Garmin Dash Cam X310 vs VIOFO A229 Pro: The Aussie Buyer's Comparison

You have seen the new Garmin Dash Cam X310, the spec sheet reads well, and now you are wondering whether it is the right 4K camera for your car or whether there is a smarter Garmin dash cam alternative for Australian conditions. That is a fair question, and the honest answer depends on how you drive, whether you want ongoing subscription costs, and how much rear or cabin coverage you might add later.

We sell VIOFO, Vantrue and WOLFBOX rather than Garmin, so we lined the Garmin Dash Cam X310 up on paper against the closest match in our range: the single-channel VIOFO A229 Pro. Both are compact 4K front cameras, which keeps this a fair, like-for-like comparison.

The short verdict

Garmin publishes the X310 as a 4K front camera with a built-in polariser, a 2.41 inch touchscreen and its own app. The VIOFO A229 Pro matches its 4K resolution and adds a named Sony STARVIS 2 sensor, a supercapacitor in place of a lithium battery, and local parking mode with no subscription. If you want cloud alerts and Garmin's ecosystem, the X310 makes sense. If you want rear coverage and no ongoing fees for the same outlay, the VIOFO does.

Key takeaways

• Both record 4K at 30 frames per second from a single front camera, so this is a genuine like-for-like matchup.
• The X310 has a built-in Clarity polariser and a Garmin Vault subscription for cloud features. The A229 Pro uses a Sony STARVIS 2 sensor and stores footage locally with no subscription.
• Garmin publishes a rechargeable lithium-ion battery in the X310, rated for up to 20 minutes. The A229 Pro uses a supercapacitor instead.
  

What is the Garmin Dash Cam X310?

The X310 is the flagship of Garmin's newest dash cam range, sitting above the 1440p X210 and 1080p X110. It is a pocket-sized, single-channel front camera that records 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) at 30 frames per second with HDR, using the H.265 codec, with a 140 degree diagonal field of view. Garmin lists a 2.41 inch colour touchscreen, the only touchscreen in the X series, voice control, built-in GPS with Galileo, Wi-Fi, and a built-in Clarity polariser that cuts windscreen glare. Garmin also publishes a magnetic mount, a 512GB microSD card limit, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery rated for up to 20 minutes, and an operating temperature range of -20 to 60 degrees C. Those are Garmin's stated specifications.

Two things are worth knowing before you buy. First, Parking Guard, which sends alerts if your parked car is bumped, needs constant power and a Wi-Fi connection, and on some vehicles a Constant Power Cable that is sold separately. Garmin also lists a Vault subscription as a requirement for it. Second, Garmin's cloud storage and remote clip access run through that same paid Garmin Vault subscription. The camera records to a microSD card on its own, but the connected features are a recurring cost. Garmin also lists Live View, the remote look-in feature, under the same Vault requirement.

The VIOFO A229 Pro, the model we stock

The VIOFO A229 Pro single-channel is the front-only version of VIOFO's A229 Pro system. VIOFO states it uses an 8 megapixel Sony STARVIS 2 IMX678 sensor recording 4K (3840 x 2160) at 30 frames per second with HDR, a 140 degree field of view, a 2.4 inch LCD, dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, voice control and GPS logging. If you want to grow the system later, the same platform is sold as a 2-channel front and rear kit, so you are not locked into front-only recording forever.

The A229 Pro's parking mode runs locally. With a hardwire kit it offers buffered auto event detection, time lapse and low bitrate recording, and it saves clips straight to the memory card. There is no subscription to unlock features. If the STARVIS 2 name is new to you, it is the current-generation low-light sensor tech, and we explain what it actually does in our guide to the Sony STARVIS 2 sensor. 

Garmin X310 vs VIOFO A229 Pro at a glance

Feature	Garmin Dash Cam X310	VIOFO A229 Pro (1-CH)	Source note
Front resolution	4K (3840 x 2160) at 30 fps, HDR, H.265	4K (3840 x 2160) at 30 fps, HDR	Manufacturer specifications
Front sensor	Not published by Garmin	Sony STARVIS 2 IMX678, 8 MP	VIOFO states sensor model, Garmin does not
Field of view	140 degrees (diagonal)	140 degrees	Manufacturer specifications
Channels	Front only	Front only, platform expandable to 2 or 3 channels	Manufacturer specifications
Screen	2.41 inch touchscreen	2.4 inch LCD	Manufacturer specifications
Glare control	Built-in Clarity polariser	Optional CPL filter, sold separately	Manufacturer specifications, built in on the Garmin, extra on the VIOFO. We have not tested either
Mount	Magnetic	Adhesive bracket	Point in Garmin's favour
Internal power store	Rechargeable lithium-ion battery, up to 20 minutes	Supercapacitor	Manufacturer specifications
Memory card	Up to 512GB microSD	Up to 512GB microSD	Manufacturer specifications
Parking mode	Parking Guard, needs constant power and a Vault subscription, cable sometimes extra	Buffered parking modes via hardwire kit, no subscription	Both need hardwiring for full parking cover
Subscription	Garmin Vault subscription for cloud features	None, footage stored locally	Recurring cost applies to Garmin cloud features only
Operating temperature	-20 to 60 degrees C	-20 to 65 degrees C	Garmin owner's manual and VIOFO specifications

Methodology note: We have tested the VIOFO A229 Pro hands-on. We have not tested the Garmin X310 ourselves, so every Garmin figure here comes from Garmin's own published specifications, product page and owner's manual, checked on 6 August 2026. Every VIOFO figure comes from VIOFO's own published specifications. We have not run the two cameras side by side under identical conditions, so we do not claim a head-to-head image-quality winner. Prices, bundles and firmware change, so confirm the current bundle before you buy, and where a manufacturer does not publish a figure we have said so rather than guessing.

