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MicroSD cards are integral to modern dashcam systems, storing high-quality video footage for surveillance, insurance claims and driver safety. Kingston tested how our microSD card technology measures up to storage expectations and performance goals for dashcams.
Dashcam market overview
Evolving needs
Dashcams are no longer just about recording road incidents. Modern dashcams offer features like 4K resolution, multi-stream recording, incident detection and cloud storage. There are dozens of dashcam manufacturers globally, with many other smaller or regional manufacturers. The number of available dashcam models is extensive, ranging into the hundreds, and they vary in terms of features, quality, price and technology. Additionally, some companies have integrated dashcams into wider smart device ecosystems, further enhancing their utility and data management requirements.
Some electric vehicles use multiple high-resolution cameras to support their Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) features. These cameras capture a 360-degree view around the car. The camera system is designed for high performance, with the ability to capture images in various lighting and weather conditions so that they can record video footage of your vehicle’s surroundings while the vehicle is in use. For the dashcam feature, the vehicles can record and store footage from the front, rear and side cameras.
Some of these vehicles require external storage to utilise the dashcam and security features. To store this footage, owners may plug in a USB drive or microSD card with a USB adapter. The system automatically overwrites the oldest footage when storage is full, unless the footage is saved manually. In the event of a collision, or based on user input, the car will save the video footage to the external storage.
Consumer preferences
The criteria for evaluating dashcams have expanded beyond basic recording. Consumers now consider resolution, field of view, storage options, and additional safety and security features. This shift necessitates memory cards that can keep up with increased data loads and continuous recording demands.
Understanding pixels and dashcam resolutions
Modern dashcams offer a range of resolution options to cater to varying customer needs. It is important to define some of the terms and resolutions used in dashcams. For example, pixels are a critical aspect of dashcam technology, especially regarding the recording quality and storage requirements on a microSD card.
Pixels are the basic building blocks of digital images, where each pixel represents a single point in the image. The number of pixels in an image, often expressed as width × height (e.g. 1920x1080), determines the resolution. Higher pixel counts in an image lead to greater detail and clarity. Higher-resolution dashcams, which have more pixels, can capture more detailed images, making it easier to see features like licence plates, street signs and faces.
More pixels can also improve the camera's ability to record clear footage in low-light conditions, which is crucial for dashcam functionality at night or in poor visibility conditions. However, higher-resolution videos, which contain more pixels, generally result in larger file sizes. This means that a microSD card used in a dashcam will fill up more quickly with high-resolution footage compared to lower-resolution footage.
Dashcams typically use loop recording to overwrite the oldest footage when the storage is full. The capacity of the microSD card and the resolution of the camera determine how much footage can be stored before overwriting occurs.
Higher-resolution recordings require microSD cards with faster write speeds and higher capacity to ensure smooth recording and adequate storage space.
1080p (Full HD) resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels:
1080p or “Full HD” is a popular resolution for dashcams. It offers decent video quality with clear and crisp images and is widely used for capturing licence plates and other important details on the road.
1440p (2K) resolution: 2560 x 1440 pixels:
1440p or “2K resolution” provides higher clarity than Full HD due to the increased pixel density. It's a great choice for users who want more detailed footage, especially in situations where capturing finer details is crucial.
2160p (4K) resolution: 3840 x 2160 pixels:
2160p or “4K resolution” offers the highest level of detail. It's beneficial for situations where extreme clarity is required, but the clarity comes at a cost in the form of much larger file sizes. Users need ample storage space to accommodate 4K videos.
Testing Kingston microSD cards
Kingston ran tests to see how our microSD cards fare inside a dashcam.
Several dashcams can manage up to three concurrent recordings using three linked cameras: one camera facing the front, another facing the rear of the vehicle and the third facing the vehicle’s cabin. The three simultaneous recordings represent one of the most demanding scenarios in which all video files are saved onto a single memory card. This extreme case, along with the more typical scenarios – such as using just one camera (best case) or operating with two cameras – demonstrates the device's capabilities, but also identifies the need for capable storage. Notably, the camera maintains fixed resolutions and frame rates, depending on the configuration, which serves as a strategic design choice that effectively controls the bandwidth and data rate directed to the card.
In our tests, we focused on an extended commute, driving approximately 1–1.5 hours both to and from work. A Kingston High Endurance SDCE/64GB card was used as the storage medium. The dashcam setup included all three cameras of the dashcam, positioned at the front, rear and within the cabin, with each camera recording at a resolution of 1440p.
Additionally, each time the car is started or turned off, the dashcam undergoes a power cycle. There is a brief delay of around 1 to 2 seconds, enabled by the discharge of the supercapacitor present in the camera, that ensures the memory card has adequate time to complete any pending data writing operations.
The table below (Figure 1) compares the life expectancy of the Kingston High Endurance card with actual data written vs a theoretical workload. In the theoretical workload (discussed later), a worst-case scenario was used to determine the gigabytes written and without compression. The actual test data shows a more typical workload based on a daily commute.
