Overview

The Miofive S1 E rewrites what $50 can buy in the dash cam market. At half the price of the next cheapest 4K camera in our roundup, it delivers genuine 2160p recording through a 150-degree wide-angle lens, all powered by a supercapacitor that handles extreme car temperatures better than lithium batteries. The built-in eMMC storage eliminates the single biggest frustration of budget dash cams: microSD card failures. You plug it in, stick it to the windshield, and it records. No cards to buy, no formatting headaches, no mysterious "card error" messages six months down the road.

The tradeoffs are real, though. Without GPS, your footage won't carry speed or location stamps that can strengthen an insurance claim. Night recording lacks the clarity of Sony STARVIS 2 sensors found in cameras like the VIOFO A119M Pro. The companion app is bare-bones, and Wi-Fi transfers are slow enough that you will want to plug in directly for longer clips. But those compromises land on the "nice to have" side of the ledger for most first-time buyers. The S1 E captures clear daytime 4K footage that shows license plates, lane positions, and traffic signals, which is exactly the evidence you need when something goes wrong. For fifty dollars, that is a remarkable proposition.

Features Deep-Dive

4K Recording with Built-in eMMC Storage

The S1 E records true 3840x2160 footage at 30fps, which gives you enough resolution to read license plates at reasonable distances during daylight. The built-in eMMC storage is the more interesting story, though. MicroSD cards are the Achilles heel of budget dash cams: they wear out from constant write cycles, they get corrupted by heat, and they fail silently, leaving you with no footage when you actually need it. The S1 E sidesteps this entirely with soldered-on eMMC flash that Miofive claims lasts ten times longer than a typical microSD card under continuous recording conditions. The camera handles loop recording automatically, overwriting the oldest footage as storage fills up while preserving any clips locked by the G-sensor during an impact. The practical benefit is significant: you never need to remember to check or replace a memory card.

150-Degree Wide-Angle Lens and 3-Inch IPS Screen

The 150-degree field of view is wider than what most budget cameras offer, typically ranging from 130 to 140 degrees at this price point. That extra coverage captures the lanes immediately to your left and right, which matters in sideswipe incidents and intersection disputes where the action often happens at the periphery. Some barrel distortion creeps in at the edges, which is unavoidable at this angle, but the center of the frame stays sharp enough for evidentiary purposes. The 3-inch IPS display is genuinely useful for aiming the camera during installation and reviewing clips in the car without connecting to a phone. At this screen size, you can confirm the camera's angle covers your lane and enough of the surrounding traffic.

Plug-and-Play Simplicity with Suction Cup Mount

Installation takes about five minutes. The suction cup mount sticks to your windshield without adhesive, which means you can reposition the camera freely or move it between vehicles. The included USB-C power cable runs to your car's 12V socket. There is no hardwiring required, no complex configuration menu, and no mandatory app pairing before the camera starts recording. Power on the car, and the S1 E begins capturing footage automatically. For users who have never owned a dash cam and find the setup process of premium models intimidating, this simplicity is a genuine feature, not a limitation. The supercapacitor design means the camera handles the temperature swings inside a parked car better than battery-powered alternatives, surviving from -4 degrees to 158 degrees Fahrenheit without degradation.

Wi-Fi Connectivity and App

The S1 E includes Wi-Fi for wireless footage transfers and live preview through the Miofive app. The connection works for reviewing short clips and adjusting settings like resolution and loop recording duration. However, transferring longer 4K files over Wi-Fi is noticeably slower than what you get from the Wi-Fi 6 equipped VIOFO A119M Pro or the 5GHz connection on the Miofive S1 Ultra. For anything beyond a quick clip review, plugging the camera directly into a computer delivers a meaningfully better experience. The app itself is functional but basic, offering the essentials without the polish of Garmin's or Nextbase's companion software.

