Four years ago,DDPai's launch of the MINI5 received unanimous praise from many car owners,including many of my friends who also chose this 4K dashcam.Now,DDPai has once again updated its MINI series with the introduction of a brand-new flagship 4K dashcam: the MINI7X.In these four years,the 4K dashcam market has been filled with skilled competitors,and the competition has become increasingly fierce.Can the MINI7X break through the ranks with its unique skills?

Configuration Parameters

Main Control Chip: Hisilicon Hi3519

Image Sensor: Sony IMX678

Pixel Count: 8 million

Wireless Network: 5G Wi-Fi,Bluetooth 5.1

Storage: Built-in 128GB eMMC high-speed flash memory

Resolution: 3840×2160@30fps

Lens: 135° wide-angle,F/1.75 apertureSupercapacitor: Supported

Operating Temperature: -20℃ to 70℃

Storage Temperature: -40℃ to 85℃

Reference Price: 729 Yuan (Standard Edition)

Compact Body with No Screen Design

The Dingdingpai driving recorder product line is mainly divided into three major series: the screenless MINI series,the small-screen Z series,and the large-screen rearview mirror E series.Among them,the MINI series has four products,namely MINI,MINI3,MINI5,and MINI7X,covering a user base from mainstream to high-end.

As the flagship model of Dingdingpai,the MINI7X maintains the same design as the MINI5 in terms of appearance and continues the family design style of the MINI series.It has minimal buttons on the body,with only one button designed on one side of the body,which serves as Bluetooth authorization with a single press and can reset the driving recorder by holding for 6 seconds.If users want to adjust the settings of the driving recorder,they can do so through the App.On the other side is the Type-C power supply interface,which is the same as current smartphones.Next to the interface,there are 8 magnetic metal contacts,which,when used with a 4G bracket,can provide power supply,data transmission,and magnetic fixing,meaning that the MINI7X can support 4G remote monitoring.

As a screenless driving recorder,to allow users to clearly understand the working status,it also has a status indicator light designed on the back of the recorder,which is convenient for users to observe.A solid green light indicates normal recording,a flashing green light indicates emergency video recording,a solid blue light indicates an upgrade in progress,a flashing blue light indicates Bluetooth authorization,a solid purple light indicates parking monitoring; a solid red light indicates a non-recording state.Of course,users do not need to remember what each color represents,just remember that red means not recording.

It can be seen that the Dingdingpai MINI7X has simplified the redundant buttons and interfaces on the body as much as possible,reducing the learning cost for users,thus achieving immediate ease of use upon acquisition.Here is a suggestion: if the MINI7X could offer a model that supports rear cameras,it would give users more options.Due to the non-adjustable lens of the MINI7X,angle adjustments can only be made by moving the bracket up and down.Therefore,when installing,it is necessary to position the dashcam right in the center of the front windshield.The installation process is straightforward: after applying the static cling to the designated spot on the front windshield,secure the dashcam,and then route the cables.This is especially convenient as some car models now come with a USB port specifically designed for powering dashcams,eliminating the need for additional wiring.

Flagship Image Sensor and AI Main Control Chip Join Forces

The MINI7X from Dingdingpai,as a 4K dashcam,can output images at a maximum resolution of 3840×[email protected] lens covers up to a 135° wide-angle view and features a large F/1.75 aperture.To achieve excellent filming capabilities,a high-performance image sensor (CMOS) and main control chip are indispensable.The most widely used image sensor in flagship 4K dashcams is the IMX678 from Sony.As the saying goes,"a larger sensor size trumps all," the larger the chip area of the image sensor,the stronger the imaging capability.The chip size of the IMX678 is about 68% larger than the IMX415 used in the MINI5.The 1/1.8-inch large sensor is at the top level among dashcam image sensors,and the single pixel light-sensitive area is 90% larger compared to the IMX415.The IMX678 performs better in low-light conditions,effectively enhancing the clarity of night-time recordings.Additionally,the IMX678 has approximately 8.3 million pixels,with a pixel size of 2µm × 2µm.

According to official Sony data,the IMX678 can output images at up to 72fps.However,due to certain limitations,the current market's flagship 4K dashcams can only output at a maximum frame rate of 30fps at 4K resolution,with some only capable of 60fps at 1080p resolution.The MINI7X from Dingdingpai can achieve 60fps at 3K resolution,making it the industry's first dashcam to support 3K@60fps recording.

Most crucially,the IMX678 image sensor equipped in the MINI7X dashcam utilizes the STARVIS 2 (second-generation Starlight Night Vision) technology.Compared to the previous generation STARVIS,STARVIS 2 has significantly improved performance in low-light,dim-light,and high-contrast environments.The key to achieving high sensitivity lies in efficiently guiding light to the photodiodes,where the layout and configuration of the photodiodes play a vital role.STARVIS 2 employs a back-illuminated design,placing the photodiodes above the wiring layer.This allows the light to bypass the wiring layer's loss during transmission,significantly increasing the amount of light that reaches the photodiodes.The sensitivity is improved by approximately 4.6 times,which greatly enhances the camera's imaging quality in low-light and dim-light conditions,ensuring that clear and bright photos or videos can still be captured at night or in poorly lit environments.The most significant innovation of STARVIS 2 lies in the incorporation of Clear HDR technology.Traditional HDR technology,namely DOL HDR,often captures images in bright and dark environments separately and combines them to achieve the effect.However,this method may lead to edge blurring or color distortion in high-speed motion shooting due to the slight time difference between the two images.Especially for products like dash cameras,a two-frame interval of 0.1 seconds may result in a slight displacement of the captured image,leading to a misaligned blur phenomenon.To address this challenge,STARVIS 2 employs an innovative Clear HDR technology that can capture both bright and dark images at the same time.This effectively avoids the generation of artifacts during image fusion,making it particularly suitable for high-dynamic scenarios like dash cameras.Moreover,in situations with strong contrast between light and dark,such as when encountering intense high-beam headlights at night,STARVIS 2,with its excellent low-light performance and high dynamic range imaging capabilities,can effectively prevent overexposure,ensuring image clarity and color reproduction.