How do they compare on night vision?

Night footage is where a lot of Aussie incidents actually happen, on poorly lit suburban streets and out on dark country roads. VIOFO names its sensor, the Sony STARVIS 2 IMX678, which is the current low-light sensor generation and is designed to hold detail like number plates in tricky light. Garmin does not publish the sensor model in the X310, so we cannot make a like-for-like sensor claim. We have used the A229 Pro ourselves, but we have not tested it against the Garmin side by side, so we are not calling a night-vision winner here. What we can say is that a named STARVIS 2 sensor is a known quantity, and an unnamed one is not.

Parking mode and the subscription question

This is the difference most people miss on the shop floor. Both cameras can watch your car while it is parked, and both want a hardwire kit and constant power to do it properly. The gap is what happens with the footage. The A229 Pro records parking events to the memory card with no ongoing cost. Garmin lists Parking Guard on the X310 as needing constant power. There's a cloud option that required an active Wi-Fi connection and a Vault subscription, and the same paid subscription covers cloud backup and remote clip viewing. Neither approach is wrong, it just depends on whether you want cloud access and are happy to pay for it every month, or whether you would rather set and forget with no fees. If you want a hand weighing up hardwiring for parking protection, our team can talk you through it.

Lithium-ion battery or supercapacitor

One specification worth more attention than resolution. Garmin publishes the X310's power store as a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, rated for up to 20 minutes. The A229 Pro uses a supercapacitor instead, which holds far less energy, just enough to close the current file safely, and copes with repeated heat better than a lithium battery left against glass through an Australian summer. Neither part is beyond failure, but the component choice is real. Our supercapacitor explainer covers it properly.

Glare, screens and the little things

Credit where it is due, the Garmin's built-in Clarity polariser is a genuinely nice inclusion. Garmin describes it as reducing windscreen glare, and having it built in means you are not buying anything extra. We have never had an X310 in our hands, so that is Garmin's claim rather than something we have watched happen. To get the same glare control on the A229 Pro you add an optional CPL filter, which is a small extra cost. Garmin also publishes a 2.41 inch touchscreen and a magnetic mount on the X310, where the VIOFO uses buttons and an adhesive bracket. On the other side of the ledger, the VIOFO names its sensor and skips the subscription. None of these points wins the whole contest on its own, they just shift the value depending on what you care about.

Australian support and warranty

Whatever you buy, your Australian Consumer Law rights sit on top of any manufacturer warranty, and those consumer guarantees are not something a voluntary warranty can take away. On the Garmin side listd a 12 month voluntary warranty on the X310. Buying the A229 Pro from us means 18-months and you are dealing with a local team for setup questions, hardwiring advice and warranty support rather than sorting it out overseas. That is a practical benefit, especially if you want help getting parking mode running safely.

Buy if, skip if

• Buy the Garmin X310 if: you want a built-in polariser, a touchscreen and a magnetic mount out of the box, front-only coverage is enough for you, you like Garmin's app, and you are happy to pay a Vault subscription for cloud alerts and remote viewing.
• Buy the VIOFO A229 Pro if: you want matched 4K resolution with a named Sony STARVIS 2 sensor, a supercapacitor rather than a lithium battery, and local parking mode with no ongoing fees.
• Skip both and talk to us if: you actually need cabin coverage for rideshare, a waterproof rear for a ute or van, or a mirror-style unit, because a different model in our range will suit you better.

Honest limitations and what we have not tested

To keep this fair, here is what we do not claim. Although we have tested the A229 Pro, we have not run it back to back against the Garmin in the same vehicle, so we are not quoting a night-time plate-reading distance or a winner on image quality. Garmin does not publish the X310's sensor model, so we have left sensor comparisons out rather than guess. Prices, bundles and firmware all change over time, so treat the figures here as a snapshot from 6 August 2026 and confirm the current details before you commit.

• The frame rate the X310 actually delivers at full 4K. Garmin publishes an "up to 120 FPS" headline maximum but does not state the frame rate at 4K, so we have not quoted one.
• Whether the built-in polariser performs as Garmin describes. We have never had an X310 to look through.

Pro Tip: Whichever 4K camera you choose, a good high-endurance microSD card and a proper hardwire install do more for reliable evidence than a few extra megapixels. Get those two things right first.

Looking at the rest of the range? Our Garmin dash cam guide for Australia covers the whole line-up, and our X110 versus X210 versus X310 comparison works out which Garmin is worth the money.

Still not sure which way to go? That is what we are here for. Have a look at the full VIOFO range, read our deeper VIOFO A229 Pro review, or get in touch with Michael or Harrison through our contact page and we will help you match a camera to your car and how you drive. No worries either way.

Retailer review and buying advice from The Dash Cam Guys. The VIOFO A229 Pro was tested by The Dash Cam Guys. Facts checked 6 August 2026. Garmin figures sourced from Garmin's own published specifications. We will update this comparison if pricing, firmware or models change.