This Nextbase dash cam has a unique trick to help emergency services find you
Even when you don’t have a data signal
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Premium dash cams like the new Nextbase 622GW are increasingly packing as many features as the latest smartphones – and this new4Kmodel brings one unique trick to help it stand out from the pack.
A successor to the 612GW, which was a higher-end version of the number one model in ourbest dash camslist, the 622GW is the first dash cam to support the location system ‘what3words’.
This GPS alternative, which has given every 3m square in the world a unique three-word address, is increasingly being adopted by emergency services in countries like the UK, Australia and Canada.
While you could always use GPS to tell emergency responders your location, ‘what3words’ is a potentially more user-friendly system and Nextbase says it will work work even if your phone has no data reception or Wi-Fi.
As you’d expect from a high-end4Kdash cam, the Nextbase 622GW – which is on sale now – is jam-packed with other features. It has a 140-degree viewing angle, a massive 3-inch screen, and a parking mode that means it will start recording automatically if it detects that someone’s bumped your car.
Road warrior
In many ways, the latest flagship dash cams are becoming car-based action cameras, with the Nextbase 622GW also including digital image stabilization to help smooth out the judder of pothole-ridden roads.
We’ll have to wait to find out if this stabilization is at the level of GoPro’s HyperSmooth, but it’s handy addition that’s also joined by an ‘extreme weather mode’ that promises to keep footage as clear as possible in inclement weather.
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Image quality, which is recorded in 4K/30p quality, is further boosted by an improved night vision mode, which apparently takes advantage of the 622GW’s larger pixels (compared to the 612GW) and gives you usable footage in the dead of night.
We’re just in the process of testing the Nextbase 622GW, so will be able to give our verdict on these claims very soon, but it certainly sounds like a promising option if you’re looking for a feature-packed dash cam to cover your back for an insurance claim in a motoring mishap.
Unlike theGarminDash Cam Tandem – another premium model that’s currently third in ourbest dash camsguide – the 622GW doesn’t give you a 360-degree field of view so you can record everything that’s going on, inside and outside the car. But you can also buy add-on modules that include a Rear Camera module, which films in 1080/30p quality.
You can buy the Nextbase 622GW for $399 / £249 (around AU$450) and we’ll be bringing you our full review very soon.
Mark is TechRadar’s Senior news editor. Having worked in tech journalism for a ludicrous 17 years, Mark is now attempting to break the world record for the number of camera bags hoarded by one person. He was previously Cameras Editor at both TechRadar and Trusted Reviews, Acting editor on Stuff.tv, as well as Features editor and Reviews editor on Stuff magazine. As a freelancer, he’s contributed to titles including The Sunday Times, FourFourTwo and Arena. And in a former life, he also won The Daily Telegraph’s Young Sportswriter of the Year. But that was before he discovered the strange joys of getting up at 4am for a photo shoot in London’s Square Mile.
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