Pricing Analysis

At $50, the Miofive S1 E occupies a price tier that no other 4K dash cam in our roundup touches. The next step up, the VIOFO A119M Pro at $140, costs nearly three times as much and justifies the premium with a Sony STARVIS 2 sensor, built-in GPS, voice control, and genuinely superior night footage. The Nextbase Piqo 2K at $150 drops to 2K resolution but adds SOS emergency features, a superior app experience, and Nextbase's established service ecosystem. The ROVE R2-4K DUAL at $200 includes a rear camera and a free 128GB microSD card. Each of these competitors is a better camera in absolute terms, but none can match the S1 E's value math. For a buyer whose primary need is daytime incident documentation and whose budget is tight, the S1 E delivers 80% of the core functionality at 25-35% of the price. The built-in eMMC storage also saves the $15-25 you would otherwise spend on a quality microSD card, making the effective value gap even wider.

Who Is This For?

• First-time dash cam buyers who want basic incident protection without researching memory cards, hardwire kits, or app ecosystems -- the S1 E is genuinely the easiest entry point into dash cam ownership
• Budget-constrained drivers who need verifiable 4K footage for insurance purposes but cannot justify spending $140 or more -- at $50 with built-in storage, there is nothing cheaper that records at this resolution
• Multi-vehicle households looking to outfit every car with basic recording -- the low price and suction cup mount make it practical to buy several and move them between vehicles as needed
• Rideshare and delivery drivers who want a forward-facing camera for liability protection without a significant upfront investment

Who Should NOT Use This

• Night drivers and shift workers who need reliable after-dark footage -- the S1 E's sensor cannot match the low-light performance of Sony STARVIS 2 cameras, and anyone who regularly drives in darkness should invest in the VIOFO A119M Pro at $140 for dramatically better night recording
• Users who need GPS-stamped footage for fleet management, insurance claims that require speed verification, or detailed trip logging -- the S1 E lacks GPS entirely, and the VIOFO A119M Pro or Garmin Dash Cam Mini 3 are better choices for location-tagged evidence

Bottom Line

The Miofive S1 E is the dash cam equivalent of a reliable $20 smoke detector: it does one critical job well enough to justify its existence without pretending to be something more. Clear 4K daytime footage, built-in storage that eliminates card failures, and a five-minute installation make it the simplest path to having a camera running in your car. Night footage and smart features fall short of cameras that cost two to three times as much, but for the driver who just wants basic protection and peace of mind at the lowest possible price, the S1 E delivers.

FAQ

Is the built-in eMMC storage enough, or will I run out of space?

The eMMC storage handles continuous loop recording by automatically overwriting the oldest footage. For typical daily commutes, you will always have the most recent hours of driving available. The G-sensor locks clips during impacts so they cannot be overwritten. You cannot expand the storage, but for the S1 E's purpose as a rolling incident recorder, the capacity is sufficient for most drivers.

Can I use the S1 E footage for insurance claims without GPS data?

Yes. The 4K video quality captures license plates, traffic signals, and lane positions clearly during daylight, which is the most critical evidence in a claim. GPS-stamped speed data strengthens a case, but it is not required by most insurers. If GPS evidence is important to you, the VIOFO A119M Pro at $140 includes it.

How does the S1 E compare to the regular Miofive S1?

The S1 E is the entry-level variant designed to hit a lower price point. It strips back some of the S1's capabilities and ships without an included memory card by using built-in eMMC storage instead. The tradeoff is a camera that costs roughly half as much while retaining the core 4K recording functionality. For buyers who want the fuller feature set and are willing to spend more, the standard S1 with its included 32GB card is the next step up in the Miofive lineup.

Does the suction cup mount stay secure in hot weather?

The suction cup holds well in normal conditions. In extreme heat, all suction mounts can lose grip as the rubber expands. If you park in direct sun regularly and worry about the camera falling, you can reinforce the mount with a small adhesive pad, or consider a camera with an adhesive mount like the Garmin Dash Cam Mini 3. The S1 E's supercapacitor handles the heat itself without issue -- it is the mount that is the variable.