There are very few car dash cams available at the moment that pack the amount of features the A119S does into such a small form factor and low price. With Full HD video recording capability, a built-in LCD display and motion detection capabilities, the A199S brings a lot to the table for its price. The A119S is an upgrade to the widely popular A119 dashcam that many considered to be the all around best cam of 2016, the A119S is surely to be one of the best rated dashcams of 2017.
The A119S is a dash cam manufactured by VIOFO and sold by SpyTec, Capture Your Action and Blueskysea on Amazon.
Included in the box is a charging cable, an adapter, some cable clips and the unit itself. While a micro SD card is not included, the A119S does support micro SD storage up to a generous 128GB, which is more than enough to store a few hours of recordings. It is recommended that you buy a micro SD card that is class 10 or above, as the quality of the recordings will require a faster read/write speed.
The body of the unit sports a clean matte gray polycarbonate build with a grippy exterior that is easy to hold. On the front is the display, as well as power, menu and navigation buttons. The sides contain all the ports and the back is where you’ll find the camera and sockets where you will insert the stands or grips. The sides also contain the micro SD slot, AV out and charging ports.The unit is rather small and as a result it compliments any car interior perfectly with its stealthy design.
The A119S features a super capacitor as opposed to an internal battery. This was a great design choice by Viofo as a super capacitor improves the camera’s long-term lifespan and removes the risk of overheating and causing permanent damage, which is highly likely during prolonged use in hot temperatures. This was a smart consideration as your dash cam will most likely be exposed to direct sunlight most of the time during the summer months. It should be noted that the battery or capacitor in nearly all dash cams is only used for quickly saving video files when you turn your vehicle off, not for actually powering the camera for use, read our Dash Cam Battery VS Capacitor article for more info.
Moving on to the camera, the A119S features an unassumingly small, but powerful sensor. The Sony IMX291 sensor is capable of Full HD 1080p video at an impressive 60FPS, which puts it into action camera territory with the likes of GoPro when it comes to quality. The 6G high brightness lens features an impressive F2.0 aperture, which is large enough to provide good clarity during the day. The 6 layered lens is good enough to provide accurate colors during low light conditions too. The A119S also features support for an optional circular polarize lens. This lens works similar to polarized glasses. With the custom-made CPS filter, windshield reflections and glare is significantly reduced, which gives a clearer overall video picture.
The A119S also features a built-in mount for GPS. With this mount the camera can log your current speeds, as well as your location. This also allows the camera to correct the time of the unit by synchronizing with satellites. Having the correct time is essential for recordings when legal action needs to be taken, or when claiming insurance.
The 2 inch display on the front side of the unit acts as a secondary interface for the dash cam and provides good sunlight legibility and a simple user interface. When it comes to performance, the A119S is perfect, this is helped by the Novatek 96660 chipset built into the unit. The A119S also features a G-sensor and motion detection, which works great against thieves and vandalism when your vehicle is stationery. The G-sensor will have the unit automatically take a snapshot whenever it assumes you have hit something.
The Viofo A119S also has a few useful features that will make driving a lot safer. The camera has a loop mode with auto start/stop, which is adjustable and may be useful for routine drivers. The unit also has a feature called Vehicle Identity Text, which will send you a text whenever your vehicle is being tampered with. The A119S supports most major languages and can be used around the world.
For the price, the Viofo A119S packs a great amount of features into a clean and compact build. The high resolution, high framerate support that the camera is capable of will not only be perfect for drivers who want increased safety on the road, but also those who just want to record videos for leisure.
A119S Product Photos
Full Specs
Dimensions: 3 x 2 x 2 inches
Weight: 10.1 ounces
Sensor: Sony Exmor IMX291
Chipset: Novatek 96660
Video: 1920*1080 60fps; 1920*1080 30fps
Video Format: .MP4
Display: 2 inch LCD
Lens Angle: 135°
Storage: Up to 128GB MicroSD Card
Battery or Capacitor: Capacitor
GPS: Yes
G-Sensor: Yes
Audio: Yes
Dual Dashcam: No
Model Number: A119S
A119S Firmware
VIOFO Official Support Website
What’s in the box?
- GPS Mount
- Car adapter
- USB Cable
- Mounting Clips
- 2 adhesive mounts
- User Manual
Sample Videos of the A119S Dash Cam
Overcast and rainy day video footage
