Splashetech Mini 0806 Review – Dash Cam Discount
May 16, 2023 by Zach Harmon
The Mini 0806 was created in 2015 after the Mini 0805 as the next edition in the ‘Mini Series’ and was the smallest dashboard camera on the market until 2019 when Garmin released a more compact dash cam.
The Mini 0806 advertises features that caught my eye, such as the discreet design, G-Sensor with recording lockdown, wide angle lens, and double card reader ports with a total storage capacity of 256 GB.
However, upon my first use I immediately noticed that the GPS tracking was inaccurate and the parts used to make the G-Sensor were of low quality. The double card reader ports is a cool feature that offers a ton of storage, but it wasn’t enough to make up for it’s drawdowns.
After using the Mini 0806 for two weeks, I’m not impressed. This review will be a complete overview of my experience using the product.
Pros
- Lower Price Point
- Dual Micro SD Slots
- Decent Parking Mode Function
Cons
- Low Maximum Video Resolution
- Poor Performance in Hot Weather / Operating Temperature
- Slow Forward Collision Warning System
- Small Internal Battery Storage
- GPS Stamping & GPS Logging Not Consistent
- Glitchy Loop Recording
- Lane Departure Warning System Outdated
Product Highlights
Product
Features
* Decent Video Quality (Not Full HD)
* Circular Polarization Lens
* Small Form Factor
* CPL Filter with Cinema Mode
Price
My Experience with the Mini 0806
My experience with the Mini 0806 has decent at best, nothing I’m going to write home to mom about. The Mini 0806’s lens offers a maximum of 135 degrees, which provides wide-angle coverage, but there are better products that provide a significantly wider angle of vision.
The magnetized circular polarization lens makes it possible to attach a circular polarizer to the glass’s front. I found that it films at a low-frame rate (FPS) at night time, which results in clunky slow-motion like playback.
Takeaway: This can get in the way of gathering evidence in the event of a car crash, which is a major drawback.
The polarization mechanism helps image quality during the day, but only slightly. The recording resolution is 2560x1080p, but the video quality isn’t what I’d expect from a camera with a resolution this high.
Takeaway: The polarizers increase overall contrast of the dash camera footage, while reducing glare.
However, the effect is minimal and the camera still produces a low-quality image. The cinematic mode produces a far larger display, but the overall quality is still lacking.
I found that the Mini 0806 also has a number of other issues. The mount that comes with the Mini 0806 blocks the windshield’s vision, making it difficult to see the road ahead.
The sound quality is poor, the battery life is short, and the menu system is confusing. Furthermore, the camera is difficult to mount and the firmware updates isn’t easy to navigate.
Features
The dash cam is designed to auto-power and start shooting footage as soon as the ignition is turned on, so you don’t have to remind yourself to switch it on. Unfortunately, the quality of the footage is not great. The night vision is especially poor, with a reddish color cast that makes it hard to watch good video on the screen. Compared to other better night vision dash cams, the Mini 0806 is not up to par.
While the features of the 0806 are superior to the Mini 0805, they still didn’t impress me. Let’s dive into the features individually so I can tell you what I noticed, and if the advertising claims live up to reality.
Video Quality and Loop Recording
The Mini 0806 is a dash cam that uses the Ambarella A7LA50 chipset. It comes with a power cable and car charger, and the connection is made via a micro USB. Unfortunately, the Mini 0806 does not perform well in low-light conditions, and the footage is grainy and difficult to make out.
The Mini 0806 has twin memory card slots that accept up to 128 GB MicroSD cards, so you can record continuously for hours. However, the loop recording feature is still available if you run out of space, which is a nice feature.
The Mini 0806 dash cam has a loop recording feature that captures footage in loops of 1 to 5 minutes. While this feature is meant to free up space on the device, it does not do so effectively. Instead, it keeps recording by overwriting older saved video files starting with the oldest. This means that if an important event is captured, it may be overwritten before the user has a chance to save it.
