Nextbase Piqo 2K Review: The Smallest Nextbase Compared With the VIOFO VS1 Mini

This Nextbase Piqo 2K dash cam review compares it with the VIOFO VS1 Mini. Both are small, screenless 2K dash cams that hide behind the mirror. The Nextbase Piqo 2K adds cloud storage and emergency alert features through the Nextbase app. The VIOFO VS1 Mini keeps everything on the card, with a supercapacitor and a named Sony sensor.

We sell the VIOFO and we do not sell the Nextbase, so weigh that up as you read. This review is part of our guide to Nextbase dash cams in Australia. The VIOFO side sits in our guide to choosing a VIOFO dash cam.

If you are in a hurry

• Choose the Nextbase Piqo 2K if you want cloud back-up and emergency alerting in a small camera.
• Choose the VIOFO VS1 Mini if you want a small camera that records to a card, with more of its hardware published.

Is this a fair comparison?

Yes, this one is close. Both are front-only cameras with one channel, which means one camera and no rear. Both record 2560 x 1440, both have no screen, and both are set up through a phone app. Each sits at the small, simple end of its maker's range.

We have not tested these two cameras side by side. Every figure below is the maker's own published figure, and we say which document it came from.

Nextbase Piqo 2K vs VIOFO VS1 Mini compared

How to read this table. The Dash Cam Guys has not tested these cameras under identical conditions, and we make no claim about which reads number plates better at night. Nextbase figures come from the Nextbase Piqo user manual and nextbase.au. VIOFO figures come from the VIOFO VS1 user manual and viofo.com. Specifications checked 5 October 2026.

Where the Nextbase Piqo 2K wins

Cloud storage without a paid plan. Nextbase's no-fee Solo plan covers the app, Smart Parking, Guardian Mode Lite, Witness Mode Lite, voice control and 30 days of cloud storage. The VIOFO VS1 Mini has no cloud storage at all. If the card is damaged or taken, a cloud copy is the only copy. Just be mindful for cloud to work, it's needs you to also BYO Data (ie; hotspot)

Emergency SOS. On the paid Protect plan, the Nextbase Piqo 2K can alert emergency services after a serious impact if you do not respond. It works through the Nextbase app on a paired phone. Nextbase lists Australia among the supported countries.

The same plan extends cloud storage to 180 days and adds 24 months of warranty. The VIOFO has nothing like it.

The wider lens and the easier parking cable. Nextbase lists 145 degrees against 140 degrees for the VIOFO. Its Quick Connect Cable plugs into the OBD port, which is the diagnostic socket under the dash. That gives you parked recording with no fuse box work. Nextbase also describes the Piqo's ClickMount as crash tested.

Where the VIOFO VS1 Mini wins

More of the hardware is published. VIOFO names the sensor as a Sony STARVIS 2 IMX675, states 30fps, and lists a supercapacitor. Nextbase's manual names the sensor maker but not the model, and gives no frame rate or power storage type. That makes the VIOFO easier to judge on paper in regards to recording fidelity.

Power storage and heat. A supercapacitor holds just enough charge to close the last file safely when power is cut. It is generally better suited to repeated high-temperature cabin exposure than a rechargeable lithium battery, although no electronic device is failure-proof. VIOFO lists an operating range of -20°C to 65°C, and its manual advises switching the camera off if the cabin passes 60°C.

Storage, Wi-Fi and warranty. The VIOFO takes a card up to 512GB against 256GB, and our listing includes a 32GB card. It has 5GHz Wi-Fi as well as 2.4GHz, which usually means quicker downloads to your phone. The warranty is 18 months against 12 months.

Size. Going by each maker's published dimensions, the VIOFO VS1 Mini is the shorter body. Both are small enough to sit behind the mirror.

What neither camera does well

Neither one can take a rear camera. If rear coverage matters to you, you are looking at the wrong shape of camera, and a two-channel model is the answer.

Neither one has a screen, so you frame the shot on your phone. And neither one records while parked out of the box. Nextbase's manual states the supplied 12V cable does not support Smart Parking, and the VIOFO needs its HK5 kit.

Pro Tip: With any screenless camera, pair the app and check the angle in your driveway before you tuck the wiring away. Without a screen you cannot spot a crooked mount, or a bonnet filling the bottom third of the frame, until you review footage on your phone.

Mounting and parking mode in Australia

Small cameras tempt people to stick them anywhere. Keep the camera out of your view of the road, tuck it behind the rear-view mirror where you can, and stay clear of airbag zones when you route the cable. Rules on windscreen-mounted devices differ between states and territories, so check the road rules where you drive.

