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Transcend DrivePro 220 review: the top of the line dashcam is packed with features

Our trio of dashcam reviews from Transcend comes to a close with the big boy of the lot; the DrivePro 220. Strangely, even those it’s the most complex of the three, our review of the 220 will be the shortest because it shares so many features with the cheaper DrivePro 100 and DrivePro 200.

Even more strangely, the quality of the recorded video is exactly the same as the base model 100, and actually a little bit worse than the middle-range, cheaper 200. This might sound baffling as the 220 has a RRP that is higher than both of the other models.

To understand the difference in price, consider the feature list of the 220:

drivepro-220

The 220 keeps the snapshot function that the 100 had, and it has the wi-fi capabilities from the 200. What’s new here is the GPS. This opens up a whole new range of options. Your time and date stamps can now be enhanced with GPS coordinates so there’s no question of where any recordings take place. In addition, every recording is created alongside .NMEA files that mark your position.

Less importantly; the GPS will also give you a more accurate speed reading (but not as accurate as our dedicated Garmin GPS) as well as indications of forward collisions and lane departures. It also sounds an alarm if you go over a certain speed.

These are all great additions, but the ability to mark where an accident occurs is perhaps the best feature, since one of the device’s selling point is to offer drivers some extra insurance.

Compared to the 200, which captures better footage, you again have a snapshot function and a built-in battery, features that return from the 100.

As was mentioned, the image quality is exactly the same as the 100, and that applies to stills as well. The battery is a different story, though. Transcend promised “up to 30 minutes on a fully charged battery without a power supply” with the 100, which wasn’t the case because of (what we assume to be) a faulty battery. However, the 200 displayed 30 minutes of 1 920 x 1 080 @ 30FPS, although it has to be noted that Transcend told us that the 220 is supposed to have a slightly larger battery than the 100.

Like the 200 you have wi-fi, which can connect the 220 to an app that will let you change settings and use your device as a screen. As we discussed in the 200 review, this is a very niche app that will greatly please a lot of people, but it got no love from us.

Finally, the 200 offers a feature called Parking Mode, which automatically turns the 220 on when your car is parked and it detects movement. The hope here is that anyone looking to rough up your ride will be caught on camera. You will need to have some charge in the battery, or be charging, when this happens though. You’ll also have to cross your fingers and hope that the miscreants happen to enter the view range of the camera.

Transcend DrivePro 220 review: Conclusion

We’re going to cheat here and make this a conclusion for not only the 220, but for the entire DrivePro range that you can buy in South Africa. With three very similar products a conclusion can get a bit muddy, but we think it comes down to what you want:

The DrivePro 100: buy this one if you want a bare bones dashcam that still captures great footage. Don’t trust the battery, though, and keep it plugged in.

The DrivePro 200: buy this one if you want a DrivePro 100 without a battery, but with the ability to use the app, as well as slightly better recording in low light.

The DrivePro 220: buy this one if you want all the best features from the range… except for the better quality of the DrivePro 200.

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