I just got hold of the Zenfox T3 3CH for review.

Zenfox product page: T3 3CH

 

Technical Specs:
• Processor: Novatek 96685
• Sensor: Front – Sony IMX335, Rear – Sony IMX291 Sensor & Interior – Sony IMX307 Sensor
• Lens: Front F1.8 Aperture 160° Wide Viewing Angle, Rear F1.8 Aperture 140° Wide Viewing Angle, Interior F1.8 Aperture 140° Wide Viewing Angle
• Resolution: Front QHD 1440p, Interior FHD 1080p & Rear FHD 1080p
• 2″ LCD Screen
• Support up to 256GB microSD card
• Built-in 2.4GHz & 5GHz Dual-band Wi-Fi
• Built-in supercapacitor
• Built-in GPS
• Parking mode (requires Zenfox hardwire kit)

 

The box

 

 

Open box

 

 

Contents

• T3
• T3 mount
• Rear cam
• Car charger
• Rear cam cable
• Short mini USB cable
• Micro SD card reader
• Pry tool
• Spare mount tape
• User manual

 

T3 & mount

Both the mounts are the same height. Could it be a spare mount?

 

 

Rear cam & mount

 

 

Car charger

 

 

Rear cam cable

 

 

Short mini USB cable

 

 

Micro SD card reader

 

 

Pry tool

 

 

Spare mount tape

 

 

User manual

 

 

Initial firmware out of the box

 

 

Bitrate settings

There are 4 bitrate settings that you can set on the T3 3CH. Below is the information for H.264 & H.265 encoding for the 4 bitrate settings.

H.264 Low bit rate
Front cam: 2560×1440 30fps – Overall bit rate: 16.6 Mb/s. 119MB per 1min file.
Interior cam: 1920×1080 30fps – Overall bit rate: 8 462 kb/s. 60.6MB per 1min file.
Rear cam: 1920×1080 30fps – Overall bit rate: 8 473 kb/s. 60.6MB per 1min file.

H.264 Medium bit rate
Front cam: 2560×1440 30fps – Overall bit rate: 28.8 Mb/s. 206MB per 1min file.
Interior cam: 1920×1080 30fps – Overall bit rate: 12.5 Mb/s. 89.6MB per 1min file.
Rear cam: 1920×1080 30fps – Overall bit rate: 12.5 Mb/s. 89.7MB per 1min file.

H.264 High bitrate
Front cam: 2560×1440 30fps – Overall bit rate: 32.9 Mb/s. 235MB per 1min file.
Interior cam: 1920×1080 30fps – Overall bit rate: 16.6 Mb/s. 119MB per 1min file.
Rear cam: 1920×1080 30fps – Overall bit rate: 16.6 Mb/s. 119MB per 1min file.

H.264 Maximum bit rate
Front cam: 2560×1440 30fps – Overall bit rate: 46.1 Mb/s. 330MB per 1min file.
Interior cam: 1920×1080 30fps – Overall bit rate: 16.6 Mb/s. 119MB per 1min file.
Rear cam: 1920×1080 30fps – Overall bit rate: 16.6 Mb/s. 119MB per 1min file.

H.265 Low bit rate
Front cam: 2560×1440 30fps – Overall bit rate: 11.2 Mb/s. 79.8MB per 1min file.
Interior cam: 1920×1080 30fps – Overall bit rate: 6,458 kb/s. 46.2MB per 1min file.
Rear cam: 1920×1080 30fps – Overall bit rate: 6,459 kb/s. 46.2MB per 1min file.

H.265 Medium bit rate
Front cam: 2560×1440 30fps – Overall bit rate: 23.7 Mb/s. 170MB per 1min file.
Interior cam: 1920×1080 30fps – Overall bit rate: 10.3 Mb/s. 73.8MB per 1min file.
Rear cam: 1920×1080 30fps – Overall bit rate: 10.3 Mb/s. 73.9MB per 1min file.