Both cameras need constant power for parked recording. Our parking mode guide explains how that works. We do not install cameras ourselves.

If you would rather someone else handle the fuse box, we keep a directory of independent installers. They are independent businesses, so you book and contract directly with them.

Which one should you buy?

Choose the Nextbase Piqo 2K if you want a cloud copy of your footage if you have the hotspot and BYO data to support it, or like the features of emergency alerting. Those are real advantages, and nothing in the VIOFO replaces them.

Choose the VIOFO VS1 Mini if you want a discreet camera that records to a card without the complexity of the cloud, with a named sensor, a supercapacitor, a larger card limit and a longer warranty. You can see it on our VIOFO VS1 Mini product page.

Choose neither if you want a screen or a rear camera. The VIOFO A119 Mini 2 uses the same sensor as the VIOFO VS1 Mini and adds a 1.5 inch screen. Alternatively for front and rear coverage, start with our best dash cam in Australia guide.

For more on the VIOFO, read our VIOFO VS1 review and the VIOFO VS1 Mini manual guide. The rest of the range is in our VIOFO collection.

Nextbase Piqo questions

What is the difference between the Nextbase Piqo 1K and 2K?

Resolution, lens and card size. Nextbase's manual lists the Piqo 1K at 2560 x 1080 with a 140 degree view and a 128GB card limit. The Piqo 2K records 2560 x 1440 with a 145 degree view and takes a card up to 256GB. Both are screenless, front-only cameras.

Is 1440p good enough for a dash cam?

For most drivers, yes. A 1440p image has about 78 per cent more pixels than 1080p, which gives more detail to work with on signs and number plates. A 4K camera records more again. Resolution is only one part of it, and we have not tested how either camera here reads plates.

How do you set up the Nextbase Piqo?

Through the Nextbase app. The Piqo has no screen, so you connect it to your phone and finish the settings there. Nextbase lists Android 8 or iOS 15 and above. Check the camera angle in the app before you tidy the cable away.

What we could not verify

• The frame rate and the sensor model of the Nextbase Piqo 2K. Nextbase does not publish either.
• Whether the Nextbase Piqo 2K uses a supercapacitor or a rechargeable battery, and its operating temperature. The manual and nextbase.au do not say. A Bunnings Marketplace listing for the Piqo 2K states a supercapacitor, but we could not confirm that in Nextbase's own documents.
• The weight of the Nextbase Piqo 2K. Nextbase publishes dimensions but not weight.
• Which Australian retail boxes include a memory card. Nextbase's own page says none is sold with the device, while some retailers list a bundle with a 32GB card. Check the listing you are buying from.
• How either camera reads number plates at night. We have no test record for that.

Still weighing it up?

Send Michael or Harrison a message through our contact page and tell us what you drive. No worries if you end up going another way. You will get a straight answer, including "buy the Nextbase" if a cloud copy is what you need.

How we put this together

Retailer review and buying advice from The Dash Cam Guys. Nextbase figures are taken from the Nextbase Piqo user manual, nextbase.au and Nextbase support pages. VIOFO figures are taken from the VIOFO VS1 user manual and viofo.com, and are manufacturer claims. We have not independently tested the Nextbase Piqo 2K, and we have not run a controlled side-by-side comparison of these cameras.

Author: The Dash Cam Guys. Facts checked: 5 October 2026.

---

Last reviewed: 5 October 2026. We do not sell Nextbase, and anything said here about how a Nextbase behaves as a dash cam is based on Nextbase's own published material rather than on testing by us. If a specification, a feature or a claim on this page is wrong or has gone out of date, tell us and we will correct it.

Commercial disclosure: The Dash Cam Guys sells the VIOFO VS1 Mini, so read this as retailer buying advice rather than an independent laboratory test. We do not sell Nextbase and we have no commercial relationship with Nextbase. We have never had a Nextbase Piqo 2K on our bench, so every Nextbase figure on this page comes from Nextbase's own user manuals, Australian product pages and support pages, and we have said which. We are not neutral. We have tried to be accurate instead. Where Nextbase is the stronger choice, we have said so. No brand paid for, sponsored or supplied anything for this review. We buy the cameras we review out of our own stock, the same stock we sell; we have not bought or tested the Nextbase Piqo 2K. VIOFO specifications are VIOFO's own published figures and are manufacturer claims unless we say otherwise. We have not run a controlled side-by-side test of the two cameras. If a specification, a feature or a claim on this page is wrong or has gone out of date, tell us and we will correct it.