We will mention that the Garmin Dash Cam 56 requires a lot of button pressing.
Users can toggle it on or off if it gets too annoying. This is great for lane changes, tight parking spaces, and parking garages.
The Garmin also features a neat proximity-alert system, which will chime whenever it detects that your vehicle is too close to another. The voice control prompts let you save videos, take a picture, start and stop audio and video recording as well as start and stop travel timelapse. Voice controls are responsive and available for users who speak English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, and Swedish. (It records all the time but overwrites the data as necessary.)Īs for that magnetic mount and ball socket, they offer excellent range of movement while remaining steady on the windshield despite our G-sensor tests. Triggering the G-sensor also causes the system to retain the previous minute and the following minute, ensuring that the video offers above-and-beyond coverage. We performed a few G-loading maneuvers - sharp braking, quick jabs left and right - and the video-capture function activated whenever it sensed sudden jerks. We then toggled the Garmin’s sensitivity to high to test the device’s built-in G-sensor, and it worked well. There is an internal battery that lets you do away with its power cord, too, though you’ll need to hook it into either your 12-volt or USB outlet for anything longer than 30 minutes. No Sasquatch blur here.Ī highlight of the Garmin Dash Cam 56 is its discreet profile (2.1 inches wide, 1.6 inches long) that sneaks under your rearview mirror.
Recording with a 140-degree field of view, 65 frames per second, and 1440p (WQHD), the road markings, street signs, and license plates are clearly distinguishable and legible. Off the bat, the Garmin Dash Cam 56's steady playback was superb. Bad: Screen may be too small for some users, doesn’t include micro SD cardĪfter adding a memory card, mounting the camera to the windshield, and adjusting the camera’s settings, we were ready to go.Good: Easy to use smartphone app, solid 1440p resolution, and 140-degree field of view.Customers may feel frustrated that it can’t be put to immediate use, but memory cards are inexpensive ( three-pack for about $20) and plentiful from any fine electronics retailer. There’s no internal memory here, so a micro SD card is necessary. One letdown is that the Garmin Dash Cam 56 doesn’t include a micro SD card. Dash cam and smartphone connect automatically once in proximity to one another. After downloading the Garmin Drive app (iOS and Android), turn on your camera, place both devices within 10 feet of each other, open the app, and follow the in-app instructions to complete the two-minute setup process. Pairing the Garmin with its app is simple. Setup is straightforward, with a few questions asked via the rear screen before it allows you to pair it with your phone. The Garmin’s mount sticks to the windshield by way of adhesive, while a magnetic connector couples the mount to the camera.
The screen takes up nearly its entire back, save for small icons corresponding to the cam’s side buttons for powering up, down, and accessing files. Inside offers a simple piece of concave cardboard holding everything you need, including the instruction manual, adhesive mount, 12-volt charger, two USB cables, a dual USB 12-volt socket adapter, and the dash cam itself.Īt first touch, the Garmin Dash Cam 56 feels lightweight and, frankly, slightly cheap thanks to its plastic housing. The box is lean and gray with large Garmin lettering down the side and a high-resolution image of the dash cam.
The Garmin Dash Cam 56 offers some seriously simple packaging. Unboxing and Initial Impressions of the Garmin Dash Cam 56