Review on 2.5K WiFi GPS Mini Dash Cam - Vantrue E1 1944P Voice Control, 24H Parking Mode & Wireless Controller - 1.54" LCD Front Car Camera W/ Night Vision & APP Support 512GB Max by Bill Garczynski

Having tried several Vantrue dashcams (X4S, E2 dual, E1 lite, now the E1) I can say they have improved their products with this new generation.The E1 being a 2K camera brings high resolution on a convenient package. The small size makes the camera inobtrusive, but at the same the screen it's too small and the elements on the UI are a little crowded. I guess that's the tradeoff for the convenience of having a small footprint.Another thing that you lose with the small factor is the 'up' button. With the regular size cameras (X4S, E2) you have the start/stop button, up, down, and menu, but because the minimal size, the E1 (and E1 lite) comes with the start button, down and menu, forcing you to use the down button every time, if you want to go up, the only solution is to go all the way to the last option on the menu then it returns to the first option. It's not a big deal, only a small inconvenience.What I consider a big deal it's the temperature management. It has been a constant complain about how Vantrue cameras runs hot (this is not a problem unique to the E1). Now that I have a high-resolution IR camera, for first time I was able to measure the heat emitted by the cam. As you can see on one of the photos, the standard running temperature is 115 F, but the range is from 113 up to 120 F. That's the surface temperature, which means for sure internally the camera is even hotter (FYI the IR capture says '2020/2/16' because I have not set the correct date and time on the IR cam yet). When its summertime, temperature reach melting levels, and that is concerning. I believe the Novatek chip used (NT96670 if I'm not wrong) it's the one to blame here, but to be fair, that's the silicon that almost everyone uses for budget cameras. Because they have not managed to keep their cameras cold, I'm taking one star off from the rating.Putting aside the running temps, you get a great build quality, integrated GPS, crisp and bright screen, a remote that you can talk commands (i.e. 'take a photo') and the power adapter that goes into the cigarette lighter style socket. A hardwiring kit is sold separately, and the SD needed for recordings.Talking about recordings, this camera doesn't like too much the Sandisk cards. From time to time, you will get a 'SD card error' message if you use a Sandisk one (Sandisk high endurance, designed for high temperatures and a lot of rewrites). I switched to a Samsung SD (pro endurance); I haven't had those errors anymore. I will not buy a Vantrue SD because they are usually twice the price of brand-name SDs.To finish, I can say their customer support is stellar. When I had problems with the X4S, I tried with the E2 duo, and they were with me diagnosing the problem for months. It is very rare for a company to stick with their products they way Vantrue does. Kudos to them for that.In conclusion, it is a good camera, good resolution and features, great build quality, and the price is acceptable.