This article will take you through a review of the HP F800G, a dash cam with an affordable price tag. You’ll read about the pros and cons of this product and find out what features it offers, including its GPS receiver and other impressive features such as the SuperCar Software.
The HP F-800G Camcorder with GPS is the perfect car accessory for capturing unforgettable memories of your journeys. With a 1920×1080 Full HD resolution, it captures videos that are sure to impress. The 2.7-inch LCD color touch screen makes it easy to compose and share your footage with friends or family, while the wide-angle lens ensures you get a great shot from all angles.
In addition, the camcorder’s multifunctional traffic safety reminder helps keep you safe on the road, and its automatic emergency recording ensures you won’t miss any crucial moments in a collision. Finally, support for SDHC Level 6 and above means, you can store up to 32GB of files on this compact camera for hours of continuous video recording.
Ease Of Use 8.5
Features 8.5
Price 9.5
PROS
- Performance and design
- Extra alert features to guarantee safety on the road
- A premium GPS receiver
- Lengthy power cable
- HP’s® SuperCar Software
CONS
- The touchscreen can be slow to respond
- Wi-Fi and Parking Mode not included
- Not Mac compatible
- Memory card not included
Highlighted Components
Day and Night Recording: The HP F800G’s F1.9 aperture lens, combined with a 140° wide viewing angle, delivers crystal clear image resolution with little edge-to-edge distortion. Video is recorded at full HD resolution, or 1080p at 30fps, capturing a vivid array of color and fine detail regardless of light level.
Integrated GPS: The built-in GPS records routes and tracks travel speed/direction without comprising standard GPS device navigational features. An innovative bonus is the GPS’s ability to learn and store locations of speed cameras as they are manually marked in its internal memory for future reference while driving.
Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision and Driver Fatigue Detection Systems: When the vehicle travels at speeds greater than 50 km/h, these systems are automatically triggered. The Lane Departure System intuitively alerts drivers when drifting outside their designated lane. At the same time, the Forward Collision System warns drivers when the distance between their vehicle and an oncoming vehicle is too close.
Both systems alert drivers with an alarm and a visual on the camera’s display screen. The Driver Fatigue Detection System works similarly, guaranteeing safe driving while on the road. Drivers will also be alerted if their vehicle exceeds a pre-set speed value. You can toggle all alert settings on/off to suit our driving preference.
G-Force and Motion Sensor: When an incident occurs, the G-Force sensor automatically triggers Emergency Video Recording Mode. Footage from events is stored with a date and timestamp and protected from loop recording overwrites, ensuring vital evidence is saved in case a report needs to be made with the police and insurance company.
Loop Recording: The F800G records videos 3-5 minutes long. You can adjust recording time through the menu settings according to user preference and what is best suited given the trip. The footage is recorded and saved on the installed microSD memory card. Standard loop recording technology prevents storage overload by erasing the oldest footage and overwriting it with the newest footage.
Depending on driving behavior and frequency, Loop Recording typically offers users ample time to review the video before it is erased. Note: Overwriting of files DOES NOT apply to footage triggered when the camera activates Emergency Video Recording Mode. These files are always overwrite protected.
Audio Recording: A built-in microphone captures sound as well as video. As always, disclose and ensure you have full permission from passengers before recording any conversations.
Large LCD Touchscreen: At nearly 7 cm, the LCD screen is slightly larger than average dashcam screens. The addition of an anti-glare filter allows for a clear picture, even in bright light, eliminating eye strain when reviewing footage or referring to the GPS. The bonus touchscreen capability makes the F800G easy to navigate through menus and set options.
Compact Footprint: The compact design allows the dashcam to install in vehicles without obstructing the driver’s view-paramount to road safety when shopping around for a suitable dashcam.
Day Footage from “Deborah Waddington”
Night Footage from “Ernest Tsang”
HP F800G Cam Pros
- Performance and design. HP’s® attention to detail in crafting premium products paired with thoughtful, ergonomic design makes the HP® F800G an all-around champ. Exceptional video recording capability from day or nighttime driving is fitted into a compact, sleek package for easy handling and installation in vehicles. The user-friendly navigation menu and settings make everyday use and customization (for those more tech-savvy) truly effortless.
