Dash cams have a come a long way over the years. In the early days, they were mostly just simple recording devices used to record your drives but now they’re much more than that. While the core function of a dash cam is still to record your drives, they can now remotely monitor your vehicle, record what’s going on inside your vehicle, and some can even help you find your vehicle if you forget where you parked it or if it’s stolen. Those are the more advanced features that you’ll find now on many 2019 dash cams coming out. Take for example the new PureGear PureCam dash cam. This is PureGear’s first foray into the dash cam segment and I must say, it’s certainly a strong first showing.
I won’t dwell too much on the design elements here as good design is fairly subjective. What I think looks good might not be what you think looks good. What I can say is the PureGear PureCam is one large dash cam. It’s one of the largest I’ve seen and that’s mostly due in part to the massive 4-inch HD screen. It’s the most dominating aspect of the dash cam and the first thing you’ll notice about it. Secondly, this has two cameras built in. The main cam is records what’s going on in front of your vehicle while the second cam records the inside of your vehicle. The interior cam even has night vision mode. Other than that, it’s a very clean design but one that might draw too much attention to itself.
Here comes the good stuff that really sets the PureGear PureCam apart from much of what we saw in 2018 and is a precursor to what we should expect from others in 2019. For starters, I want to see more dash cam offer dual cams in the same unit like this. It makes installation so much easier and cleaner and requires a lot less cabling.
Speaking of which, the PureCam doesn’t use a standard power source either. Instead of the usual 12V socket connection powering most dash cams, this one is powered by the OBD port, which is located under the dash on the driver’s side. Having power this way allows the PureCam to have consistent power at all times, even when your car is off. If you have Parking Mode activated, it will turn off after 4-minutes of inactivity and only turn itself back on if it senses a G-Sensor activity. Having constant power also means that you’re able to monitor your vehicle from your smartphone when you’re away from it.
Now you’re probably wondering how you can do that and it’s really quite simple. The PureCam has a sim card slot that allows for 4G LTE connectivity. I’m told that it’ll work with both T-Mobile and AT&T. What this means is that the PureCam is pretty much online, 24/7. It allows for real-time monitoring as well as cloud saving emergency videos and the ability to notify 3 emergency contacts. You can even use the built in GPS + mobile signal to locate a lost or stolen vehicle.
Lastly, to get the most out of the PureGear PureCam, you will need to download the PureCam app to your smartphone and it works on both iOS and Android.
With all that said, the PureGear PureCam is the first of the next generation of dash cams for 2019. Mobile connectivity alone is a game changer and the ability to monitor what’s going on in real-time is probably its best feature. My only real complaint about the PureCam is it’s enormous size and that I think the screen would be better served if it were touch enabled. Other than that, while not perfect, the PureCam is a magnificent first attempt for PureGear. It features everything you’d want in a dash cam and so much more, making it a serious contender in 2019.
