The Piqo doesnt have quite as many smart features packed inside but that certainly doesnt mean its lacking.
Read our full Nextbase Piqo review to find out more.
Sadly theres no 4K video option with this particular dash cam.
The Nextbase Piqo can be found at Nextbase.com, as well as major retailers likeAmazonandBest Buy.
Its a little sleeker though, lacking the protruding camera lens and rocking a significantly smaller design.
Its also 1.5 inches wide and around an inch thick.
That small size does come with some trade-offs, though.
But that also means it doesnt have the enormous mount that facilitates those features.
The mount uses an adhesive sticker, which locks in place pretty solidly.
Personally I prefer suction cups with adjustable locking mechanisms, since theyre generally easier to remove.
Provided it’s possible for you to see what youre doing, plucking the camera out is a cinch.
Sticking it behind my mirror did make removal a little harder, on account of restricted viewing angles.
So that’s worth bearing in mind if your car’s cabin is as cramped as mine.
Theres no screen, nor an option to hardwire the Piqo to another Nextbase camera.
Press the button to enter pairing mode, then connect to your phone through the on-screen prompts.
So far so good.
The setup also forces a firmware update, which is where I ran into some problems.
Your experiences may vary.
But these are switched on by default, and youd be better off leaving them that way.
That lets you alter how liberal your camera will be with saving footage and preserving it from being overwritten.
It’s a nice addition, and not something you see in a lot of other dash cams.
It certainly makes things like accessing and downloading video clips rather challenging.
Fortunately you dont need to connect to the Piqo to activate its smarter features.
Its all done by voice commands and the wake word Hey Nexy.
The Piqo also responds to stop witness/privacy mode to go back to normal recording behavior.
Witness mode is an iQ feature thats made the transition.
You have an accident, and Nextbase will alert contacts and first responders.
Smart Parking is also available if you hardwire the Piqo into a power supply.
Both cost $30, and according to Nextbase function exactly the same way.
Needless to say the video quality is not the best, though thats not to say that its bad.
Just that youre not getting crystal clear quality especially at night.
But the camera can pick up the important stuff about whats going on around you.
Plus, it’s able to pick up sounds pretty clearly, especially inside the car.
Night time video is a very different story something a lot of dash cams struggle with.
Considering how much the Piqo costs, that level of quality is just about acceptable.
But the fact it cant really pick up car license plates is kind of a problem.
I get that theyre made to be reflective in the U.K., but that is rather problematic.
Honestly I expected more from Nextbase, especially after the stellar results from the iQ last year.
So this is something any prospective Piqo owners will need to be aware of if theyre driving at night.
Its got all the basics, plus a bunch more features that could easily preserve your life one day.
The drop in quality at 1080p makes it harder to recommend the Piqo 1k model.
That said, it does have all the same features as the 2K model for a measly $100.
