Crossbeats RoadEye DC03 4K Dash Cam review

The Crossbeats RoadEye DC03 isn’t fancy to look at, but that’s the point really. It’s a fairly simple design which is focused on ease of installation and use, with the camera at the front and the 2.4-inch display at the back. 

Under the display are the physical buttons, while the edges have the power button, microSD card slot, AV In socket, USB Type-C port for power supply, speaker and microphone, hard reset button, and heat vents. It does feel a bit plasticky to touch, and the buttons are a bit too firm to press, which can be a hassle to manage when the camera is mounted.

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The main unit of the dash cam slides onto the mount system, and can be removed just as easily as it’s put on for quick access and ease of use. The mount system itself has a somewhat complex installation method, and the wiring also needs to be done in a way where the cables stay out of your vision. Crossbeats offers professional installation for the DC03 (priced at Rs. 1,200), and it’s recommended that you take advantage of it.

 

 

 

 

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Interestingly, the Crossbeats RoadEye DC03 comes with a rear camera as well, which plugs into the AV In socket on the main unit once properly positioned and wired. The video feed from this camera is stored on the main unit’s microSD card. Of course, you have the option to not use the rear camera at all, but that’s kind of a waste of the full potential of the DC03.

The main camera can record 4K-resolution video and uses a Sony Starvis sensor, while the rear camera can record at up to full-HD resolution. The DC03 powers on automatically as soon as the car turns on, when plugged into the 12V port using the included power supply adapter and cable. It also powers down on its own safely when power is cut off, and records automatically when in use. For connectivity, the DC03 uses Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth.

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The duration and number of recordings on the device obviously depends on the capacity of the microSD card you use, and the Crossbeats RoadEye DC03 supports up to 512GB storage cards. Even a 64GB or 128GB card should be adequate for regular recording, and you can obviously stop and retrieve any footage you need, before it loops over and overwrites any everyday and insignificant footage naturally.

Other features on the Crossbeats RoadEye DC03 dash cam include native GPS connectivity, Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) features such as forward collision warning and lane departure warning, emergency video recording and crash alerts, and app support through the Kacam app. I’ll go into the details about how all of these work in the next section.

Operating the Crossbeats RoadEye DC03 is fairly simple, and once you’ve gone through the settings and selected your preferences, it’s really something that you can put in and let it do its thing. I had the device recording 4K video, and many of the preferences involving looping video and other operational stuff was set to the default settings.

There are various features that give the Crossbeats RoadEye DC03 a bit more capability than a basic dash cam. GPS tracking helps to track speed and route details, which can come in particularly handy when providing dash cam footage as evidence in case of accidents. It’s fairly comprehensive in terms of driving data collection, over and above the actual footage itself.

The ADAS systems and parking sensors provide basic warnings in specific situations, although I (fortunately) didn’t have any opportunities to properly test these. There is also a G sensor, which can trigger emergency recording when sudden changes in motion or collisions are detected.

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App connectivity means that you can choose to download video clips directly to a smartphone using the Kacam app, and also view the footage directly on a connected smartphone in some situations. This connection uses Wi-Fi to quickly transfer data, when your smartphone is near the dash cam. You can, of course, just eject the storage card and copy footage directly onto another device, if you prefer.

The DC03 camera is optimised for low-light and high motion recording, as would be expected for a dash cam. Indeed, recording quality was very good in all lighting conditions, capturing plenty of detail and specifics such as number plates of other vehicles and road signs clearly. The wide-angle view covers a decent field of vision at the front, as well. 4K recording is ideal because of the superior levels of detail, but you can choose to record at full-HD resolution to keep file sizes low.

The Crossbeats RoadEye DC03 is, as far as dash cams go, quite a premium offering in terms of features and specifications. With 4K recording, front and rear camera coverage, GPS and Wi-Fi connectivity, and basic ADAS features, it adds a lot of value and safety to your car setup. 

At Rs. 9,999, it’s also competitively priced for what’s on offer. While there are plenty of dash cams available right now (including options directly from the manufacturer), an aftermarket option like this could turn out to be a better value-for-money offering, while giving you better features and functionality.