The DDPai Z50 dashcam offers quality recordings from both a 4K front and 1080p rear camera. But the Android app is a disaster.

The DDPai 4K Dual-Channel Z50 Dashcam includes front and back cameras and is reasonably straightforward to set up (although this will depend on your vehicle) and supports hardwiring, but cable management has not been considered. While the camera itself appears reliable and features error management to mitigate SD card corruption, the Android app is a disaster. Other dual-camera 4K dashcams are available, with superior apps.

Dashcams have come a long way since the days of a 480 x 360 resolution unit bought from a service station that destroys the SD card in a week or two. These days, you can get a 4K dashcam with an optional rear-mounted camera and various mitigation techniques to reduce SD card corruption.

That’s what the DDPai 4K Dual-Channel Z50 Dashcam promises – but does it deliver stable performance, seamless recording, easy downloading of videos, and ensure a reliable SD card?

The first thing you will notice about the device in this review is that it is 4K (also known as UHD, or Ultra High-definition). That means a recording resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels.

I reviewed a 4K dashcam back in 2020 and was impressed with the resulting video footage. Sadly, the device regularly corrupted the SD card over prolonged use (probably every three to six months) and eventually stopped functioning completely.

So, while 4K resolution is important for ensuring clarity for number plates and other details involved in a traffic incident, so is a device that doesn’t screw up its storage media.

The DDPai 4K Dual-Channel Z50 ships as a single unit, with a box for each camera.

The front camera has a built-in display and front-facing camera, and ships along with a lengthy USB cable, USB cigarette lighter adapter, spare 3M adhesive, instruction guide, and two electrostatic adhesives (for residue-free mounting when it comes to removing the dashcam). There is also a lever for helping to hide the wires.

Meanwhile, the rear camera features a 20-foot data and power cable and a spare M3 adhesive pad. A 32GB Kingston microSD card with U1/V10 (a minimum write speed of 10MB/s) is also included in the kit.

Notably, there are no adhesive hooks to stick the wire to the windshield. This was a common inclusion with dashcams in the past but seems to be almost forgotten. As I drive a vehicle with a large windshield, keeping the cables out of my field of view requires adhesive hooks. For the purposes of safely testing the DDPai 4K Dual-Channel Z50, I ordered some online.

DDPai also shipped us a Type-C USB intelligent hardwire kit. This contains a USB Type-C cable and a trio of fusebox connectors and fuses in mini, S, and M sizes. The idea here is that you can hardwire the Z50 to your car’s fusebox with the wires and replacement fuses, for a more reliable experience and less cabling.

However, hardwiring is not necessary and may be impractical (in the case of this review, my hands are too big for the fusebox, and my vehicle is under warranty so adding new hardware to the fusebox is not an option). Fortunately, the USB power solution is more than adequate for this dashcam.

The key feature of the dashcam is the inclusion of NAND Flash and the D2save Emergency Storage system. This works by detecting a storage error on the SD card, storing the footage on the NAND Flash until the SD card is error-free. This only works for footage recorded through the front camera, but is a welcome feature that should ensure better recording reliability.

The front camera features a Sony IMX415 4K sensor and a stated F/1.75 aperture.

Measuring 82 x 62 x 31.15mm, the main front-facing unit has a 5V input and microSD card storage via a TF slot, supporting up to 128GB, with cyclical recording. Class 10 cards are supported.

Wi-Fi is included for connecting to your phone, on the 2.4GHz wavelength, and the device has a built-in three-axis gyro sensor, with adjustable sensitivity. This can automatically record when emergency braking and collisions are detected, securing the file for download later.

The front dashcam unit has a 2.3-inch display with four buttons mounted below it, and dual ports. The Type-C power interface from the chosen power source, and the AV interface for the optional rear camera.

DDPai shipped us the GPS version of the DDPai 4K Dual-Channel Z50. This has a built-in GPS module, which when synced with the app can demonstrate journeys and incidents in greater detail. In theory, anyway.

Control of the dashcam on the unit itself is limited, with most options available in the app. In fact, the entire user interface, from the display (screensaver aside), to the four buttons on the device, seems like an afterthought.

The display is not bright enough to see in daylight, which makes it somewhat pointless. It certainly has no place as a rear parking camera, as the image is too small to discern distance accurately. As most cars have at least an array of parking sensors these days, there is little need to view the rear camera.

Installation of the dashcam is as straightforward as any. Check the length of the cable and run it from the intended location of the dashcam, around the paneling, to the car’s cigarette lighter socket, insert the adapter, mount the dashcam, and hook it up to the USB cable, tucking away the cables with the lever as you do.

Although the DDPai 4K Dual-Channel Z50 features a rear camera, it can be set up without this (hence the separate box). Installation of this secondary device is more of the same, sadly, although it also requires direct access to its own port on the front camera. This was a surprise as previous dual-camera dashcams I’ve used employ a Y-adapter some distance from the main unit to reduce cabling around the windshield.