Figure 1: Test conclusion
Card endurance estimate
Prior to running these tests, we speculated how long a microSD card might last using a “life expectancy equation” based on worst-case scenarios for the storage device, (i.e. using up to three cameras for a workload to write all files to a single card) and avoiding any means of file compression that could potentially reduce the write workload. This analysis helped us get a rough estimate of how many years a Kingston High Endurance card, or a card not rated for high endurance, might last under varying workloads. It should also serve as a useful guideline for how these Kingston MicroSD cards might perform within the multitude of dashcam offerings on the market.
Figures 2 and 3 below show the theoretical life expectancy of cards not rated for High Endurance and Kingston High Endurance microSD cards using some of the available resolutions present in the market, including different frames per second (fps) settings, and total number of cameras in use. Each grey cell within the table indicates the expected life of the microSD card in years.
W/E: Write Endurance rating of the microSD card. Write Endurance is a critical specification for microSD cards, particularly when they are used in applications that involve frequent write operations, such as in dashcams. Write Endurance refers to the durability of a microSD card in terms of how many write cycles it can reliably undergo before the probability of data corruption or loss increases significantly. When selecting a microSD card for a specific application, it's crucial to consider its Write Endurance to ensure that the card can withstand the required write cycles without compromising data integrity or performance.
GB: size of the microSD card in gigabytes.
In Figure 2: Life expectancy with a single camera, the 32GB Kingston High Endurance card, using a single camera at 4K resolution at 30fps and simulated workload, has a theoretical life expectancy of approximately 11 years. By decreasing the capture resolution, the theoretical life expectancy increases to almost 17 years. This life expectancy can be partially explained by the amount of data that is being written to the cards at each resolution. The higher the resolution, the more data that gets written to the card. In this case, 4K resolution at 30FPS would create approximately 18.5GB of data vs the lower resolution (1080p) only generating 10.5GB of data. The higher resolution leads to more data written per day, leading to a shorter lifespan for the card.
Life expectancy (in years)
Single camera
To the right in red is total GB Written: ~2hr commute
18.5
12.3
10.5
GB
4K @ 30fps
1400p @ 30fps
1080p @ 30fps
Card not rated for high endurance
32
1.88
2.82
3.29
512
3.76
5.64
6.58
32
7.52
11.29
13.17
128
15.05
22.57
26.33
512
30.1
45.14
52.67
SDCE High Endurace
32
11.29
16.93
19.75
64
22.57
33.86
39.5
128
45.14
67.72
79
256
90.29
135.43
158
Figure 2: Life expectancy with a single camera
The table below (Figure 3) demonstrates how two or three cameras concurrently writing to the card might impact the cards life expectancy. Each additional camera increases the amount of data written and will result in an increase of total gigabytes written to the card, which correlates directly to a reduction in the life expectancy of the card. The estimated data demonstrates the importance of selecting the right card for your dashcam, whichever version it might be.
Life Excpectancy (in years)
Two Cameras
(Data Written in GB, 2hr Commute)
Three Cameras
(Data Written in GB, 2hr Commute)
To the right in red is total GB Written: ~2hr commute
24.6 GB
24.6 GB
22.9 GB
21.1 GB
36.9 GB
Product name
GB
4K @ 24fps
1080p @ 24fps
1440p @ 30fps
1440p @ 30fps
1440p @ 30fps
1080p @ 30fps
1080p @ 30fps
1080p @ 30fps
1440p @ 30fps 1440p @ 30fps 1440p @ 30fps
Card not rated for high endurance
32
1.41
1.41
1.52
1.65
0.94
64
2.82
2.82
3.04
3.29
1.88
128
5.64
5.64
6.08
6.58
3.76
256
11.29
11.29
12.15
13.17
7.52
512
22.57
22.57
24.31
26.33
15.05
SDCE High Endurace
32
8.46
8.46
9.12
9.88
5.64
64
16.93
16.93
18.23
19.75
11.29
128
33.86
33.86
36.46
39.50
22.57
256
67.72
67.72
72.93
79.00
45.14
Figure 3: Life expectancy with two or three cameras
Importance of microSD card selection
Advances in dashcam technology and the diversification of consumer needs underscore the importance of selecting the right microSD card. Long commute times and intensive recording sessions demand microSD cards with ample capacity and unwavering reliability. Endurance in extreme environmental conditions is also a crucial factor, ensuring continuous recording without data loss or corruption.
Dashcams with high-resolution capabilities and continuous recording features require microSD cards that offer both high performance and endurance. The results of our tests help explain the significance of choosing cards like the High Endurance microSD for optimal dashcam functioning. The variability in workloads is contingent upon individual user requirements. For standard commuting durations ranging from one to one-and-a-half hours, the microSD card not rated for High Endurance is suitable, as evidenced by the life expectancy data presented in the preceding graphs. However, for an enhanced user experience across all usage scenarios, it is advisable to utilise the Kingston High Endurance card, a recommendation supported by its demonstrated longevity in the table.
Kingston Technology, through its studies and product offerings, demonstrates a commitment to meeting these evolving demands. The right microSD card not only enhances dashcam performance but also ensures data integrity and reliability, key factors in modern vehicular technology.
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