- Extra alert features to guarantee safety on the road. The joint forces of Lane Departure, Forward Collision, Driver Fatigue, and Motion Detection warning systems will keep drivers safe and alert on the road.
- A premium GPS receiver is a welcome addition, providing police and insurance companies with all the evidence needed for claims in the event of accident-from precise coordinates, and travel speeds, to the footage itself.
- The lengthy power cable can hide along with the headliner, passenger side frame, and under the glove box, ensuring it doesn’t interfere with or obstruct the driver’s vision.
- HP’s® SuperCar Software is included on a mini-CD for viewing the recorded videos of travels along with surrounding areas on Google Maps™.
Cons Of HP F800G
- The touchscreen can be slow to respond. This has not been a significant issue, but some users have reported the touchscreen lagging in responsiveness compared to other touchscreen devices. Perhaps we’re being a bit too critical, given the age of instant response and results with a swipe of the finger, but we felt it was worth noting for potential buyers.
- Wi-Fi and Parking Mode are not included. While certainly not standard features in the world of dashcams, they are worth considering when investing in a device (especially as they are becoming more readily available in the UK market). Wi-Fi enables users to instantly send video from accidents to the police, and insurers or even upload it on their social media networks. Parking Mode on the other hand monitors and records suspicious activity occurring in front of parked vehicles without a driver having to be present.
- Not Mac compatible. After all, this is an HP® product.
- Memory card not included. The HP® F800G does not include its own memory card for straight out-of-the-box use. A 32GB card is the maximum capacity for this device. Inserting a 64GB memory card renders the device inoperative.
Our Verdict
The HP® F800G dashboard camera is a compact, practical and well-constructed low-mid range dashboard camera worth the investment. It’s difficult to address major areas of concern without being overly discerning-an indication of its widely-favored standing from numerous reviews.
The F800G combines practical features with safety essentials, integrating GPS tracking and systems like the Lane Departure Warning to alert drivers when they are drifting outside of designated lanes. While Wi-Fi or Parking Mode features would be nice add-ons, particularly since they are more in demand than ever before, they are not essential to everyday utility.
Overall, the HP® F800G excels in its primary role-offering exceptional video recording quality day or night with an intuitive interface, putting it up there as one of the best available on the UK market.
Product Details
| Spec Name | Model Spec Details |
|---|---|
| Lens | 9, 140° wide-angle, CMOS, 2.1 megapixels |
| Resolution/Frame Rate | 1080p at 30fps |
| Low Light Recording | Yes |
| Microphone/Speaker | Built-in |
| GPS | Yes |
| G-Sensor | 3-axis |
| Wi-Fi | No |
| Date/Time Stamp | Yes |
| Parking Mode | No |
| Video Format | 264 .mov files (+ADPCM codec) |
| Video Output | Micro USB 2.0 |
| Power Source | 12 V Power Adapter, 1x Rechargeable Li-Po battery (included, sealed in camera-not replaceable by consumers) |
| Memory | microSD cards up to 32GB |
| Compatibility | PC (Windows Vista/7/8; Pentium D 3.0GHz processor or equivalent,1GB RAM or greater) |
| Display Type/Size | LCD/6.89 cm |
| Dimensions | 9 x 3 x 5.1 cm |
| Weight | 82.2 g |
Unboxed
- HP® F800G dashboard camera
- In-vehicle windshield suction mounting bracket
- Car power adapter (with USB connector, 3 m cable)
- Quick-start guide
- HP® SuperCar Software
- Warranty card (1-year limited)
Recommended Accessories
- Samsung 32GB Evo MicroSDHC, Class 10
- BESTEK Three-Way Dual USB Outlet Car Cigarette Lighter Socket Splitter
Company History
Founded in 1939, Hewlett-Packard (HP®) is a renowned electronics manufacturer that rises to modern challenges of innovation and reinvention. From 2007-2013, HP® was the global industry leader in manufacturing personal computers.
Presently, HP® designs manufacture, and markets thousands of products-from computers, printers, scanners, digital cameras, calculators, PDAs, servers, and hardware/software, to the recent addition of dashboard cameras. The HP® F800G dashboard camera is just one of the brand’s many novelty products in which they work to push the boundaries of reinvention.
Other Reviews
If you enjoyed our HP® F800G review, be sure to check out other cameras reviewed from the HP® family.