Additionally,a dash camera needs a powerful main control chip to process data from the image sensor.The Dingdingpai MINI7X uses the Hisilicon Hi3519,although the specific model is not disclosed by the official source,based on the information provided,we can essentially determine the specific model to be Hi3519DV500.This is an ultra-high-definition smart main control chip launched for the visual industry,characterized by the integration of AI ISP,which optimizes image effects from IMX678 with computing power.This main control supports up to four signal inputs,supports up to 4K@30fps ISP image processing capabilities,2F WDR,multi-level noise reduction,six-axis anti-shake,panoramic stitching,and multi-spectral fusion,among various traditional image enhancement and processing algorithms.It also supports real-time noise reduction and other processing of input images through AI algorithms,thereby delivering better image performance.The Hi3519DV500 features a dual-core A55 architecture,integrates an efficient neural network inference engine,has a maximum of 2.5TOPS NN computing power,and supports mainstream neural network frameworks.

Outstanding 4K Imaging Capability

We installed and road-tested the Dingdingpai MINI7X,choosing four common environments for testing: well-lit daytime,poorly lit tunnels or nights,backlight environments with sunlight exposure,and alternating light and dark tunnel entrance and exit environments.Before use,I performed a simple adjustment of the dash camera,setting the resolution to "4K Ultra HD: 4K@30fps" in the App.It also offers "4K Anti-Glare: 4K@30fps," "4K Anti-Flicker: 4K@25fps," "3K Standard: 3K@60fps," and "Standard Definition: 1080p@30fps," allowing users to choose the appropriate option based on their needs.

In well-lit daytime environments,the imaging of Dingdingpai MINI7X is毫无压力,with clear image quality,and the license plates of vehicles in front and on both sides of the lanes can be clearly recorded.Thanks to the 135° wide-angle lens,it can easily cover 3 to 5 lanes.Poorly lit nights are a great test for the imaging capabilities of dash cameras,but Dingdingpai MINI7X can clearly capture the license plates of the front vehicle within a following distance of 5 meters; the high light at the edges of the luminous characters on both sides of the road is also suppressed,avoiding the obvious halo effect that leads to blurred characters as seen in ordinary dash cameras.

Veteran drivers know that backlight environments with direct sunlight can greatly interfere with the imaging capabilities of dash cameras,which is a significant test of the camera's dynamic range imaging and high-light suppression capabilities.Although such complex lighting conditions can cause some interference with the imaging effects of Dingdingpai MINI7X,it can still clearly record the license plates of oncoming vehicles.Additionally,we often encounter situations at the entrances and exits of tunnels where the large contrast between light and dark can cause ordinary dash cameras to experience temporary "blindness." Thanks to the performance enhancement in Clear HDR and high-contrast environments brought by STARVIS 2,Dingdingpai MINI7X handles the filming at tunnel entrance and exit sections more easily,without the "blindness" issues caused by transitions from light to dark or vice versa.It is worth mentioning that the DDPAI MINI7X rivals many mid-to-high-end smartphones in terms of image color,with highly saturated colors in the captured footage.The green trees on both sides of the road appear more lush and vibrant,and the gray and brown vehicles parked together have a high recognition rate.This is thanks to DDPAI's application of its self-developed "Realcube2.0" image technology on the MINI7X,which has doubled the richness of colors and the level of detail compared to version 1.0.Additionally,the DDPAI MINI7X has introduced "Image Distortion Correction 2.0" compared to the previous generation MINI5,building on the previous distortion correction technology and developing its own fisheye correction algorithm to optimize the accuracy of image proportion restoration,ensuring that the scene remains consistent with the real scene.

More innovative ways to use it can be unlocked.

During our daily commutes and travels,we often encounter fresh and interesting events.To facilitate users in quickly capturing these interesting moments,the DDPAI MINI7X also supports wireless remote capture,which is faster than voice commands.However,the Bluetooth remote control is an optional extra that requires additional payment.

The DDPAI MINI7X offers an SR feature in its app,which can use the driving data generated by the built-in GPS to overlay on the recorded footage,creating a very cool,tech-savvy track interface that can garner more likes when shared on social media platforms.Moreover,thanks to DDPAI's large user base,users can interact with many fellow drivers who use DDPAI driving recorders in the app community.

In conclusion,the DDPAI MINI7X differs significantly from ordinary driving recorders in terms of safety.Unlike the common lithium batteries used in ordinary driving recorders,it uses a supercapacitor,which is more expensive but has a longer lifespan and better safety.In addition,it has many features such as local voice control,ADAS driving assistance,parking monitoring,and 4G connectivity (4G bracket required),which we will not introduce one by one here.

Overall,with the adoption of the Sony IMX678 image sensor and the Hisilicon Hi3519 main control chip,as well as the self-developed Realcube2.0 image technology,the DDPAI MINI7X has taken the quality of captured images to a higher level,not only capturing clearly but also with higher color reproduction.In terms of pricing,although the DDPAI MINI7X was initially priced at 799 yuan,we have observed that its current price is mostly in the range of 699 to 729 yuan,which is comparable to the initial price of the DDPAI MINI5 (64GB version).This shows that the MINI7X offers "more value without a higher price," making it a suitable choice for user groups with high requirements for image quality,such as travel photography and self-driving tours.