An Introduction To The Dash Cam Market

There are many dash cams on the market to choose from and it can often be difficult to know where to start. Buy cheap, and a software glitch or poor video quality could leave you lacking vital information in the event of an incident.

My own journey with dashcams started because of an accident with my van, which I’ve painstakingly converted into a tiny camper, and now I wouldn’t be without one. 

Both the 622GW and iQ are top of the range dash cams from Nextbase and will do a fantastic job on your windscreen, but both offer very different approaches to how they record your journeys, so there’s lots to decide on when it comes to choosing the best dash cam in 2024!

I’ve used both of these dash cams extensively and want to share my experiences to help anyone who might be in the market for one. I’ve already made more in-depth individual videos on both of these dash cams, so be sure to check them out on my YouTube channel if you’re interested.

Disclaimer: I received the dash cams from Nextbase to make those videos and write their associated articles, though they haven’t asked me to write this one and all the thoughts are from my own experiences. If you do want to get one for yourself, check out the affiliate links in the description which help make these videos possible.

622GW & iQ Build Quality & Design

The 622GW is definitely a more traditional-looking dash cam. It’s got the protruding lens on the right, with the mounting point on the left. On the reverse, there’s a 3 inch high-res touch screen from which you can adjust all the settings.

The iQ however has taken a hugely different approach. It’s got a larger speaker antenna unit which is attached to the camera section of the dash cam via a hinge, and it’s quite a bit bulkier than the 622, both in size and weight. There’s no touch screen here, so all settings need to be changed through an app which I’ll go into later, though there is a small screen which shows modes and symbols.

Whilst the design of the 622 is sleek and compact, with a brushed-metal look to its plastic case, the iQ really takes it a step further with its matt and gloss plastic housing looking very refined and smart.

Features Of The 622GW & iQ Dash Cams

A dash cam is defined by its features and these two are incredibly versatile. 

The 622 has a 140 degree lens with an aperture of f1.3 and the useful addition of a polarising filter in front of it to reduce windscreen glare. It films at a maximum of 4k at 30fps, but can also film at lower resolutions with 60fps should you want it. It’s also got a super slowmo settings for 1080 at 120fps, as well as image stabilisation built-in for smoother footage.

The iQ has two lenses built in. The protruding one faces the road and has an equal 140 degree filming angle, whilst the interior cabin-facing camera has a whopping 180 degree field of view, and also benefits from infra-red sensors for night driving.

As an optional extra, you can get a wired rear camera for the iQ which enjoys 2k resolution and a 140 degree field of view.

For filming resolutions there are actually 3 models of the iQ – a 4k, 2k and 1k versions. I have the 2k here and both the front and cabin-facing cameras will record in 2k. 

But that’s not to say that the 622 is only limited to one lens. On the side is a port to attach either a plug-in 140 degree cabin view camera, a plug-in 30 degree telephoto lens to film out of the back window, or a wired rear-facing 140 degrees lens to stick to the rear window, which is magnetic and highly-adjustable. All three of these additional lenses film at 1080 resolution when used with the 622, though that resolution drops if used with some of the other models with which they’re also compatible.

The downside with the 622’s lens system is that you can only use one of these extra cameras in conjunction with the main lens of the 622 at a time, whereas the iQ has 3 lens filming all the time so more of your vehicle is covered.

To power the dash cams, the 622 comes with a cigarette lighter to usb cable as standard, but can be hardwired or used with an OBD2 port adapter to keep your 12 volt port free.

The iQ comes with an OBD2 port cable as standard as it requires power all the time, however it can also be hard wired into the vehicle’s battery.

To get your dash cam fixed in place, both utilise 3m sticky pads as standard on the font and rear cameras. I experienced the pads failing on the front 622 camera after a few months so bought the suction-cup mount for an additional few pounds and it hasn’t moved since. The mount is magnetic and holds in places very firmly.

The iQ has a much larger surface area so the sticky pad fixes much better and I really struggled to remove it from the window when I needed to do some filming with the dash cam.

To store your footage, the 622 takes a micro-sd card, which can be bought separately and large capacity ones such as 256gb work fine. The iQ benefits from cloud storage, though it also has a micro-sd card slot and comes with a 64gb card in the box.

Technology of the 622GW & iQ Dash Cams

So far the cameras have proven pretty easily matched but the 622 might struggle against the iQ’s powerful tech in this round.

The 622 isn’t lacking by any means though. You’ve got GPS, What3Words and Alexa voice control, as well as automatic protection of clips detect by the G-sensor at impact.

There’s also a built-in battery which powers an intelligent parking mode. The battery is only small and doesn’t last too long, around 15 or 20 minutes, so using the OBD cable or hard wiring power methods would ensure the dash cam always has a bit of charge to capture an incident.

Other features include enhanced night vision for clearer night-time recording  and extreme weather mode to identify extra detail in low visibility conditions.

The dash cam connects to the MyNextbase app, though it can be tricky to connect to it. The app is there for you to view, manage and upload videos, set up Alexa and EmergencySOS features.