The loop recording feature also has a tendency to freeze up or stop recording altogether. This can be incredibly frustrating when trying to capture important footage, as the user may not be aware that the device has stopped recording until it is too late. Furthermore, the device is slow to start recording again after it has stopped, which can be a major inconvenience.
GPS
I was excited to try out the built-in GPS module. Unfortunately, I found the GPS locational data to be inaccurate. The speed and direction details were often off, and I had to manually correct them. Although it is not mandatory to use this feature, I was disappointed that it did not provide the accuracy I was expecting.
The GPS feature is intended to be used for logging the speed you were driving if an accident occurs, which is important for insurance claims. However, I found that the GPS data was unreliable and I would not trust it for this purpose. I would recommend that anyone who needs this feature for insurance purposes look for another product.
Full HD High Dynamic Range
The vendors brag about the camera’s great features, which is supposed to be full HD and have a high dynamic range lens. However, the video quality isn’t good enough to capture license plates, even when the camera is mounted on the rear view mirror. The wide angle lens also fails to capture street sign details, and the full screen display is blurry and distorted.
I was expecting a lot more from the Mini 0806 dash camera, especially considering the price. I thought the full HD wide dynamic range lens would be able to capture clear images, but this wasn’t the case.
The higher frame rate of the camera was nice, but the installation process was a bit of a hassle.
Mini 0806 Installation Process
Installing the Mini 0806 dash camera was a bit difficult. The instructions were not very clear and I had to resort to online tutorials to figure out how to set it up. I would advise anyone attempting to install the camera without a professional at their own risk. Or you can read our full guide on how to install a dash cam to learn the basic outline.
I had to install two units of the camera and the hardwire kits that came with them. Getting the latest firmware updates was a hassle to do. I had to update the firmware of both units and format the microsd card before I could start recording.
User Manual
The instruction manual can be downloaded here.
What We Look For in Dashcams
Our team of reviewers evaluates each dashboard camera product based on the following criteria:
Value For Money – 0 to 5 stars
Does the product provide good value for the price?
Is it priced competitively compared to similar products?
Ease of Use – 0 to 5 stars
How challenging is it to install the dash cam?
Is video playback easily accessible and user-friendly?
Camera Resolution & Lens Quality – 0 to 5 stars
Are high-quality components used in the product? (camera lens, SD card, G Sensor)
Can license plates and street signs be clearly read from the recorded video?
Additional Features – 0 to 5 stars
Is there a parking mode feature in the dash cam?
Does it come with built-in loop recording or GPS functionality?
Can the dash cam use radar detection to accurately provide information on driving speed?
To learn more about our rating methodology, please visit our product criteria page, which provides detailed information on how we assess the products we review.
SplashETech Mini 0806 Reviews' Summary
2.5 out of 5
2.5/5
The most unique selling point of the Mini 0806 dash cam is its compactness since it’s a tiny device that can fit in the palm of your hand. The two memory card slots are a nice feature and increases storage, but the performance in low light is poor. The circular polarizer helps with glare during the daytime, but the GPS logging didn’t meet my standards.
However, my final rating of this dash cam is a 2.5 out of 5 stars. I found that the features of this dash camera are outdated (created in 2015) and it lacks the necessary functions to compete on the dash cam market in 2023.
In conclusion, I wouldn’t recommend the Mini 0806 dash cam. While it performed better in Dash Cam Discount’s rating metrics than Johns A118C review, I still wouldn’t recommend the 0806. It’s cinematic wide angle is a plus, but it’s not worth the purchase in 2023 due to outdated features and lack of necessary functions. Not to mention there are better dash cameras on the market at this particular price point.
About Post Author
Zach Harmon
Zach Harmon founded Dash Cam Discount to pursue his passion. He created the site to share his experience in the industry & provide quality information to the people. Connect with Zach on LinkedIn or send an email to zach@dashcamdiscount.com.
See authors posts
2 thoughts on “Splashetech Mini 0806 Review – Dash Cam Discount”