Once the cabling is in place, you have the option to pair the dashcam with the DDPai mobile app, for iOS and Android, although the dashcam will function without the app, and you can eject the card once powered down.

Should you opt to also install the rear dashcam, things can get a little more complicated. While there is enough cabling to suit a standard MPV or minibus, you may need to get creative with the routing. On our vehicle, the cable ran off the window and into the window bezel, before following the tailgate electrics into the main chassis. At that point, it was a simple route across the top of each door and onto the windshield.

Other dashcams I’ve seen – both in the past, and in stores recently – have far better cable management options, often hiding the cable to reduce its presence on the windshield or rear window.

While installing both cameras, I noticed that the USB Type-C and AV ports were too close for the included connectors. The result is a bit of a mess on the windshield when positioned near the rearview mirror as recommended in the manual.

While you can use the dashcam without the accompanying app for Android and iOS, it makes more sense to have it installed and paired. At the very least, this saves messing around with the push-push TF slot which seems primed for people with long fingernails. Leaving the microSD card where it is and connecting to the camera over Wi-Fi is far easier.

The main screen in the app offers user guides and demo videos, along with content uploaded by other DDPai users. It also highlights other models from the DDPai dashcam range.

Following this is the Device screen, which cannot be accessed without connecting your phone to the dashcam’s Wi-Fi network.

Finally, the Me screen holds your profile details, access to the local album of stored videos, and some app settings.

To sync, simply switch on your car engine, open the app, and follow instructions to connect to the dashcam’s Wi-Fi network (note that this doesn’t have internet access). Once this is done, you can then access various dashcam settings such as resolution, sensitivity, etc., and set the correct horizon. You can also tweak the orientation of the rear-mounted camera footage if required.

The main strength of this dashcam is undoubtedly the error management system to prevent (or reduce) data corruption on the SD card. Sadly, we can't verify whether this works, as SD cards typically corrupt after a couple of months.

One thing to note about the SD card is that the 32GB of storage is only enough for a couple of days. For longer journeys (say, 150 miles or more) you will almost certainly need a 64GB or higher SD card. It’s unlikely you’ll have the opportunity to download what you need while traveling, after all. And of course, if you’re using the dual-cam setup, further storage is devoted to recording footage for that second camera.

When you’re driving, the DDPai camera – aside from its “Hello ding-ding pai” chime – is pretty anonymous. Which is pretty much what you would expect from a dashcam.

Unfortunately, expectations with this device are short-lived.

Recording is automatic, saved in 1-minute files. These can be in 4K, 2K, or 1080p, and of course, take up less space with a lower resolution. Note that the rear cam has a maximum resolution of 1080p. Unusually for dashcams, there is no time-lapse recording option on either camera.

One problem with the app is that it cannot access your mobile internet when the Z50 is connected over your phone’s Wi-Fi. This can lead to crashes if you press the wrong button in the app and is somewhat frustrating, especially as Wi-Fi is the only connection option for the dashcam short of ejecting the SD card. There is a setting in Android’s Developer Options menu that enables dual connections, but this is already enabled on my phone (running Android 12) and is therefore not the issue. A cursory review of the DDPai app on the Google Play Store reveals I’m not alone in discovering this shortcoming.

The screenshots below demonstrate it working correctly, but the map data was downloaded over my home's Wi-Fi — once out of range, there was no GPS information.

Elsewhere, recordings are listed an hour out of sync with the local time (something I had initially considered might be affecting the GPS). The app can display rich data about the speed of other vehicles, but it seems incapable of displaying the route taken and precise location of the incident in the map, despite menu functionality indicating it should be possible.

Furthermore, downloading is slow and requires the camera to be powered on, which of course means switching on your engine or connecting a different USB Type-C power source. You can eject the media and view the files on your PC, but this probably isn’t any quicker.

I chatted at length with DDPai’s representative to find a solution to these problems, but aside from reverting the camera to factory settings, none was forthcoming.

If both cameras are used, corresponding footage is listed side-by-side in the app.

If you are interested in buying a new dashcam, a 4K device is pretty much required these days. While a standard HD camera will be more affordable, 4K resolution gives you more detail, which is useful for fast highways when other vehicles pass quickly.

Smaller 4K cameras with better cable management are available, but that’s a comparatively minor issue. The real problem here is the DDPai’s app, which is almost completely useless.

If you’re looking for a device with a rear camera the DDPai 4K Dual-Channel Z50 Dashcam is an option to consider, but if you’re using Android, the app is bad enough that I would encourage you to look elsewhere.

Deputy Editor for Security, Linux, DIY, Programming, and Tech Explained, and Really Useful Podcast producer, with extensive experience in desktop and software support. A contributor to Linux Format magazine, Christian is a Raspberry Pi tinkerer, Lego lover and retro gaming fan.

Join our newsletter for tech tips, reviews, free ebooks, and exclusive deals!