Viofo

Viofo VS1 Mini

Name: Viofo VS1 Mini
Brand: Viofo
Price: 170 USD
Availability: InStock

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

SupercapacitorVoice control5 GHz Wi-FiScreenless

The VS1 Mini is the screenless version of the A119 Mini 2 story: a 5MP Sony STARVIS 2 IMX675 recording 2560x1440 at 30fps behind an f/1.6 lens quoted at 140 degrees, in a body with no display at all. Dropping the screen is the whole point - there is no lit rectangle at night, nothing for a passerby to notice, and the camera is shorter than anything with a display can be. A 32GB card ships in the box, which is unusual and means the camera works out of the parcel, though you will want a bigger high-endurance card fairly quickly. The rest is standard current-generation Viofo: 5GHz Wi-Fi with Bluetooth, built-in GPS, voice control for locking clips and toggling the microphone, HDR, a supercapacitor rated -4 to 149 degrees Fahrenheit, a 512GB card ceiling, and the Type-C HK5 hardwire kit sold separately to unlock buffered parking. It sits between the WM1 and the A119 Mini 2 on price and, unusually for that slot, gives up very little to either.

Approx. price: ~$170
Hot car: Supercapacitor; Supercapacitor, rated to 149°F
Parking tier: Buffered; Hardwire kit optional

Best for

A discreet single-channel install where the camera should not be visible or audible.

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 2,560 horizontal pixels across a published 140-degree field of view, which is 18.3 pixels per degree — plate-legible close in. 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 149°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 Viofo’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: 1440p
Front frame rate: 30fps
Front sensor: Sony STARVIS 2 IMX675
Front field of view: 140° (as published)
Front aperture: f/1.6
HDR: HDR
Power cell: Supercapacitor
Operating temperature: -4°F to 149°F
Parking modes: buffered, time-lapse, low-bitrate, motion
Hardwire kit: optional
GPS: built-in
Wi-Fi: 5 GHz
LTE / cloud: None
Max storage: 512GB microSD
CPL filter: optional
Screen: None
Voice control: Yes
Form factor: wedge
Mount: adhesive
Release year: 2024

Features

2560x1440 at 30fps with HDR, Sony STARVIS 2 IMX675
f/1.6 lens quoted at 140 degrees
Completely screenless body
32GB microSD card included, cards to 512GB supported
5GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, built-in GPS, voice control
Supercapacitor, -4 to 149 degrees Fahrenheit

Where it is strong

A current STARVIS 2 sensor and an f/1.6 lens at a mid-budget price
Screenless, so nothing glows at night and there is nothing to draw attention from outside
Ships with a card, so it records the day it arrives
5GHz Wi-Fi and voice control, which the cheaper screenless Viofos both lack

Where it gives way

30fps only - the A119 Mini 2 does 60fps on the same sensor for a similar price
No screen means aiming it requires the phone app
Uses its own HK5 hardwire kit rather than the HK4 the rest of the line shares
The included 32GB card is too small for real use and will need replacing

What owners say

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

The VS1 Mini turns up in owner discussion mainly as the other option in a hundred-dollar shortlist, usually against the A119 Mini 2. Owners run the arithmetic carefully: the VS1 bundle with a 32GB card and a CPL lands within a few dollars of an A119 Mini 2 with a CPL plus a proper 128GB endurance card, which makes it a closer call than the sticker prices suggest.

What gives owners pause is not the camera but its profile. It is not one of the models the buying guides push, so there is less accumulated troubleshooting knowledge behind it, and people buying their first camera notice that. For the specific job most of them want - a small, screenless camera with 24-hour parking coverage - owners who bought it are satisfied.

Two practical notes: the included card is too small to be useful and should be treated as a token, and the hardwire kit is the HK5, not the HK4 the rest of the Viofo range shares.

What owners like

Owners shopping around the hundred-dollar mark for a parking-mode-capable camera find it competitive with the A119 Mini 2 once the bundled card is counted
It ships with a card and is frequently bundled with a CPL, which makes the real out-the-door price lower than the sticker suggests
Owners buying mainly for 24-hour parking coverage rate it as sufficient for that job
Small and screenless, which owners in less safe neighbourhoods explicitly want

Common complaints

It is not one of the models the established buying guides push, and owners notice and hesitate over that
The bundled 32GB card is too small for real use and gets replaced almost immediately
It uses its own HK5 hardwire kit rather than the HK4 the rest of the Viofo line shares, so kits do not carry over from another Viofo
Owner discussion is thin compared with the A119 Mini 2, so there is less accumulated knowledge to draw on when something goes wrong

What owners of the Viofo VS1 Mini ask

VS1 Mini or A119 Mini 2?

They use the same Sony STARVIS 2 sensor. The A119 Mini 2 adds a small screen and a 60fps mode; the VS1 Mini is screenless and ships with a card. Owners comparing them on total price including a usable card find them within a few dollars of each other, so it comes down to whether you want a screen and 60fps.

Which hardwire kit does it need?

The Type-C HK5, which is specific to the VS1. The HK4 used by the A119 Mini 2, A229 line and T130 will not work, so if you are replacing another Viofo you will need a new kit as well as the camera.

Is the included 32GB card usable?

Only for testing. At 1440p it holds a very short loop, and it is not a high-endurance card. Owners replace it immediately with a 128GB or larger endurance card; treat the bundled card as a way to confirm the camera works on day one.

Is it good enough for parking mode?

Owners buying it specifically for 24-hour parking coverage report it doing that job. It supports buffered, time-lapse, low-bitrate and motion parking, all of which need the HK5 hardwire kit. As with any camera, a long parking session on the car's own battery wants a conservative low-voltage cutoff.