Garmin Dash Cam™ Mini 3, Ultracompact 1080p HD Dash Cam with a 140-degree Field of View, Built in Clarity™ Polarizer, Voice Controlled, Automatic Recording

I have had this a year and it is now not functioning correctly. There is no screen and the phone app is clunky and slow. Do not buy one!

Important. This USA import does not have voice recognition of English -UK. Only English -United States is available. This means asking the unit to Take A Picture does not work. My other UK unit does. Otherwise the unit is of great quality and works well.

I had a near miss today - had to brake very sharply, and I hit the 'save' button shortly afterwards. I reviewed the stored videos hoping to get some details to report it to the police, but all that was on the camera is just old videos of going over speed bumps, or completely unremarkable driving. So I'd say it has failed to do the exact thing I wanted it for. Everything is set up correctly, good positioning, correct wiring for power, large SD card, good settings, and I'd tested it after installation - but for whatever reason, it failed just when I wanted it to work. I'll give it an extra star above minimum though, because it is a very high quality unit, compact enough to hide out of drivers' sight behind the rear view mirror, easy installation, nice long cable to allow routing the cable to power.

My son didn’t like that it wasn’t wireless.

I am NOT one of the 'professional' reviewers that get stuff for free, in exchange or publishing a good review and video. I bought this myself, and as an engineer, I'm not to be critical of something, but realistic in my expectations. I read many reviews on this camera before purchasing, but decided to try it myself. I loved the small size of the camera, and no monitor on the back of it. Many of the 1 star videos mentioned how slow it was to get the video to view on their phone, but I didn't see where any of them had said they updated the firmware. I didn't check performance before the update, but I updated the firmware from version 2.70 to 3.10. I connected the phone to my computer with the USB-C cord that I charge my phone with, and used the Garmin Express app on a Windows computer to update the firmware. That was pretty painless. Afterwards running in a normal configuration where the camera was hooked to a power supply (phone charger or car plug), I was able to view my videos on my Galaxy S10e running Android in about 10 sec. It's only connecting at 2.4 GHz wifi, not the 5 Ghz. I've attached a sample of a real-world video in Cocoa Beach Florida in May, so pretty bright sunshine. I have not tried a night video yet. You can read a license plate on a car stopped in front of you, but as you approach it or it pulls away, you can judge for yourself the distance that you can read license plates. As the camera only records at 30 hz, when you are passing a car at 70 mph, you really can't read license plates. Overall, I like the size and the ease of operation. Just plug it in and forget about it. It doesn't intrude into your view out of the windshield, as I mounted mine behind the rear view mirror. It would record nicely if some car sideswipes you or some insurance scammer decided to back into you at a traffic light. It won't be able to read the license plate of a moving car that throws something out of window several car lengths in front of you, but it could identify the color, make, and model of the car. Keep in mind that this camera was released in 2023, so it's not recording in Super HD at 1,000 frames a second. You pay more for those cameras. You also have to put up with a monitor on the back of the camera. For basic protection at an affordable price, I give this camera two thumbs up. I'll be buying another one for the rear of my car as well.

Esta es como la quinta cámara que compro de la marca Garmin, la tercera de este modelo en específico. Es muy sencilla de colocar y conectar. Se controla con la aplicación Garmin Drive. En general una vez que la echas a andar te olvidas de ella, se enciende y se apaga sola. Graba siempre que está encendida y sólo te acordarás de ella cuando necesites revisar algún incidente.

Installed the Garmin Mini 3 in my Mercedes and I’m honestly really impressed. It’s super compact—barely noticeable behind the rearview mirror, which is exactly what I wanted. The video quality is excellent, both day and night, and the wide field of view captures everything I need without distortion. Setup was easy with the app, and it connects quickly via Wi-Fi whenever I need to check footage or adjust settings. I love that it starts recording automatically and doesn’t require any input once it’s powered. The voice control is a nice bonus too. Overall, it’s a great little dash cam that does exactly what it promises—quietly, efficiently, and with great clarity. Highly recommend it if you want something clean and reliable without cluttering your windshield.

Only 1080 resolution, and very minimal adjustments available. Its def not the best dash cam. Its not even an average dashcam. But, there is nothing else this small. If you just need a teeny, discreet dashcam, this cant be beat. I use it for my rear cam in a couple of cars because it is a small blockage of the rear view mirror. In my Corvette I have it in the corner of the the passenger dash pointed at the driver. It shows the passenger, the driver, and the cop that stopped you and is giving you the business. In that scenario, smaller is primo and 1080 resolution is fine. Its not the best, but consider it a spycam. Its so small. Its not junk. I've used 3 of the Garmin Minis so far. Its made by Garmin, so I can depend on it.

I like the form factor of this camera. It’s good value for what you get. Warranty is backed by Garmin. Software and installation is a breeze (you will need a Separate cable for parking guard and permanent installation). The video quality is very good and Garmin seems to have figured out the polarization issues affect you get with some angles and windshields. This one worked great in our 2025 Honda civic sport. I especially like that Garmin displays (if you want) the speed and location of the recordings. Again, the only con here would be the lack of more permanent cabling.