As you may have seen in the article’s title, today I have the pleasure of showing you a different technological device that is difficult to see in cars in our country. I want to introduce you to the Yi Mirror Dash Camera, a second-generation car rearview mirror Xiaomi marketed a while ago. Unlike the first model, which was only sold in China, this one has reached many European countries internationally.
This “Yi Mirror Dash Camera” comes in a big white box. On the front, there is the YI logo and a rearview mirror image. On one side, there are 6 specifications of the features of this device and on the other side is the manufacturer’s website.
As you lift the lid, you find a rearview mirror. Beneath the support that holds it is the “multilanguage” user guide in English, French, Spanish, Italian and German and the product warranty card. In a small bag, two rubber strips are placed on top of the one we have as standard in the car. There is also a USB charger with a DC 5V to 2.1A cigarette lighter adapter and a 3.5-meter-long USB cable, which connects via mini USB (not micro) to the rearview mirror to power it.
I want to warn you that when turning off the engine, the cigarette lighter continues to work and does not switch off in some cars. So you should be careful and check it before leaving it plugged in.
Finally, in the deepest part of the box, there is a bag with everything you need to install in the rear of the vehicle. There is a mini-camera that will be the one that is placed in the back of the car in charge of recording when you are parking and putting the reverse gear. In addition, a 6-meter-long cable must be connected from the rear camera to the rearview mirror through its 3.5mm Jack connection. This cable also has a 1.5-meter extension to connect the rear camera to the reversing light. In this way, every time we go to reverse, this camera will be activated, and we will be able to see what is happening behind the vehicle.
Yi Mirror Dash Review : Power and Hardware
This “Yi Mirror Dash Camera” rearview mirror has a dual-core processor that will be in charge of running and converting the images recorded in MOV format thanks to the H.264 codec that it implements. In addition, it supports the WDR (Wide Dynamic Range) function that chooses and provides the best image quality in different lighting situations.
The mirror does not have internal storage memory, so to take advantage of all its image recording features, a microSD card must be inserted. The minimum accepted by the rearview mirror would be an 8GB card, and the maximum would be a 64GB card. Although the manufacturer itself does not recommend using less than 16GB with a write speed of at least 80MB/s.
Today you can find microSD cards with 32 and 64 GB of storage with a good writing speed at an excellent price. I am leaving some prices in this link so you can take a look.
As you will see in the following table, it will be advisable to have the maximum available memory to record with both cameras for as long as possible.
Yi Mirror Dash Review : Design and Screen
This “Yi Mirror Dash Camera” is a high-quality rearview mirror, which measures 315 mm long x 80 mm high by 17.4 mm thick (35.8 mm wide considering the front camera). ) and a weight of 296 grams.
Under the mirror surface, it has a 4.3-inch IPS touch screen with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels and a density of pixels per inch of 217, with which you can configure the cameras and view the images from these.
As for the mirror, I would like to comment that it looks perfect; it has adequate reflection and prevents the sun’s rays or glare from dazzling you.
The mirror screen, from my point of view, is more than enough. However, it is a poor resolution that has not been seen on any smartphone for several years. I think that for future generations of this product if they want to continue to innovate, they should incorporate a minimum HD resolution and reduce the size of the mirror itself a little bit.
As I was saying, the front part is top-quality glass with a touch screen located in the center of the mirror and the brand logo (Yi) in the lower part of the mirror.
The opposite part is made of resistant black plastic. The speaker is on the left, the wide-angle camera on the right, and an omnidirectional microphone with noise reduction. In the center, a dotted ventilation grille prevents the mirror and electronic components from heating up. On both sides of the mirror, there are two small retractable clips with which, thanks to 2 rubber bands included in the package, we can attach them to our primary mirror.
There is a RESET button on the upper side, the MicroSD slot, the connector for the rear camera, and a mini USB charging slot (not micro); on the lower side, there is the on or off button.
The secondary camera, or the camera responsible for recording the rear of the vehicle, has dimensions of 22 mm long x 22 mm high by 22 mm thick and weighs 30 grams. Its finish is dark plastic. In addition, it has IP67 certification, which makes it resistant to rain and dust. It can be submerged for 30 minutes at a depth of one meter without anything happening.
As we can guess, thanks to this protection that it incorporates, it is designed to be placed outside the vehicle. The complication will come when we think about where to place it and how to put the cable that carries the signal from the camera to the rearview mirror. For all this that I have mentioned, and especially if we want to put it in the best possible way so that the cables are not exposed, it is advisable to acquire specific basic knowledge of our vehicle.