That’s a pretty good package of features but, whilst very useful, many of these have been around for a while. The whole purpose of the iQ however was to take the best tech available today and put it into any vehicle – not just the brand new expensive ones!

As such, the iQ sees not only the GPS, Emergency SOS, What3Words and voice control functionality, but adds to it some really impressive features such as Smart Sense Parking, where you can set up a monitoring perimeter around your vehicle, Witness Mode which record continuously and email a link to the live stream to a designated contact and Remote Alarm which you can activate when away from the vehicle to deter a break-in.

Thanks to its built-in 4G capability, your footage is always uploading to the cloud and can also provide live-view of what all three lenses of your dash cam are seeing at any given time. For this you’ll need to download the Nextbase iQ app. From the dashboard you can view your footage as well as live speed and vehicle location, as well as make a bunch of other adjustments to the iQ further into the app. The app will send a number of notifications to your phone detailing everythings from motion near the vehicle to suspected impacts.

There are two very exciting further features which set the iQ apart from competitors. Guardian Mode was released in the iQ May 2024 firmware update and is a way of setting speed limits and location boundaries when your vehicle’s being driven by someone else. You’ll get notifications if your parameters are exceeded.

Roadwatch AI is yet to be released but will display the speed and distances of other vehicles, whilst identifying hazards around you.

Image Quality Of The 622GW and iQ Dash Cams

It’s all very well having this amazing tech crammed in, but if the dashcams don’t film good quality footage which identifies cars, people, hazards and incidents with reliability and consistency then I shouldn’t even be testing them!

My experience with both these dash cams however is that both shoot great footage. When they’re both set to 2k, it’s difficult to tell them apart, with the iQ perhaps being slightly better, however as I’m able to set the 622 to 4k, the additional resolution will always provide clearer footage.

Here’s some stills from footage:

Choosing A Dash Cam That Lasts

Another consideration is how well both of these devices will hold up in the future. After all, if you spent a lot of money on a dash cam, you don’t want it to become obsolete in the next few years.

For the 622, with its tried and tested concept used similarly across the dash cam world world. It’s unlikely that Nextbase will be withdrawing this technology anytime soon, though I haven’t heard any suggestions of a Nextbase 722GW on the cards.

And that’s because it appears that Nextbase is backing It’s a new concept in the form of the iQ, and it’ll be exciting to see where this develops in the future and whatever tech could be added to their dash cams, though we do still need to see Roadwatch AI released.

Safety & Known issues With The 622GW & iQ

Another consideration when choosing a dash cam is that there could be some issues either with the build or software. 

One thing to be aware of with the 622GW is that for all it’s stability in its software and hardware, due to its built-in battery it is only rated for use between -20°c and 45°c, or -4°f to 113°f, so this could be something to bear in mind for hotter or colder countries. I live in England and I’ve left the dash cam in my windscreen all year round and haven’t had any issues at all.

For the iQ, things got off to a shaky start when it was released. At the end of 2023 there were a number of software glitches and features not working. However, there have been four firmware updates since then and my dash cam is working perfectly, and hopefully things will only continue improving with future updates.  

How Much Do the 622GW & iQ Cost?

The final factor to compare between the 622 and the iQ cam is the price. As I mentioned at the beginning of the article, both are high-end cams and so are in the more expensive range that Nextbase or other provider would sell at.

The 622GW retails at £269 and once you’ve paid for it, and any extras gear such as a rear view camera, there’s nothing more to pay.

Speaking of extras, the rear window camera, the telephoto rear view and cabin view cameras are all £69 each.

The iQ however is not only more expensive, but also requires a monthly or annual subscription for the best features, though there is a free plan. This new model is likely due to the inclusion of the 4G connectivity. 1k version of the iQ retails at £349, the 2k version at £399, the 4k at £449, with the rear view camera at £139.

Of the two paid subscription options, the Protect Plan will cost you £6.99 a month or £69.99 annually, whilst the Protect Plus will set you back £9.99 a month or £99.99 annually.

Though if you’re after something a little less expensive, then Nextbase have a number of other dash cams in their range, as do other brands, which will meet any price point.

Which Dash Cam Should You Buy?

Before I cast my final opinion on these dash cams, don’t forget I’ve got really in-depth 622GW and iQ review videos on both of them, so be sure to check them out on my YouTube channel if you want to get into the finer details. You can also find affiliate links to purchase either of them throughout this article, which helps support my work and make videos like this possible.

My final thoughts are that the 622GW is a fantastic plug and play option which benefits from the highest quality footage at 4k and I really had no problems using it. During my testing it’s been reliable and it’s nice to be able to make changes to the settings through the menu on the touch screen.

That said iQ is crammed with exciting tech which takes car security to the next level. You do pay more for higher resolution versions and subscriptions for the features though, and it’ll be nice to see the unreleased features launch so it can be used to its full potential, but this advanced tech gives the iQ an edge that the 622 or other dash cams just don’t have.

So what do you think? Which would you buy? Or is there another dash cam I should review Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for stopping by!