Botslab G980H review: Should you buy it?

The Botslab G980H is sleek, compact, and unobtrusive, so it won’t distract you when you’re driving, especially if you set it to turn its display off automatically. There is a small blinking LED on the driver’s side, but you can disable it as well. I tucked it in just below my car’s rearview mirror and I quickly forgot it was there, which is not something that can be said about other dash cams out there.

Mounting the camera on the windshield is a cinch, thanks to the residue-free stickers included in the package. Like with any dash cam, the most time-consuming part will be routing the charging cables through the car’s trim so they don’t dangle around. A second, smaller camera goes on the rear window glass, which records what happens behind you. This cam hooks up to the main camera rather than the charger. The bundled charging cables are long enough for most vehicles, including larger cars like SUVs and trucks.

The camera can be powered using the auxiliary power outlet in your car (the cigarette lighter port) or using the optional hardwiring kit (bought separately, currently $19.99 on Amazon). If you opt for the latter, the camera will work even when the car is turned off, enabling the 24-hour parking mode. While in this mode, the camera will automatically record events that trigger its internal shock sensor – most commonly, this can help if someone hits your car in the parking lot. If you use the regular charging port, the Botslab G980H will turn off whenever you unplug it or stop the car. I was not able to use the hardwiring kit, so I can’t comment on how well the 24-hour parking mode works. But if you have the opportunity to use it, I recommend it; if nothing else, it will free up your charging port.

While dash cams are typically powered through a wire, they need to store a little energy inside them to ensure they can safely boot down and save files in their internal storage when wired power stops. For this purpose, the Botslab G980H is equipped with a supercapacitor rather than a lithium-ion battery. This is preferable especially if you live in hot climates, where the extreme heat that can build up in the cabin can damage batteries.

The 2.45-inch display is nice and bright, but is not touch-enabled. Interacting with the camera is done via the three buttons on the bottom of the camera, which is reasonable given you will rarely have to do it after the initial setup. The G980H does not support voice controls, like some high-end models do.

I liked that Botslab bundled the G980H with a 64GB microSD card out of the box, which will save you a bit of time and money. The storage will fill out quickly – recording one hour of 4K footage just from the front camera will consume around 13GB. If you want to save important footage, it’s best to do so as soon as you can, to avoid it being overwritten. Luckily, viewing and extracting footage is a breeze, thanks to the Botslab companion app.

The intuitive companion app lets you configure the camera, as well as view and save video clips. Coming from a cheap old dash cam that required me to pop up the microSD card to view recordings, I really appreciated the convenience offered by the app. It connects via Bluetooth (slow) or 5GHz Wi-Fi (fast and reliable). While the Wi-Fi worked well overall, occasionally my phone would not pick up the camera’s Wi-Fi network.

The Botslab G980H features two cameras, one in the front and one in the rear. The front camera records in 4K, which is excellent for capturing finer details like license plates, while the rear camera records in 1080p. The camera lenses are quite wide: 170 degrees for the front camera and 150 degrees for the rear one. That means the camera will catch events even when they happen around the sides of the road.

The front camera records at 25fps by default. You can switch to 60fps, but that means sacrificing resolution as the Botslab G980H only supports 1080p at 60fps. I recommend sticking to 4K and 25fps, which gives you a bit more detail.

The camera lacks HDR or a dedicated night mode. At highway speeds or in low light, I found that reading license plates can be difficult, but otherwise I was happy with the image quality offered by the Botslab G980H.

Built-in GPS provides location tracking, which can be useful in case you need to pinpoint the location of a traffic incident. I liked that video recordings include the time, speed, and geographic coordinates, which could come in handy when trying to figure out what happened on the road at a given time.

I was less impressed with the ADAS (Advanced driver-assistance system) features built into the Botslab G980H. The camera warns you about potential pedestrian collisions, lane departures, insufficient distance to the front vehicle, and when the vehicle in front starts moving. In theory, these are all useful and important features, but in my experience they weren’t quick or precise enough to actually rely on them. Plus, the lane departure function can become tedious as it alerts you every time you change lanes or overtake a car. I ended up disabling these features, but I recommend that you still give them a go and see how they work for you.

The Botslab G980H delivers excellent value for money. At the time of this writing, you can buy one for as little as $129 if you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber. Dash cams with similar features including 4K recording, wide angle view, front and rear cameras, and GPS integration tend to cost much more. You get all the essential features in a robust package, and some nice extras, without sacrificing design and build quality. While it’s not perfect, I have no problem recommending the Botslab G980H to anyone looking for an affordable, but capable camera for their car.

What are the best Botslab G980H alternatives?

• Miofive S1 ($89.99 at Amazon): The Miofive S1 has 4K UHD recording and a large 3-inch screen in a compact and affordable package. While its 140-degree field of view is narrower than the Botslab G980H’s, it still offers good road coverage. Connectivity options like dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and built-in GPS ensure seamless functionality. It offers a lot of the same features as the Botslab G980H, but lacks a rear camera.
• Garmin Dash Cam 67W ($199.99 at Amazon): The Garmin Dash Cam 67W is a compact, feature-rich device that records in 1440p HD with HDR, ensuring clear footage. Its 180-degree field of view captures a wide perspective of the road. The dash cam includes voice control, built-in GPS for location tracking, and driver assistance alerts like forward collision and lane departure warnings. But it doesn’t include a microSD card and using some of its cloud features will require shelling out for a subscription.
• Vantrue N5 ($399.99 at Amazon): The Vantrue N5 is a 4-channel dash cam that provides nearly 360-degree coverage with front, rear, and dual interior cameras. It records in 2.5K for the front camera and 1080p for the others. Features include voice control, Wi-Fi connectivity, GPS tracking, and infrared night vision for clear captures in low light. While it offers extensive coverage and advanced functionalities, its higher price point and increased storage requirements may put off some buyers.