PAPAGO! P2 Pro Dashcam Review

A Closer Look

Once it’s pulled from the plastic you can see the beauty of this unit. The aesthetics are very nice. Competitor dash cams are nowhere near as good looking as this unit. I’ll go ahead and mention this now, but if you end up purchasing the P2 Pro please make sure that you remove the camera lens protector otherwise your recording will look very bad.

The unit is no slouch in the spec department either.

On one side you’ve got the SD Card slot that has a maximum storage capability of 32GB. The ON button directly to the left of it also serves as a locking mechanism for the memory card.

On the other side you will find a mini USB and HDMI port. The HDMI port is a very nice touch for users that prefer to view their content directly through their TV. But of course you have the option of directly connecting it to a computer via USB or simply removing the SD card and using it in conjunction with a memory card reader.

The screen itself is also a step above most of it’s competitors. It’s bright and very sharp considering it having a resolution of 320×240.

In terms of features the P2 Pro is packed with them. Besides a standby clock mode the unit can display your speed and current direction. What makes this great is that the data can be exported and used for situations like fighting a speeding a ticket. It’s a nice touch that can definitely save you in those rare scenarios.

In order to be able to provide data like speed and direction there is an onboard GPS sensor which can also provide you with even more specific information once you get further into the menus.

Another interesting feature that was included is the unit’s ability for collision detection. When you are taken through the calibration process you are introduced to it’s need to establish the horizon and lane markings to be able to properly implement its object sensing. Collision detection worked without a hitch which is basically done using a safety radius and sounds an alarm if the vehicle in front of you drops into that radius.

Continuing through the menu settings you will find even more driving safety features such as speeding alert, driver fatigue, and night time headlight detection. All alarms are done via both visual and audible alerts that can be manually turned on/off within the menu settings. The speeding alert and headlight detection were pretty spot on but the driver fatigue detection did have some difficulty in its function. I found that it would only detect moving close to or even moving partly into the next lane would only trigger the alert every so often. It’s a great function for a dash cam that can hopefully be improved on with a software update through Papago!’s website. One thing to note is that for Lane and Collision detection to properly work you need to have the the GPS fixed first and needs to be exposed to enough light to activate the system. So this means that detection in the evening or while driving while it’s raining will not perform as well.