Roav C2 1080p DashCam Review

The Roav DashCam C2 comes with some decent specs that should mean it could take the dashcam crown from our flagship Aukey DR02 dashcam. Featuring a wide dynamic range, night vision, a very capable Sony Exmor IMX323 sensor capturing 1080p through a 4-lane wide-angle lens, whilst on the back of the camera, there is a 3-inch LCD screen display and function buttons.

But does all of this make a great camera? We’ve learned in the past that it is never the case, but let‘s say, the expectations were high for the Roav DashCam C2.

Inside you’ll find the Roav DashCam C2 itself, a trim Removal Tool, 2-Port USB Car Charger, Suction and 3M Sticker Mounts, User Manual. For complete operation the C2 requires a microSD card (not included). Roav mentions that a 32GB Samsung or SanDisk class 10 SD card recommended. I used a 128GB SanDisk Ultra class 10 SD card without any issues.

This dashcam uses a suction cup mount design, whilst 3M adhesive pads come bundled and can also be used. I found the suction cup mount to be solid and sufficient enough. Channelling the USB wire to its bundled 2-port USB power source is done by feeding the cable between or behind any interior lining using the handy trim removal tool.

Once powered up the Roav C2 chimes into life and your attention is immediately drawn to its 3-inch colour touch screen display. Once you’re used to tiny 1.5-inch displays on smaller dash cams, or even no displays at all, the C2 is not as huge as the 4-inch Z-Edge T4 we reviewed but it’s a good halfway house.

For me, the issue with dashcams that resemble a hanging camera is that it can feel too big once it is mounted on the windscreen. I prefer my tech to be hidden, tucked away from sight, and be far less of a distraction whilst I am driving. With that said though, I do like the bigger screen when interacting with its many options, but how often do you do this after they have been set to the desired settings – not often.

The Roav C2 carries lots of options to suit your tastes. These are all accessed by pressing on the four function buttons that sit alongside the right side of the LCD display. From here you can access the main menu to toggle capturing resolution, night vision enhancements, driving collision detection, parking collision detection, through to setting the time, language, LCD display timer, loop recording times, and many general functionality options.

Whilst the camera is recording these function buttons also act as shortcuts to toggle emergency recording, microphone muting and access to playback any previous recordings captured on the device from either loop or the emergency recording folders.

In Park mode the C2 increases its internal G-Sensor and optimises its battery efficiency to monitor your vehicle, whilst it’s parked. It will then detect and record any bumps your car might get whilst it’s parked on the street or in a carpark. The sensitivity of this can also be set in the camera’s menus.

Finally, there is the WDR (Wide Dynamic Range) mode. This mode optimises low light image quality and minimises screen glare. This is particularly useful during night-time driving, where videos captured can enhance dark spots and reduce extreme light from street lamps and oncoming car headlights.

The C2 comes with three options to choose from; Licence Plate mode, Panorama mode and Balance mode. Licence Plate mode will reduce the amount of glare from lights to make number plates more readable in video recordings whilst Panorama will do this much less to create a better picture overall. Balance swings between both of these options to attempt to give you the best of both worlds.

The resolution of the C2 dashcam is 1080p at 30fps, whilst this can be adjusted further menus to 720p at 30fps and 720p at 60fps. Loop recording time can be adjusted from 1, 3, 5 and 10 minutes, whilst in the frequency section, you can switch between 50 and 60Hz modes for smoother video recording playback.

Attaching the camera is done through a simple but effective suction cup and locking mechanism. It’s a classic mounting solution that just works, and during my test it never lost its suction. I prefer this over the 3M sticker mounting solutions, especially when I have to remove it! Once mounted the camera can be tilted back and forward in the mount, as well as side by side in the mount itself.

So with the camera and its features covered, how does it record video? On first impressions, it’s good, but when you compare it alongside our favourite dash cam, the Aukey DR02 which also has the same Sony IMX323 sensor, I was slightly disappointed. Daylight recordings felt over-sharpened and grainy, whilst detail was lost due to over-exposure settings that could not be adjusted. The Aukey DR02 had a more natural looking quality that just felt more pleasing to the eye than the Roav C2.

Comparing the same scene captured on both cameras, side by side, it is a night and day comparison, with the winner being in favour of the AUKEY DR02, which also captures at up to 1080p 30fps. With the sensor and lens being the same, I really don’t understand what tech is a fault here that lets it down so much. It is likely to be that the Roav C2’s processing settings are poorly configured.

Whilst day recording is a little oversaturated, the Roav C2 performed at night just the same as the Aukey. It may be a little grainier than the Aukey but the detail is much the same as our Aukey dashcam. Night time recording is acceptable, maybe a little too dark for my tastes but it’s set to a good enough level that covers most situations at night.

Capturing audio is possible thanks to the small microphone located on the camera housing. Audio recording is this camera’s downfall. Sound on the CR2 is much worse than the Aukey DR02, with very little bass captured in the audio. So if audio is very important for you, this camera isn’t for you.

A common feature appearing in many dash cams these days is the Emergency Recording function. This is when the camera senses any change in movement that is activated by a built-in gravity sensor. This automatically captures unexpected driving incidents, whether driving or parked and locked up. Emergency recordings are then stored and archived where it cannot be overwritten.

The Roav C2 Dash Camera is currently on sale for £69.99 on Amazon, and with the Aukey DR02 on sale for the same price, it is tough to recommend it if I am honest. This proves that you do not have to have the best specs to get the best results. The Aukey DR02 with its lower profile and better picture quality gives it the edge over the C2. However, if you’re after a suction mounted dashcam with a nice 3-inch screen, the Roav C2 dashcam packs a decent amount of features for the asking price.

CarPlay Life has partnered with Roav/Anker to bring you our impartial reviews of their products. CarPlay Life has affiliate linked to the reviewed products, which means by clicking on any linked products you also help support CarPlay Life by allowing us to receive a commission from your purchase on Amazon.com.