The biggest features of this dash cam are its 4K video resolution and connections for two extra cameras. 4K dash cams aren’t new, but they tend to overpromise and underdeliver, with footage that ticks the box for Ultra HD resolution, but suffers when it comes to exposure, white balance and grain. Although it has a high price, the Cobra SC 400D hopes to deliver on its 4K promise.
Another key feature is how the Cobra can connect to two further dash cams at once. The kit reviewed here comes with a rear-facing camera, while another, intended for viewing the interior, can also be purchased and added to the system.
Cobra SC 400D: specifications
Resolution: 2160p (4K) at 30fps / 1440p at 60fps / 1440p at 30fps
HDR: No
GPS: Yes
Alexa: Yes
Field of view: 170 degrees
Display: 3in touchscreen
Battery: No
Voice control: Yes
Dimensions: 86 x 33 x 51mm
Key features
The biggest features of this dash cam are its 4K video resolution and connections for two extra cameras. 4K dash cams aren’t new, but they tend to overpromise and underdeliver, with footage that ticks the box for Ultra HD resolution, but suffers when it comes to exposure, white balance and grain. Although it has a high price, the Cobra SC 400D hopes to deliver on its 4K promise.
Another key feature is how the Cobra can connect to two further dash cams at once. The kit reviewed here comes with a rear-facing camera, while another, intended for viewing the interior, can also be purchased and added to the system.
Build and handling
The Cobra SC 400D is larger and heavier than some other dash cams, but to our eyes it is smartly designed and looks like a quality product worthy of the high price tag. The body is plastic (despite looking like metal) but feels sturdy. There’s a large lens bump on the front with a polarising filter already screwed into place.
Every button and port is clearly labelled, the rear is dominated by a large, 3in touchscreen display, and there’s a micro SD card slot (with included 32GB card) on the side. There are connections at the top and on the left side for attaching a second and third camera, for views to the rear of your car and of the interior.
Cobra has opted for a string magnetic attachment for the windscreen mount. This snaps sturdily into place, has an integrated GPS antenna, and fixes to the screen with an adhesive pad. The rear camera is relatively compact; cylindrical in shape, it offers over 180 degrees of vertical adjustability and records 1080p Full HD at 30 fps.
Performance
We’ll get straight to the point - the Cobra SC 400D produces some of the best dash cam footage we have ever seen. Not only is the resolution high, but exposure levels are good, white balance is well controlled and there’s a great amount of detail.
Cobra doesn’t say the footage is HDR, but there is a ‘WDR’, standing for Wide Dynamic Range, option in the settings menu. With this enabled, there’s a great amount of detail in the shadows and highlights of footage. The lens isn’t the widest, at 1490 degrees, but this is still enough to see across the entire front of our car.
We had wondered if the dash cam would work better at the lower 1440p resolution, as that enables a 60fps frame rate, twice that of what’s possible with 4K. However, we don’t think this is strictly necessary, such is the quality of the 4K footage. It’s nice to know the option is there though, and for some users 1440p at 60fps will be the sweet spot.
Slightly frustratingly, the screen does not turn off while driving. Most dash cams do this to avoid distraction (unless they offer driver assistance functions that appear on the screen), but the Cobra does not. Given the large screen, this might prove annoying for some drivers – especially if the dash cam can’t be easily hidden behind the central rearview mirror.
Cobra SC 400D: Verdict
We were very impressed by the 4K footage of this dash cam. It is sharp, bright and nicely balanced, with minimal grain and a great amount of detail – a revelation compared to some 4K dash cams that overpromise and underdeliver.
The build quality is also top-notch and even the smartphone app works pretty well too. It isn’t perfect, but it’s better than most of the sub-par dash cam apps we’ve come across.
Integrated GPS and Alexa are also welcome, along with the option for fitting a second and even a third camera for rear-facing and interior recordings, the latter being useful for taxi and ride-share drivers. This is quite a large dash cam, so might not be ideal for smaller cars with shallow windscreens, and the big display, while of great quality, isn’t particularly responsive to touch inputs and can be distracting.
All that said, the 4K video quality still shines through. For outright video quality, and the option for a second and third camera, this dash cam is hard to beat.
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