Vantrue

Vantrue Element 1 Pro

Name: Vantrue Element 1 Pro
Brand: Vantrue
Price: 120 USD
Availability: InStock

No rating shown: we have no owner rating for this camera from a source we can cite. Why

4K frontSupercapacitorVoice control5 GHz Wi-FiLTE / cloud

The Element 1 Pro is the cheapest 4K camera in this catalog with a current Sony sensor behind it: an 8MP STARVIS 2 IMX678 recording 3840x2160 at 30fps through an f/1.8 lens quoted at 158 degrees, in a body small enough to hide behind a mirror. The wide lens is the compromise that gets the price down to where it is - 3840 pixels over 158 degrees works out to about 24 horizontal pixels per degree, which is still better than every 1440p camera here but a step behind the 140-degree 4K cameras. For a lot of drivers that is the right trade, because a 158-degree lens catches the car entering from a side street that a 140-degree one clips. A supercapacitor rated -4 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, 1TB card support, 5GHz Wi-Fi, a dual-system GPS logger and voice control all come standard, and the optional LTE module adds remote live view and cloud backup on a subscription. Parking modes need a hardwire kit, sold separately.

Approx. price: ~$120
Hot car: Supercapacitor; Supercapacitor, rated to 140°F
Parking tier: Buffered; Hardwire kit optional

Best for

The cheapest honest route to a 4K front camera with a current Sony sensor.

The description and the pros and cons above are written from published specifications, not from owner reports. Owner sentiment, where we have it, is in its own section below.

What the numbers mean here

The front camera records 3,840 horizontal pixels across a published 158-degree field of view, which is 24.3 pixels per degree — plate-legible a few lengths ahead. There is no rear channel on this model. How this is calculated, and what it does not tell you.

It runs on a supercapacitor rather than a lithium cell, so there is no battery to swell in a car parked in summer sun — the classic way a windshield-mounted camera dies. The maker publishes an operating range of -4°F to 140°F. Supercapacitors and heat.

Keeps a rolling buffer, so the seconds before an impact are saved as well as the impact itself. It is the most useful parking mode and the hungriest. The hardwire kit is a separate purchase, which is the line item people forget when budgeting. What each parking mode records.

Specifications

Manufacturer-published figures, recorded from Vantrue’s own product page and a specialist retailer’s spec table. Fields the maker does not publish are omitted rather than guessed.

Type: Single-channel
Channels: 1
Front resolution: 2160p
Front frame rate: 30fps
Front sensor: Sony STARVIS 2 IMX678
Front field of view: 158° (as published)
Front aperture: f/1.8
HDR: HDR
Power cell: Supercapacitor
Operating temperature: -4°F to 140°F
Parking modes: buffered, time-lapse, low-bitrate, motion
Hardwire kit: optional
GPS: built-in
Wi-Fi: 5 GHz
LTE / cloud: Supported
Max storage: 1024GB microSD
CPL filter: optional
Screen: 1.54-inch
Voice control: Yes
Form factor: wedge
Mount: adhesive
Release year: 2024

These features need an active paid plan on top of the hardware: remote live view, cloud backup.

Features

3840x2160 at 30fps with HDR, Sony STARVIS 2 IMX678
158-degree f/1.8 lens in a mini body
Supercapacitor, -4 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit
microSD to 1TB
5GHz Wi-Fi, dual-system GPS logger, voice control
Optional 4G LTE module for remote live view and cloud backup

Where it is strong

A genuine STARVIS 2 4K sensor at a price where most cameras are 1440p with an unnamed sensor
Supercapacitor rather than a lithium cell, which is rare this far down the price list
1TB card support on a single-channel camera means a very long loop
The 158-degree lens catches cross-traffic that narrower 4K cameras cut off
LTE module available later if remote monitoring turns out to matter

Where it gives way

158 degrees spreads 4K thinner than the 140-degree cameras - about 24 px per degree against 27
Single channel with no rear option in this model
The LTE features all require a paid plan on top of the module
1.54-inch screen is for aiming rather than reviewing footage

What owners say

Summarised from public owner discussion. Nothing here is our own testing.

The Element 1 Pro is the camera owners recommend when the brief is "as small as possible, 4K, and not a battery". The owner review that circulates most describes it exactly that way: small, easy to mount, road signs and plates legible, night performance decent. For a hundred-and-twenty-dollar camera that is a good showing.

Where owners get stuck is telling the Element models apart. E1, E1 Lite and E1 Pro all exist, and which of them supports buffered motion detection while parked - as opposed to only collision detection - is not clear from the listings. That distinction matters, because buffered motion is the parking behaviour most people actually want.

One install note that comes up: on cars with parasitic-drain detection, the vehicle will shut the camera off when hardwired directly, so owners end up fitting a battery pack charged from an accessory fuse. That adds meaningfully to the cost of a budget camera.

What owners like

An owner review that circulates approvingly: small, easy to mount on the windshield, road signs and plates clearly legible, and night performance described as decent
Owners hunting for buffered motion detection while parked find it on the shortlist where much of the sub-hundred-dollar field only manages collision detection
The size is the selling point - owners describe an install clean enough that nothing else was needed to tidy it
Its supercapacitor puts it in a different reliability class from the battery-powered budget cameras owners are cross-shopping

Common complaints

Owners repeatedly have to work out whether the E1, E1 Lite and E1 Pro differ in what parking modes they support, and the listings do not make it clear
Owners with cars that detect parasitic drain find they cannot hardwire it directly and need a battery pack in between, which adds cost
It has no rear channel, so owners wanting front and rear have to look elsewhere in the range
Cloud and remote features need the LTE module and a plan, which is not obvious from the price

What owners of the Vantrue Element 1 Pro ask

What is the difference between the E1, E1 Lite and E1 Pro?

The E1 Pro is the 4K model with a Sony STARVIS 2 sensor; the plain E1 records 1944p on an older sensor, and the E1 Lite is the cut-down version below that. Which parking modes each supports is the part owners find genuinely unclear from the listings - if buffered motion detection matters to you, confirm it for the exact model before ordering.

Can I hardwire it to a car that detects parasitic drain?

Often not directly - some cars, European models in particular, will cut power to the circuit. Owners in that position hardwire a battery pack to an accessory fuse so it charges while driving, and run the camera from the pack when parked. It works, but it roughly doubles the cost.

Is there a rear camera option?

Not on the Element 1 Pro - it is a single-channel camera. Owners who want front and rear from Vantrue look at the Sonnet 1 series or the Element 2 Pro instead, or pair the E1 Pro with a second standalone camera.

Is the night footage actually good?

Owners describe it as decent rather than exceptional, with road signs and plates readable. The Sony STARVIS 2 sensor is the real thing, but the 158-degree lens spreads its 4K over a lot of scene - about 24 pixels per degree, which is good for the price and behind the narrower-lensed 4K cameras here.