H.265 High bitrate
Front cam: 2560×1440 30fps – Overall bit rate: 27.8 Mb/s. 199MB per 1min file.
Interior cam: 1920×1080 30fps – Overall bit rate: 14.6 Mb/s. 104MB per 1min file.
Rear cam: 1920×1080 30fps – Overall bit rate: 14.6 Mb/s. 104MB per 1min file.

H.265 Maximum bit rate
Front cam: 2560×1440 30fps – Overall bit rate: 41.0 Mb/s. 293MB per 1min file.
Interior cam: 1920×1080 30fps – Overall bit rate: 14.6 Mb/s. 104MB per 1min file.
Rear cam: 1920×1080 30fps – Overall bit rate: 14.6 Mb/s. 1049MB per 1min file.

The H.265 encoding is a hidden mode in the T3. To enable it, stop recording and hold the mic button on the T3. An SD card icon will appear on the left side of the screen to indicate using H.265.

Using H.265 will save some space on your micro SD card but do take note that currently not all devices are able to play H.265 properly as it requires more processing power to decode during playback.

 

 

Parking mode

There are 2 parking modes available – Timelapse 1fps & Low Bitrate recording. Zenfox hardwire kit is required to use the parking mode.

 

 

Zenfox app

The Zenfox app is very easy to use. Streaming using Zenfox app is very quick and no noticeable lag was encountered.

The Zenfox app can configure most of the settings of the T3 except the Infrared settings which can be configured physically on the T3.

 

 

Test setup

I  will be using a 128GB Netac Pro microSDXC V30 card for the recordings.

 

 

Videos
Below is recorded in High Bitrate mode with WDR on.

Front cam

 

Rear cam

 

Interior cam

Interior cam has 3 modes for the infrared – On, Off & Auto.

 

H.265

 

Final thoughts
The T3 3H is a must-have for those driving ride-sharing as it covers the front, rear, and interior of the vehicle.

The Zenfox app is very easy to use and can stream the videos without any noticeable lag via the 2.4GHz or 5GHz.

If you have the top black tint on your front windscreen like me, you won’t be able to stick the T3 higher up on the windscreen as the black tint will block some of the front cam’s angle.


10 Comments

James · September 14, 2020 at 10:32 am

How’s this compared to the new Viofo A129 Plus? Which would you recommend for a first time dash cam user? Not doing Uber etc. so the interior cam is only a bonus but not a requirement.

    Jeremy Wong · September 14, 2020 at 10:36 am

    Viofo has a better finetuned firmware. Should be fine going with the A129 Plus if you don’t require the interior cam.

      James · September 14, 2020 at 10:43 am

      Thanks for the quick reply. Someone is selling the Zenfox second hand, brand new. Probably got a test unit and didn’t bother, lol. So it’s much about USD 113 vs. $270 or so for a new unit or Viofo. Worth going for it? I need reliability and quality as a first time driver etc.

        Jeremy Wong · September 14, 2020 at 10:46 am

        I would go for the Viofo as its lower price. Specs wise is about the same.

          James · September 14, 2020 at 10:49 am

          Viofo is USD 180 vs. $113 for the Zenfox someone is selling. Worth it to pay the extra money for a reputed brand? What do you think?

          Jeremy Wong · September 14, 2020 at 10:52 am

          $113 for the T3 is steal as I know retail price is at $250 for brand new. Anyway it’s up to you but you have T3 might not have any warranties.

James · September 14, 2020 at 12:14 pm

That’s true, probably no warranty since it’s a second hand sale. I know there are so many brands of dashcams and some are just plain ol crap. Do you think Zenfox is too, or will there be regular updates, support etc.?

James · September 14, 2020 at 8:47 pm

Lol, what do you know? Tell me your secrets. 🙂

    Jeremy Wong · September 14, 2020 at 9:18 pm

    Hahaha… You’ll have to find out…

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