Skip to content
We'll be closed on September 29, 2023 for holiday. Orders from Friday & weekend will be shipped on Monday!
Free Fast Shipping in Under 3 Days
Best Price Guaranteed
★★★★★ Over 10,000 Reviews
Financing As Low As $3/Month

Thinkware U3000 vs. VIOFO A139 Pro 4K UHD
Dash Cam Comparison Review

2023 is indeed a stellar year in the 4K dash cam scene, starting off with the launch of three new dash cams from some of the most popular brands – the BlackVue DR970X, the VIOFO A139 Pro, and the latest addition, the Thinkware U3000.

While the BlackVue DR970X has improved 4K video resolution with new SigmaStar CPU and ISP tuning software, it’s the competition of the VIOFO A139 Pro and Thinkware U3000 that is making a louder buzz in the dash cam community, considering these two are the industry’s first dash cams equipped with the most advanced Sony STARVIS 2 image sensing technology.

Even if both the VIOFO A139 Pro and Thinkware U3000 have the same image sensor, there are still a lot of differences and individual features to distinguish between the two, and we will go through them for you in this review, one by one. We’ll dive into image and video recording capabilities, parking mode, safety and convenience features, Cloud connectivity, and pricing comparisons to see which among these 4K dash cam kings are more worthy of the crown.

This will be a tough competition between these two titans, so strap in!

Thinkware U3000 vs. VIOFO A139 Pro Form Factor

Let’s start off with the Thinkware U3000 and VIOFO A139 Pro’s physical attributes. The Thinkware U3000 is a 4K UHD dash cam, available in front-only and front-and-rear configurations. On the other hand, VIOFO made the A139 Pro available in single, dual, and triple-channel systems which are highly recommended if you’re driving a ride-sharing vehicle, or simply want to record what’s happening inside your car.

Talking about its form factor, the Thinkware U3000’s head unit is built with a premium, matte black finish, designed with cross ventilation grills underneath to improve the dash cam’s cooling system. Its head unit is longer, with a vertical lip that hangs down from the front camera as the U3000 had a radar sensor built into its front and rear cameras. Overall, still looks discreet, though it will hang lower.

On the other hand, the VIOFO A139 Pro, unlike the previous, chunky VIOFO models like the A129 Pro, is now designed screenless. The unit hugs the windshield much more than the Thinkware U3000 with no overhang, however the body itself is wider overall.

In terms of design, we think that the Thinkware U3000 displays a more premium feel than the A139 Pro. Other than that, both are easy to hide and install behind the rearview mirror of any vehicle. Both are built without a screen, and recorded footage can be viewed in the dedicated Thinkware Dash Cam link app or VIOFO app.

Thinkware U3000 vs. Garmin 66W Image Quality and Video Resolution

Now we come to one of the most crucial aspects of these dash cams – video resolution. We mentioned earlier that the Thinkware U3000 and the VIOFO A139 Pro are the first dash cams to be built with the Sony STARVIS 2 image sensor, promising enhanced performance in low-light situations while also improving the clarity and sharpness of their videos. However, this doesn’t mean that they record exactly the same.

With the Thinkware U3000, the front camera sports an 8MP Sony STARVIS 2 IMX 678 image sensor, capturing 4K @ 30 frames per second, which can be scaled down to 2K @ 60 frames per second if you prefer a higher frame rate, best for highway driving. It’s also equipped with Super Night Vision 4.0, which is a big leap from the Thinkware U1000’s Super Night Vision 2.0 version. The VIOFO A139 Pro also records in 4K and has night vision, although its resolution for the front camera is locked at 4K @ 30 frames per second. When we tested both the U3000 and A139 Pro’s front camera recording, we can see how clear and crisp the details have been, although we did notice that the VIOFO A139 Pro’s visuals are more vibrant and clear – regardless of the lighting situations. Take note, the VIOFO A139 Pro also has HDR and WDR so we’re not surprised with how better the results are for them.

However, if we’re going to talk about the rear camera, the Thinkware U3000 does a better job of recording details. While the A139 Pro’s secondary cameras only record 1080P Full HD @ 30 frames per second, the U3000’s rear camera captures 2K QHD @ 30 frames per second. Angle-wise? The front unit of the A139 Pro is also a tad narrower at 140-degrees, compared to the U3000’s wider 158-degrees. However, the rear (and interior) camera of the A139 Pro has a 170-degree field of view, while the U3000 only covers 128-degrees. In terms of capturing more lanes, we think that the front camera is more important, so we appreciate how the Thinkware U3000 covers a wider field of view.

The flagship variant for the A139 Pro is the 3-channel dash cam composed of a 4K front, 1080p interior, and 1080p rear. However, when the A139 Pro operates in a 3-Channel setup, the image quality can be set to 1600p at 30fps, or 2160p at 24fps, both 4k. Basically, as the number of cameras or channel configurations increases, the video quality of the A139 Pro also reduces.

Beyond the video resolution and angles, both the Thinkware U3000 and VIOFO A139 Pro come with a CPL filter in every package. During our testing, we also applied these filters, along with a BlackBoxMyCar Aqua Shield to reduce glares and keep our footage safe from raindrops and dust.