BlackVue DR900X Dash Cam

The new BlackVue DR900X dash cam is a high end car cam system that is an upgraded version of the popular DR900S dash cam, the “S” series, which will now go by the “X” series of Blackvue dash cameras. It will have all the same features as the previous models, as well as some new features we list below.

BlackVue has been producing dash cameras longer than most companies out there and are often cited as being the best in the industry. Although their dash cams are priced higher than most car cameras on the market, many feel it’s worth paying more for a reliable brand and all the added features their dash cams offer. Their dash cams are known for their sophisticated parking mode features, which include impact and motion detection and can be paired with their Cloud service, which offers remote access and video storage. None of their dash cams come with a screen like you might find on other dash cameras, so you will need to have the BlackVue app installed on your phone and connect to it via wifi in order to use their dash cams. Most of their dash cams are sold as a dual dash cam setup with a rear camera, giving you nearly full video coverage around your car. Below our review of the DR900X goes over all the main features and specs to give you a better idea about the capabioites of the BlackVue DR900X dash cam.

BlackVue DR900X Features

Video Quality

The DR900X dual dash cam setup shoots video in full HD on both the front and rear cameras

• Front Camera – The main front camera captures video in real 4K Ultra High Definition (3840×2160) at 30 frames per second. It uses an 8 megapixels CMOS image sensor, so you know it’s real 4K. You need an 8MP image sensor to capture real 4K video. Other dash cams claim to shoot in 4K, but they’re using a smaller sensor and upscaling the video after to make it look like real 4K. The main front camera has a lens angle of 162 degrees, which is enough to get a full field of view of the front of your car.
• Rear Camera – The DR900X-2CH package comes with a rear camera that’s typically meant to be mounted to the back window of your car. It shoots full HD video (1920×1080) at 30 frames per second. The back camera uses the Sony STARVIS CMOS Image Sensor. The Sony sensors are known for their crisp and clear video quality, as well as good night vision clarity. Although the field of view is 139 degrees, which is not as wide as some rear cameras, this should be wide enough to provide complete coverage of the road behind you.

Video Storage

The DR900X offers 2 main ways to store videos. The first is the most common among dash cams, which is using a microSD card. With the dual camera setup, both cameras will share one main memory card. 256GB is the largest microSD card you can use. Using a 256GB memory card you will be able to record about 21 hours of video, while a 16GB card can record about a 1 hour and 20 minutes of video footage. Video files are broken up into small 3 to 5 minute clips, rather than saving one large video. This is so dash cam can overwrite the oldest video files and “loop” back around when the memory card gets full.

The 2nd way video files can be saved on the DR900X is through the BlackVue Cloud service. We have written more about this below.

BlavkVue Cloud & 4G LTE

The DR900X is compatible with the BlackVue Cloud service. In order to use the 4G service, you will need to get a SIM card with a data plan through your phone carrier.

Some of the main features of the BlackVue Cloud service:

• Automatic Video Storage – You have the option to save video right on to your phone, or on to the BlackVue Cloud storage service. If someone were to break into your car and steal your dash cam, you would still have a copy of the videos stored remotely.
• Remote View – Stream video directly from the DR900X right to your smartphone.
• Push Notifications – Get alerts sent directly to your smartphone when an event happens in your car, such as a hit and run in a parking lot.
• GPS Tracking – See a live view of your car in motion overlayed onto a map. Nice feature for companies that want to track a fleet of vehicles.

BlackVue offers a free Cloud plan with limited live view and remote video playback, while their paid plans offer unlimited remote viewing and playback.

Read more about BlackVue Cloud plans and pricing

Parking Mode Features

BlackVue has been know for their parking mode features for some time now. Their line of dash cams are considered best by many in online communities.

The DR900X has a built in voltage meter that will monitor your cars battery levels and turn the camera completely off if it detects it dropping below a certain level. This will ensure that you don’t completely drain your car battery.

A hardwiring kit is included with the dash cam. This is a set of wires that plug into your cars fuse box. No actual altering of your cars wiring is required. Once you have installed the wires, the dash cam will automatically power on when you start your car. The dash cam will also have power when your car is off that can be used for the parking mode feature.

BlackVue also has a few different external battery packs that they sell. These can be used rather than your car battery, as some don’t want to repeatedly put strain on their car battery. The battery pack is wired into the fuse box of your car and automatically recharges when you are running your car.

Some of the main features of parking mode are:

• Impact Detection – This is one of the most common parking mode features you will find on dash cameras. The dash cam has a built in g-sensor which can detect sudden movements in the camera. If an impact was detect it will automatically save a video file. This can be very usefull for a hit and run in a parking lot.
• Motion Detection – When this is activated, the dash cam will automatically start recording anytime it detects movement in the front or rear camera. This should only be used in a low traffic area, such as your driveway, otherwise it will be continuesly recording evertime their is movement.
• Buffered Recording – This is one of the more advanced parking mode features. When using buffered parking mode, you are able to record video before an event happens. This is done by constantly recording video over and over again, so when an event happens, it has 15 seconds of video before motion or an impact is detected.

BlackVue DR900S vs BlackVue DR900X

What’s the difference between the DR900S and DR900X? The main upgrades you will find on the newer X version are:

• LTE 4G USB port to plug in an external LTE 4G wifi router, giving the DR900X the ability to remotely connect the dash cam to the cloud and provide remote access and video storage. Using the external 4G router, you can plug in a SIM card from a carrier to enable a connection. This basically creates a hot spot for your dash cam withing your car.
• Bluetooth is supported in the hardware, however it has not yet been finalized. Bluetooth connectivity may be added through future firmware updates.
• Higher heat resistance. The previous DR900S already did well in high heats by using a capacitor rather than a battery, but the DR900X can now withstand more extreme temperatures.
• Voltage monitoring is built-in to the dash cam. Now you don’t need to use an external device to automatically cut off power to the dash cam when you cars battery is getting too low.

BlackVue DR900X Specs

BlackVue DR900X Release Date

The BlackVue DR900X series of dash cams are now for sale: View them on Amazon