPS, 5GHz Wi-Fi, voice control and a 1.54-inch screen. TechRadar praised its footage, easy setup and support for microSD cards up to 1TB. Tom's Guide found daytime video 'crisp and clear' but said night footage turns noisy and that oncoming license plates were hard to read after dark, and reported that the unit runs very hot. It has no rear camera.
Full review
A small box with a screen
TechRadar measured the E1 Pro at roughly 1.73 x 1.97 x 1.73 inches and called the compact, boxy shape the thing that appealed most. The rear LCD made setup easy, though the reviewer found the on-screen graphics too small to read on the move and recommended the app instead. The mount sticks to the windshield directly or via a static sheet, and the camera slides out of it.
Tom's Guide described the build as 'reassuringly chunky' but noted that the swivel-arm mount makes the camera hang a few inches lower than its size suggests, so it is less discreet once installed. That review judged the 1.54-inch screen too small and too cluttered for reviewing footage.
4K footage by day, noise at night
The camera records 4K at 30fps from a Sony IMX678 Starvis 2 sensor behind an f/1.8, 158-degree lens. TechRadar wrote that it 'delivers cracking footage' and found little to complain about in everyday use. Tom's Guide agreed for daytime: footage was crisp, colors were well saturated, and the wide view came without obvious fisheye distortion.
After dark Tom's Guide saw 'a fair bit of noise and graininess'. Detail held up for traffic ahead moving in the same direction, but plates in the oncoming lane were too hard to read. The PlatePix mode gave a small boost to plate clarity at the cost of a darker picture with crushed blacks; the reviewer found it most useful at night.
Features and app
Both reviews list GPS, voice control and fast Wi-Fi transfers. TechRadar notes microSD support up to 1TB, a supercapacitor rather than a lithium battery, and a circular polarizing filter and remote control supplied with its review unit. Tom's Guide called the app simple but clear and responsive, with most full-resolution clips between 100 and 250 MB.
Parking mode can record 15 seconds before and 30 seconds after motion is detected, but TechRadar points out it needs a hardwire kit that is not in the box.
Heat and menu quirks
Tom's Guide lists 'Runs hot' and 'Fiddly menu' as its reasons to avoid. The reviewer said the camera 'runs extremely hot during operation, even when the display goes into sleep mode' and, while nothing failed in a week of testing, questioned what that means for long-term reliability. The protect button also had to be pressed twice to lock a clip. TechRadar's own caution is that the screen saver should be switched on so the display does not distract the driver.
Strengths
- +4K 3840 x 2160 at 30fps from a Sony IMX678 Starvis 2 sensor (TechRadar)
- +Daytime footage is crisp and clear with well-judged color and contrast (Tom's Guide)
- +Takes microSD cards up to 1TB (TechRadar)
- +GPS, 5GHz Wi-Fi and voice control built in (Tom's Guide)
- +Compact body, about 1.73 x 1.97 x 1.73 inches, with a slide-out mount (TechRadar)
Watch-outs
- −Night footage is noisy and grainy, and oncoming plates were hard to read after dark (Tom's Guide)
- −Runs extremely hot in use, even with the display asleep (Tom's Guide)
- −On-screen graphics are tiny; the app is the better way to manage it (TechRadar)
How it compares
The E1 Pro records 4K, a higher resolution than the 1080p Garmin Dash Cam Mini 2, the 1440p Nextbase 522GW and the 2.5K front camera of the Redtiger F7N. Like the Garmin and the Nextbase it is front-only, so the Redtiger F7N is the pick here for front-and-rear recording. Its 1.54-inch screen is far smaller than the 3-inch displays on the Nextbase and Redtiger, while the Garmin has no screen at all.
Rating sources
Counts as 3.92/5 in our score — this publisher's 195 scores on the site average 4.25, so its scores are adjusted down to compare fairly with other publishers.
Counts as 4.02/5 in our score — this publisher's 156 scores on the site average 4.15, so its scores are adjusted up to compare fairly with other publishers.
Our 4.0 score is the average of these published ratings, each adjusted for how strictly its publisher scores. More about methodology.
